It’s not been all training for Conor McGregor in Las Vegas.
‘The Notorious’ has found the time to support his fellow countrymen and women as they realise their dreams in Rio.
Wedged between gruelling workouts ahead of UFC 202, McGregor has been keeping up with the Olympics and spoke about Ireland’s first medallists in Brazil, the viral O’Donovan brothers, as well as the boxing hopes remaining.
“There’s been a couple of issues in the boxing,” McGregor said at a media event on Friday. “One of the competitors was caught on performance enhancing drugs and the guy that lost out to that guy is here with me. He’s the No. 2… well really he’s No. 1. He’s clean, he’s here.
“He’s a southpaw called Conor Wallace – a tall, strong, sharp kid. He’s been helping me prepare for this.
“That was an incident I think might have hampered the spirit of the Irish team but we’ve been doing well. We’ve got a couple of wins and the competition is young.
“We have Michael Conlan now competing on Sunday so I’m holding out hope that our Olympic boxers will bring home medals.”
Team Ireland claimed their first medals on Friday when Cork brothers, Gary and Paul O’Donovan, battled their way to silver in the men’s lightweight double sculls final.
And, after complimenting the Skibbereen siblings, the reigning UFC featherweight champion offered his theory on why Ireland’s boxers may be underperforming in Rio.
“We’ve got those two rower guys from Cork and they’ve been hilarious,” McGregor said. “They won a silver medal the other day.
O'Donovan heroes bring back silver and we can't bloody wait for the interview https://t.co/Lfk2fePQT8
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 12, 2016
“It’s great to watch the Irish people out in Rio. I’ve been there myself, in Rio, many times and what I was thinking myself when those fights were taking place when Paddy Barnes – he’s a two-time Olympian and two-time medallist – was defeated in the opening round. He was talking about his weight and how he felt fatigued in there.
“I was thinking in my head that they went out too late. Brazil has an intense climate. Why do you think I’m out here eight weeks prior? This is desert air out here. It’s completely different.
“You go from beautiful Ireland into these type of environments, it affects your preparation. It affects your breathing and your performance. I think that is an issue that maybe they left it too late.
“But we’ve been doing good. I feel we’re still going to medal and the Olympics have been great to watch these athletes. I’ve been sitting watching Michael Phelps, the swimmers and the gymnastics. They’re some amazing athletes and you can see their dedication and commitment to their craft. And I feel the same from the other side of it. It’s given me motivation and I look forward to having my Olympics on August 20.”
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