No expense spared.
Conor McGregor has pulled out all the stops to give himself the best possible chance to claim vengeance over the man who handed him his first UFC defeat.
‘The Notorious’ quickly recognised where he went wrong against Nate Diaz at UFC 196 in March and he has moved to remedy the errors he made ahead of their rematch.
That involved the specific selection of new training partners. He brought in six-time All-Ireland winning boxer Conor Wallace to replicate Diaz’s reach advantage and proficiency from boxing range. Marcelo Garcia black belt Dillon Danis was drafted in to ensure McGregor’s ground game would be at its best when he steps into the Octagon against a man that submitted him just five months ago.
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And the usual cohort is along for the ride in Las Vegas too. Ido Portal arrived this week to work on the Irishman’s movement patterns. Peter Queally and Cian Cowley have been putting McGregor through his paces on a daily basis. And Artem Lobov has a fight of his own next week so he’ll have engaged in some sharp sparring sessions with his training partner.
And that adds up!
“With gyms, cars, transport, flights, accommodations — I’d estimate we’re talking a $300,000 camp here,” McGregor revealed to ESPN.
“This is a big, big expense — but what I make is big. So, in the bigger picture, it’s rather small.”
McGregor has his camp based in the latest ‘Mac Mansion’ in Las Vegas and his decision to tone down his media appearances in the run-up to August 20 is proving a wise one, according to the Dubliner who maintains that the rematch with Diaz is a different prospect to his previous fights.
“This is most certainly not another fight,” McGregor said. “I have done things differently this fight. We have been going to war every single day in the gym in preparation for this. So, this is a war to me.”
The only reason that Diaz got the call to oppose McGregor at UFC 196 was due to a short-notice withdrawal on the part of lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos.
And although pull-outs are a familiar phenomenon for the reigning 145 lbs champion, McGregor is not anticipating Diaz going the way of dos Anjos and Jose Aldo, who had to be replaced by Chad Mendes ahead of UFC 189.
“I do not recall him pulling out of a contest before,” he said. “I’m just able to tell things sometimes. So, I feel he will be there and that’s it.
“I’m very happy with that. It’s a nice feeling for a change. I’ve never had that. They always pull. They always have. It’s nice to have this feeling that the man will show up. The man I’m set to face will be there. So, the preparation has been there.”
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