Conor McGregor coach lifts lid on differences in Khabib and Cerrone camps ahead of UFC 246
EXCLUSIVE - Conor McGregor’s striking coach Owen Roddy has opened up on his training camp for his showdown with Donald Cerrone.
Conor McGregor’s training camp for his clash with Donald Cerrone is a far cry from his preparations for his grudge match with Khabib Nurmagomedov, according to his striking coach Owen Roddy. The former two-division champion will be welcomed back to the Octagon by Cerrone early on Sunday morning in the main event of UFC 246 in Las Vegas.
McGregor’s showdown with 'Cowboy' will be his first outing since losing to Nurmagomedov - his successor at the summit of the lightweight division - in October 2018.
The Irishman was dominated for three rounds before 'The Eagle' closed the show in the fourth round with a neck crank, a submission which earned him the biggest victory of his career.
In the weeks and months following his fourth professional loss, McGregor repeatedly attributed his defeat to the Russian to a lack of commitment outside of the Octagon.
In fact, The Notorious’ commitment was so low he was drinking shots of whiskey the week of the fight.
Express Sport is reporting live from Las Vegas in association with Ohmbet UK, the UK's No.1 MMA Sportsbook. For the latest UFC 246 fight odds and more go here.
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t’s been phenomenal
The UFC’s poster boy has echoed that sentiment throughout fight week, repeatedly insisting he had no structure to his training and his life outside of the cage.
This time around, however, the pride of Dublin seems to be fully committed to the fight game - abstaining from drinking for the last few months and training twice a day.
And according to Roddy, his renewed dedication to the sport has resulted in the best training camp of his career.
“It’s been phenomenal,” Roddy told Express Sport after the UFC 246 press conference. “The best.
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“Everybody has been working hard. We’ve all been focusing on Cerrone and the threats he presents.
“And we’ve gone up with a great game plan. And everybody is focused and ready to do it on Saturday night.”
Roddy has noticed a massive difference in McGregor’s demeanour and approach to training in this camp, which he believes partly stems from the Dubliner getting his affairs outside of the cage in order.
"It’s night and day,” said the SBG Charlestown head coach. “He’s just in a good place this time around. He’s enjoying his training.
“As I said, he’s got all these other businesses and everything else in check and now he can just focus on what he loves to do, which is fight. You can see it in his prep for this fight.”
McGregor's new-found focus has left Roddy certain he'll pick up his first win over three years in emphatic fashion.
When asked to give a prediction for the fight, he said: "No doubt Conor goes in and puts a shot on the chin and Cerrone crumbles."
UFC 246: McGregor vs Cerrone fight card
UFC 246: McGregor vs Cerrone fight card
Conor McGregor vs Donald Cerrone - welterweight bout
Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington - men’s bantamweight bout
Maurice Greene vs Aleksei Oleinik - heavyweight bout
Claudia Gadelha vs Alexa Grasso - women’s strawweight bout - FIGHT OFF
(Grasso weighed in at 121.5lbs, three pounds over the maximum allowance)
Diego Ferreira vs Anthony Pettis - lightweight bout
Prelims
Maycee Barber vs Roxanne Modafferi - women’s flyweight bout
Andre Fili vs Sodiq Yusuff - men’s featherweight bout
Drew Dober vs Nasrat Haqparast - lightweight bout
Fight Pass Prelims
Grant Dawson vs Chas Skelly - men’s featherweight bout - FIGHT OFF
(Dawson pulled from the card due to potential USADA violation)
JJ Aldrich vs Sabina Mazo - women’s flyweight bout
Askar Askarov vs Tim Elliott - men’s flyweight bout
Brian Kelleher vs Ode Osbourne - men’s bantamweight bout