McGregor Forever (2023) s01e03 Episode Script
Insane to This Game
- [dramatic music]
- [keyboard clicking]
- [mouse click]
- [Twitter whistle]
Oi, yeah, here we go.
Hupa, and we're on!
Croia!
[Conor]
That nice, little girl?
[Conor Jr. whimpering]
Champ, I'm retired now.
Daddy doesn't fight anymore.
D'you know that? Daddy's not fighting.
- You fight me!
- [growls playfully]
Yes, fight your Da!
Are you gonna fight now?
Yeah.
[reporter] Obviously seems like
life is good for you man.
Is there any part of this though,
I know you've had
had this vision, this goal, this drive
is there any part of what you have right
now that you don't like though?
That you, that you come up and said,
"Man I wasn't expecting this?"
I love this life.
It's important for me to remind
myself that I love it.
There's definitely days
I'm, like, "Fuck all of this."
- Hi, Daddy!
- I'm outta here.
And maybe one day, I will be out of here.
And I won't say nothing to nobody.
I'll be just gone somewhere.
But I remind myself why I do it.
What I do it for.
And then I just re-energize myself to it.
This is the life I chose,
the life I have built.
This life is not for everyone.
This life is not for everyone.
It's for the insanely driven individual,
and that's what I feel I am.
I am insane to this game.
[melancholy music playing]
[punches landing]
[Conor] A new bag there, as well.
[laughs] New gym bag.
[chuckles]
[Conor]
I'm just over it now. I'm well over it.
I've been campaigning for a fight
since February 14th.
Three weeks. Less than
three weeks after me last fight.
And I kept getting put on the long finger,
long finger, long finger.
"Wait 'til this happens,
wait 'til that happens."
And then, "Ah, wait 'til after this,
wait 'til that." I'm, like, "Mate,
I'm out of here, I'll smell you later,
I don't need to do it."
But I'm in I'm in a great spot.
I'm not slipping
from training certain points.
So, can't beat that.
Conor McGregor
has announced his MMA retirement.
[TV reporter 1] Conor McGregor
essentially calling it quits.
[TV reporter 2] Conor McGregor
apparently retires for the third time.
- [overlapping chatter, chimes]
- [TV reporter 3] You know the drill.
[TV reporter 4]
I don't buy it for a second.
I think Conor McGregor's trying to get
you to talk about him and you just did.
There is just 100% no way
that he's retiring at the age of 31.
This retirement is BS.
A lot of people are saying no chance
this is anything but a leverage play.
You know, it's a very public
kind of battle
between the UFC and Conor McGregor.
He wanted to fight in May.
He wanted to fight in August.
"I just wanna get back to work,
I'm doing all the right things,
I'm staying healthy,
I'm staying out of trouble,
and you guys can't get me a fight."
How is it possible that the biggest
draw in the history of this sport
can't get a fight?
And so he's finally saying
enough is enough, I'm frustrated,
and I'm taking my ball,
essentially, and going home.
[Audie] There is a lot of politics
that play into all this stuff,
because you've gotta realize that
Conor McGregor is the face of the UFC.
He's also the biggest driver of business.
But ultimately,
his biggest thing was, like,
"Look, for me, in order to be
the best fighter that I could be,
I need to be active."
That was his biggest complaint,
was that after the Cerrone fight,
there wasn't anything.
[Ariel]
This guy's in the prime of his life
and he felt like he was being sidelined,
he felt like he was being iced.
He was, like,
"Enough of this, I wanna fight.
Gimme a fight in the parking lot,
give me a fight in Abu Dhabi,
Fight Island,"
and they wouldn't do it.
They kept kicking the can,
kicking the can.
So you really saw
that frustration boil over.
- He was fed up.
- [car engine starts]
[man] It's like the first trip away.
[Conor]
Yes, it is. Yes, since all the madness.
This place, Monaco here, has zero cases.
- Yes.
- Zero cases.
- Since it began.
- Since early July,
they had four deaths, total.
Bit cheesy.
[both laugh]
Cheesy?
[man]
Did you see, five years ago today,
you beat Chad.
[Conor] Mad, isn't it?
I was only saying to him
on the way out in the car,
like, you know the way in the interviews
they, sort of, they say, "Where do you
see yourself in five years?"
I was, like, "We're driving to the airport
to get on a private jet
to go and buy a yacht in Monaco."
[laughter]
Like, five years ago,
that's where you were.
Like, if someone asked you.
Like, that's life.
