One thing you must admire about Conor McGregor is his unwavering self-belief. Whether you are a fan or not, McGregor’s confidence is legendary, and has allowed him to keep a winner’s mindset. The 28-year-old Irish mixed martial artist will be competing against boxing legend Floyd “Money” Mayweather in Las Vegas on August 26th, in what is expected to be the richest fight in combat sports history.
With less than two weeks to go until the blockbuster event, many fans and pundits have written him off. Virtually nobody is giving McGregor a chance to pull off the upset. And for good reason. Mayweather, for all intents and purposes, is perhaps arguably the greatest boxer to ever live. He is undoubtedly the greatest of this era.
Conversely, McGregor has never boxed a round professionally in his life. So how could a man who has absolutely no experience beat a guy who is 49-0, having been a world champion for nearly two decades? That’s next to impossible.
Conor McGregor remains unfazed despite harsh criticism from fans
Yet through it all, McGregor has remained confident that he can shock the world. During last week’s media workouts, McGregor showcased a series of unorthodox training techniques. A lot of which has never been seen before in boxing.
You have to understand the boxing community first however, they aren’t used to the unorthodox movements of martial arts. The boxing community has long been closed off to other methods of training. There is a certain way boxers do things, and they generally stick to that. If you thought McGregor would be doing something similar, you’re wrong.
Obviously McGregor is coming into this with his own style of training. He’s going to approach the fight in the same way, in an unorthodox manner.
But this hasn’t stopped fans from trolling McGregor on the Internet. Even well-known boxing personalities have come out and ridiculed the UFC lightweight champion. Guys like David Haye, Terence Crawford, and Freudis Rojas have posted videos on Youtube, mocking McGregor. They call it “The McGregor Challenge”, where they flail their arms around in jest of McGregor’s arm-loosening exercise.
McGregor shrugs off the mockery
In true Conor McGregor fashion however, the Irishman has simply shrugged off the criticism.
“It’s like I’ve been discarded, and it’s like I’m not welcome here,” McGregor told media on the conference call. “It’s certainly motivating, the disrespect and the disregard for my skill set. I look at people sometimes, and their mind is closed. They’ve got such a closed mind on how things can be done. It’s a set way and no other way.”
“It’s like when we went across the waters to another land, or when we went into space. You’ve got to have an open mind and realize there are other ways, and there’s a time and a place for every single movement.”
“I’ve seen some videos,” said McGregor. “It is what it is. It’s light-hearted. I don’t take it personal. If anything I see stiffness in every single one of them.”
So what is going to happen if and when McGregor shocks the world and beats Mayweather? It seems like nobody is even entertaining that thought. Most everyone believes this is a cake walk for Mayweather. But what happens if it isn’t?
