Conor McGregor Has Been Called an Artist by The Coach of His Former Opponent Jose Aldo…
There’s absolutely no doubt that Conor McGregor is a divisive personality. Some people vehemently despise him for his arrogance and brash behavior. Others are fanatical supporters of ‘The Notorious’, dazzled by his charisma and entertained by some of the best trash-talk in the business.
What we can all agree on is the fact that he’s box office and great entertainment value. Whether you’re tuning in to watch him win or lose, you’ll be watching either way. That’s why his upcoming fight against Khabib Nurmgamedov is set to be the biggest MMA event of all time.
McGregor has received some words of support from a very unlikely source. Jose Aldo’s head coach, Andre Pederneiras has lavished the Irish fighter with praise. One of the most respected coaches in Brazil, Pederneiras described how McGregor is as much of an artist as a fighter.
Unique
McGregor and Jose Aldo famously fought at UFC 198, with the Brazilian featherweight legend famously getting knocked out 13 seconds into the first round. Before the fight, they went on a world tour to sell the event, often marked by McGregor antagonizing the then-champion. However, Pederneiras holds no grudge. He said (via MMA Fighting):
”I think Conor created this pejorative myth around him because of the things he says, but backstage he’s none of what he portrays himself to be to sell. Every time I met him he was super respectful, we shook hands, so it doesn’t surprise me that he had that reaction, especially now that he doesn’t have anything booked with Aldo.
“If he had something booked with Aldo he would say he was lucky, that he’s s**t, only to provoke. He’s a guy that had done things I can’t see anyone else doing. He’s unique in history, can’t say anything.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmj6khFgOD-/?hl=en&taken-by=thenotoriousmma
Artist
The Brazilian maestro went on to address the manner in which McGregor portrays himself. He believes that he is as much a performance artist as he is a fighter. When McGregor does it, it feels real and it’s captivating – not like the cheesiness of Brock Lesnar entering the cage and pushing Daniel Cormier. Pederneiras said:
”I know there’s a good person behind that artist and it doesn’t represent what he says. He says a bunch of crap to get attention and sell. That’s him being the artist, in my opinion. He knows that he will have to fight Khabib, so since he has to do that, why not start the mess now and start promoting it?”
Personality
There’s no doubt about the fact that McGregor’s cult of personality has driven the sport to levels it’s never reached before. Of course, this has been problematic in the past as the UFC was almost shackled by his star power.
Pederneiras’s insight into the mind of McGregor is definitely fascinating and revealing. We’ve seen class behavior from the Irish fighter in the past. He openly praised Aldo after his victory over Jeremy Stephens, so he’s definitely more than meets the eye.
