After a year on the sidelines, Conor McGregor will fight again in three weeks. The Irishman will take on Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246. However, the Irishman has been remarkably silent about his return. Some believe that this is because he’s taking the fight so seriously.
‘The Notorious’ is at a turning point in his career. Fighting Cerrone makes sense. The American has name value and is arguably a fading force. But lose to ‘Cowboy’ and that’s McGregor out of title contention. His brand may never recover. After a year of legal trouble, he really needs to do what he does best.
Now the Irishman’s manager has spoken out about his fighter’s ambitions. Audie Attar insists that McGregor is coming back with a vengeance. In short, he believes that McGregor will win another title.
Refocused
Similarly to Owen Roddy, Attar said that McGregor needs to fight for a sense of focus. He’s been arrested more times than he’s fought in the last couple of years. But Attar thinks that McGregor is on the right track and is more focused than ever. Of course, only time will tell whether or not that is true. Speaking to the South China Morning Post, he made his feelings clear.
”We’ve done things that nobody ever thought we could do, from the Floyd Mayweather fight to the type of contracts that he’s been able to earn,” Attar said. “We’re very proud of that. Those don’t come easy. But those come with a lot of, I think, distractions and things that allow you to lose sight of what was really important to you. And the one thing that’s exciting for me is to see he’s refocused, and we all need that in life.”
Purpose
Having made his fortune so young, is it any wonder that McGregor went wild? Attar says that fighting gives McGregor purpose. This is why he’s pouring every effort into his return against ‘Cowboy.’ The manager says that he’s more focused than ever. Will he ever have the same hunger? Attar said:
“Life is not linear, it’s not black or white, and we’re all gonna at times need to refocus and keep track of what’s important to us – what’s our purpose professionally, what’s our purpose personally. And I think when you keep those two things aligned and moving in the right direction together, I think you’re gonna have harmony in your life, you’re going to have happiness in your life. And that’s where he is right now. He understands who he is and he understands what his purpose is professionally. He understands what his purpose is personally.”
Season
According to Attar, McGregor’s team is treating 2020 as a season. Instead of looking for one win, they have a number of targets. If McGregor gets past Cerrone he’s looking at Jorge Masvidal or Nate Diaz. Then there’s always the possibility of a rematch with Khabib Nurmagamedov or a welterweight title shot. Attar said:
“That’s why we’ve talked about this year being a season, not just one fight. Not just going in, one after another after another. It’s really focusing on what’s important to him, and that’s key. And I’m just so excited because I haven’t seen this in a couple of years and I’m telling people just sit back and you’ll see a performance of an old Conor, and I really believe that, because the work’s being put in there, and you can’t fake that.”
Of course, MMA math seldom works out the way you plan it to. If Cerrone beats McGregor then that totally scuppers all of those plans. Who knows what will happen next? That’s why we love this sport. It’s always interesting when ‘The Notorious’ is around. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that. UFC 246 has sold out for a reason. He’s still the company’s biggest star.
