Earlier today, a UFC 205 conference call took place. Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez were on the phones to answer media questions about their headlining spot at UFC 205. Yesterday, a previous UFC 205 conference call featured Tyron Woodley, Stephen Thompson, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. You can listen to that call here. Below is the UFC 205 conference call which took place today:
UFC 205 Conference Call Highlights:
In case you can’t listen to the whole thing, here are the key take-aways:
McGregor’s rumored 2017 hiatus
Right away, McGregor is asked about his rumored hiatus that he is presumed to be taking after this fight. Some speculate that his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, is pregnant, but others think it’s a negotiation ploy to get a better contract. Of course, McGregor doesn’t reveal his cards just yet, but he said he DOES have something to announce. When asked if he has plans to take a break, McGregor replies, saying he doesn’t think anyone can really take time off in MMA. Fair enough, he continues to keep us in suspense.
Will McGregor hold onto this featherweight belt?
This has been a topic that we have received mixed answers from. At first, McGregor was adamant about keeping both belts (if you remember the UFC 205 press conference quote, “they’ll need an army to take these belts off me”). However, he later told Sports Illustrated that he’d be willing to drop one, but wanted the chance to make history by holding both at the same time. During the UFC 205 conference call, McGregor questions why he can’t try to defend both. Obviously, if he has a planned hiatus, this would be unacceptable; this makes me think that Conor does NOT have plans next year to step away from the sport. McGregor assures the listeners that he can still make 145 lbs too.
What does Alvarez think of McGregor’s UFC opponents?
Alvarez had a noteworthy comment when asked about McGregor. He describes McGregor’s opponents as “shitty” and being favorable style matchups. He even comments on Nate Diaz, the only person to hold a win over McGregor in the UFC, and calls him a “.500 fighter” who Conor still had trouble with the second time. Alvarez describes himself as being way stronger, just as fast, and having a style built to dominate McGregor.
Alvarez’s future after the McGregor bout
Eddie had some more good comments when asked if he has aspirations to be a champion in multiple weight classes. To that Alvarez replies that he will go down as the best lightweight ever. He says he will go back to fighting real #1 contenders, not fighters with “funny accents who sell tickets.” He views this bout with McGregor as a joke, and a break from the real competition in the lightweight division. Interesting stuff. It’s clear Alvarez is surpremely confident, but not quite willing to give McGregor the respect he undoubtedly deserves. Will this pay off for him?
Alvarez’s preparation
When asked about who he has been training with to prepare him for Conor McGregor, Alvarez replies with a list of names. Alvarez details Frankie Edgar, Edson Barboza, and Frankie Perez as his main sparring partners. Furthermore, he adds that he has been doing 3 sparring sessions a week. In his preparation for Rafael dos Anjos, Alvarez admitted to doing over 150 live rounds of sparring. We can assume striking coach Mark Henry and grappling royalty Ricardo Almeida are aiding with instruction too.
More on McGregor’s past opponents
The UFC 205 conference call ended with some more discussion (and bickering) about Conor’s past performances. The topic of Chad Mendes’s wrestling comes up. Conor chimes in saying that Mendes is faster, has better boxing, and cleaner wrestling than Alvarez. Of course Eddie points out how much smaller Mendes is, and that McGregor still got put on his back by the smaller man. McGregor describes how Mendes was “damaged goods” after he was finished by him; same with other opponents. According to McGregor, Alvarez will not be the same after UFC 205, and his kids will beg him not to fight again.
