Conor McGregor’s advice to a young Northern Irish fan, last night, was truly endearing.
Conor McGregor the man is different from Conor ‘The Notorious’ McGregor.
We should know this by now. He told us as much after his UFC debut in April 2013:
“I never had ill feelings towards Marcus [Brimage]. I don’t have emotions in there. It’s all a game. It’s all an act. The weigh-ins and all.”
When we see him attacking the very core of an opponent’s being, focusing on a strength until it becomes a weakness or focusing on a weakness until it becomes crippling, we should not be surprised.
It is business, not personal.
McGregor will have to live with people calling him all the names under the sun and attacking his character long after he finally calls it a day. If you play up to the role of a polarising figure, you better be ready to own it.
And as he said himself, after winning the UFC lightweight belt, “I’d like to apologise… to absolutely NOBODY!”
We don’t get to see McGregor the man too much when he is keyed up and on UFC fight promoting duty. Occasionally, though, a part of that same Conor McGregor that grew up infatuated with the fight game and respects the “true warriors” sneaks through.
There was the bow of respect he gave to Jose Aldo before he knocked him out in 13 seconds at UFC 194:
There was the Direct Message he sent to disappointed fan Anthony O’Callaghan when he could not get to meet him at a jam-packed Q&A event in Dublin, last year.
There was the tweet he sent out that summed up the ups and downs of MMA, after Paddy Holohan and Cathal Pendred had lost [and Aisling Daly won], at UFC Fight Night: Dublin at the 3 Arena:
The game is truly bitter sweet!
Proud of all my teammates.
Respect to every fighter who made that walk tonight. It is not for everyone.— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 24, 2015
In Belfast, last night, McGregor the showman was in is pomp. He called out Floyd Mayweather, dared the UFC to come and physically remove his featherweight belt from his house and threatened to “slap the nose” off Paulie Malignaggi.
However, when he was asked by a young Northern Irish fan – Matthew Vernon – for his advice to any aspiring fighters, McGregor took a moment and delivered a gem. He said:
“I’d say, ‘Work hard, stay focused, believe in yourself and listen to nobody but yourself’. That’s it.
“Kid, if I listened to the amount of times I’ve been counted out or doubted, I’d lose count.
“So stay focused, believe in yourself and focus on your craft. Stay positive and watch everything turn good because that’s what I’ve done.”
It was a fantastic moment on what looked to be a great night.
McGregor is far from perfect and, away from the fight hype, he would admit as much himself.
Two things that cannot be denied, though. He loves the fight game and he has a remarkable bond with his fans.
Main image by Marc Mulholland, Copyright of Scram Films.
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