Mental Warfare
Articulate, charismatic and quick-thinking, McGregor has embraced the art of mental warfare to great effect. He has stated that, “to beat a man, you beat him verbally, you beat him mentally, and then finally, you beat him physically.”
Take, for instance, his first title fight for Cage Warriors. It was back in 2012 against Dave Hill, an experienced veteran who had seen it all before. Or so he thought until he came face-to-face with McGregor at the weigh-ins. McGregor got in his face, and by Hill’s own admission, got in his head too.
“He threw me off more than I’d like to admit,” Hill reflected years later, having been caught off-guard by his energy, intensity and self-confidence.
Even in the cage prior to the start of the fight McGregor was still looking for a psychological edge over Hill.
“He was saying: ‘I’ll go all day with you, you look soft, I’ll go five rounds if we need to,” Hill recalled.
With Hill rattled, McGregor would then go on to win by submission in the second round.
The same tactics would help him in the UFC too, such as against Eddie Alvarez, who admitted he got so caught up in their rivalry that his gameplan to outwrestle McGregor evaporated.
