Conor McGregor: Team-mate makes promising statement ahead of UFC 229 showdown with Khabib
CONOR MCGREGOR’s desire to compete has well and truly returned, according to his SBG team-mate James Gallagher.
Conor McGregor to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229
McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon in October in the main event of UFC 229, where he’ll look to reclaim the lightweight title from Khabib Nurmagomedov.
McGregor’s grudge match with the undefeated Dagestani will be his first mixed martial arts bout since he dethroned Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 to claim the 155lbs title and become the promotion’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion.
Throughout his lengthy hiatus, which is partly down to a multi-million-pound boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr, many have questioned McGregor’s eagerness to return to the MMA world.
Ireland’s first UFC belt holder more than enjoyed the fruits of his labour and is now seemingly set on reminding his detractors that he is indeed one of the pound-for-pound best fighters on the planet.
Gallagher has seen McGregor’s preparations for his return first hand and believes ‘The Notorious’ is more motivated than ever.
“[Conor] looks better than ever,” ’The Strabanimal’ told MMA Fighting’s Peter Carroll.
“He’s got that fire back inside of him. When you’re on the top of the world like he’s been for so long, you need to chill out for a little bit to get that hunger back.
“It’s hard to keep that hunger when you have everything that you’ve ever wanted.
He’s got that fire back inside of him
“While he’s been away, Khabib has been creating some hype and getting himself in a position to fight Conor.
“There are a lot of people who see Khabib as a serious threat, so I think that’s given Conor a push to step up and say, ‘Nah, mate, I’m the champ around here — you’re not on my level.’ I think Conor’s going to show Khabib who’s boss and put him back in his box.
“Conor could wipe his a** every morning with a €500 note and it would be just a drop in the ocean for him, so the real part of this he’s interested in is the challenge. You can buy all the cars and everything else, but you can’t buy a challenge like this."
McGregor could very well have retired from combat sports after his unsuccessful venture into the boxing world, in which he suffered a tenth-round TKO defeat, due to the sheer magnitude of the payday he received.
Conor McGregor will retire if Khabib wins says analyst
And Gallagher believes his brother in arms has opted to continue fighting as he still as an immense drive to test himself against the best fighters on the planet.
“The thrill of competition is what is driving him,” he said.
“Conor has beaten everyone the UFC have put in front of him. He climbed to the top of a division and he won a belt, then he won another belt…he loves a challenge.
“People are saying that Khabib is the guy now and I know that Conor is thinking, ‘I’m going to show all of these people again’. He’s got a fire inside of him to show everyone who is the boss.”