That sounds like something I'd say!
That sounds like something
I would've said back then.
- [Dee] That's reality now. It's mad.
- It's mad, yeah.
I wouldn't want to be
with anyone else here, baby.
Swear to God, blessed in so many ways
to have you here with me.
Love you to bits.
[both laughing]
- Cheers.
- Slainte, baby.
We won the war.
[Conor]
Let me get the guys. We're feeling it!
[Ariel] One thing that I think
people might overlook is that, you know,
I really admire your relationship
with your girlfriend.
My girlfriend worked very, very hard.
Throughout the years, coming up,
and stuck by me
when, essentially,
I had absolutely nothing.
I only had a dream that I was telling her.
If it wasn't for her,
I probably wouldn't be where I am today,
so definitely I love to spoil her.
She does not work anymore.
So, for me to be able
to take her out of work
and give her everything she's ever wanted,
and to travel the world with her,
that fills me with pride,
so, it keeps me going.
You know, if you truly feel grateful
for the things in your life,
gratitude is one
of the most strongest forms
of power in attracting good things.
I always celebrate every little good thing
that would happen to me in my life,
even before I had
any kind of money or any of that,
I would celebrate,
and I would feel grateful for it.
It just gave me more,
and this is exactly the same thing
that's happening right now.
I still remain grateful.
And more comes.
[indistinct chatter]
They say you can't travel in time
and change things.
They say you can't travel in time
and change things.
They say you can't travel in time
and change things.
"I've followed my vision
to where I am now.
Fight for your future, today.
Dystopia. Download now."
You've planned a few more
this year, next year?
I wanna be busy next year, yeah.
I would like to
You know, I have four fights left
on my UFC contract
- and I'd like to get through all of those.
- What about this and Khabib?
- Ah, yeah well, fucking right I want that.
- Yeah?
Yes, of course.
I stuffed over half of his takedowns.
It was a small error that allowed him
to get the back in the fourth round.
But I think you were different
on that day?
Yeah, well different.
Physical fitness, and the mind.
And my lifestyle, you know.
I wasn't
I don't regret the contr
I don't regret it.
Everything's a good learning curve.
- As you say, each failure is a lesson.
- Of course, of course.
What I do regret, I suppose,
is taking the b
'Cause I showed up to fight at the
in the Barclay Center
on the bus,
and he didn't get off the bus, right.
So the fight was won, it's over.
I should have left it at that.
Instead, I gave him
an opportunity to come back,
and I did not do myself or my team justice
by living the martial arts lifestyle.
I was
I was living multiple lives,
we'll say, you know, so
Yeah, it is what it is. They know.
That other side know.
I'm just gonna continue to do what I do.
- He can run, but he cannot hide, so
- You need to do it, you need to do it.
Oh, it's done, it's done.
Trust me on that.
[engine revving]
[indistinct chatter]
[Conor] The bloke was talking about
so many attributes that everyone knows.
Speed, power, endurance.
No one talks about the most important.
Your attention span.
How long you can stay attentive.
So when you're shadow-boxing
That's your shadow-boxing.
I don't wanna see this.
None of that shit.
Keep your arm engaged.
- So stay focused and switched on, alright?
- Yeah.
[controlled breaths]
[Julian] It would've been great if we
could've had another fight scheduled,
allowing Conor to focus on that.
It's a lot easier to train
when you have a focal point to go for.
But the fitness was there,
the sharpness was there,
and it was just a question
of keeping it rolling over,
keeping it going.
[whistle blows]
[Owen] He has that stay-ready mentality.
He's always training, he's always in camp.
He's always trying to improve.
[man]
Drive on, drive on. Drive, drive, drive!
Come on, up, up, up!
Yeah! All day.
[Owen] All his career, he'd fought, like,
on average, three times a year.
You know, that's how active he was,
right up until becoming the double champ.
Yes!
[Owen] It's because
he's obsessed about it.
He's always ready to go,
you know.
Now I'm brand-new.
I'm absolutely brand-new.
[Owen] So, yeah, we were still training,
and stuff like that.
But, like, I don't know what's next.
[Ariel]
What Conor had that no one else has
is leverage, star power.
He knew what he possessed.
He basically said,
"Let me take matters into my own hands."
[keyboard clicking]
[Twitter whistle]
And he's, you know,
tweeting back and forth with Dustin
[Twitter whistle]
[Ariel] Conor says,
"Hey, come to Ireland
and we'll do a boxing match,
it'll be for charity," and this and that,
and I think once he put that out there,
the UFC was then forced
to say, like, "Alright,
you guys are gonna agree to a fight,
like, you're gonna do this on our terms."
