The thaw has begun.
Conor McGregor certainly appeared Zen at last night’s final UFC 194 press conference.
The Notorious was calm and composed as he ratcheted back on the verbosity of the last 12 months.
Back in January, he got right up in the Brazilian’s face after he defeated Denis Siver. That was only the beginning as he came up with every insult under the sun to throw the featherweight champion off his stride.
Now that Saturday’s fight [Sunday morning, Irish time] is in clear sight, McGregor is easing off the mental warfare throttle.
Remarkably, when Aldo and McGregor squared off for photos, the Dubliner ended the brief exchange by bowing in his opponent’s direction. It appeared to surprise Aldo, who then bowed back.
The show of respect certainly took Dana White by surprise.
Asked during the press conference whether he ever respected Aldo, McGregor replied, “Many people have done many great things in this sport.
“This sport has become my life. This promotion has become part of my life. I have been a fan of the game for so, so long.
“But there was never a time… even when I first laid eyes on the UFC, when I first saw it, the one thing I thought – there and then, when I was 15 or 16 – was ‘I can beat these people’.
“Although I respect everything that people have done in this game, I always thought I was better.”