It was back and forth.
How's his relationship with the UFC?
Can he get back on track?
He 100% expedited that process
and forced their hand.
[reporter 1] The long-rumored and
discussed fight between Conor McGregor
and Dustin Poirier is officially a go.
[reporter 2] Conor versus Dustin 2
officially booked for 257.
He's signed the papers
and the bout is finalized.
[reporter 3] Power play, right?
Like, you know, just think about it.
Earlier in the year, he retired.
Couple of weeks ago,
it seemed like they were going to fight
in a charity match.
Now we're talking about
a date in six weeks.
[reporter 4] Conor understands
the power of his stardom
is to get public interest behind him.
Push the UFC's hand a little bit.
We all want to see Conor McGregor fight.
Everybody does.
[announcer on TV speaking indistinctly]
[Conor] A leg kick.
Get in there. To be honest,
I'd rather have him a bit tired, actually.
[all exclaim]
[man] Great shot.
Yeah, get tired. There you go!
You'll find comfort here.
Find comfort in the clinch!
You need to stay in the clinch,
in the open space, you know what I mean?
Just get in there, it's only a neck-tie.
He's only going for a neck-tie, there's no
level changes or anything there.
[gasps]
Bollocks.
Straight gone out.
- Oh, my God.
- Tap! He's tapping!
That is woeful.
- He tapped
- Yeah, he's tapped a few times.
He tapped a few times
and your man could see it.
- Let's go, you little ratchet!
- Yeah, let's go, champ.
- Night-night, champ.
- Good night.
Enjoy that? Huh? It was good, wasn't it?
Daddy's gonna bash him, yeah?
Daddy's gonna bash him!
[TV announcer]
And now, without question,
the number one pound-for-pound
fighter in the world,
- 29 and 0, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
- There's a big question on it, John.
[TV announcer] I will give you
as much time to gather your emotions.
[sighs] Thank you.
Today, I want to say,
this, it was my last fight.
It was first time when I
[claps]
After what happened with my father
Bah! [laughs]
What?
Ah, fuck it. That bastard.
What is he doing with the helmet on?
[Khabib] She go now and I go fight
without father, but I promise her,
it was my last fight here.
- I know only one thing
- [high-pitched tone]
what I want from UFC Tuesday,
[audio fading]
because you have to put me on
number one pound-for-pound
fighter in the world
because I deserve this and
- [dialogue muffled]
- [high-pitched tone continues]
[man]
Were you surprised by that at the end?
- [normal audio resumes]
- A little bit, yeah.
Although I know he, you know,
he's always had retirement on his mind,
he's not Doesn't really want to be
in there too much, I don't think.
So
It is what it is.
He said he had a conversation
with his mother and
talked to her for three days, so
It is what it is.
I couldn't give a fuck, you know.
[man] There must be a slight tinge
of disappointment though,
- not being able to avenge
- Nah, it'll happen. I don't believe it.
So I'm good.
We'll see what happens.
Carry on.
- Guys, I'll see youse tomorrow, yeah?
- Yeah. What time?
[indistinct chatter]
[tense music playing]
[Conor] Every day, there's things
that may challenge you,
or may present themselves
to try and throw you off.
You know, it's about a lot
of self-internal dialogue
and conversation with yourself.
You know,
it's the mental stage now, you know.
It's not so much physical,
it's more so mental, and, you know,
I have those moments where I remind myself
of all the work,
and I will not be fazed by nothing,
and I am ready,
mentally, physically, and that's it.
[Ariel] Everyone was very well aware
that he was coming back.
Like, it felt like a mega event.
And, you know, to prove
that he's still got it, right?
To re-assert himself
as the face of the UFC
and the man in the sport,
and it was a really big deal.
It was a really interesting fight
because it's rare that you get
a rematch that many years later.
They have the history
of their first fight back in 2014.
[intense music playing]
[commentator 1]
McGregor looking for the combination.
- Wow!
- Ref, you gotta stop that!
It is all over!
Just like that!
[reporter 1]
Poirier. He's getting this opportunity
that he's been waiting for,
for a long time.
[reporter 2] People don't understand
that this guy has improved dramatically.
[reporter 3] Dustin Poirier went,
immediately after that fight with McGregor
up a weight division to lightweight.
[reporter 4]
He has looked substantially better.
[commentator 2]
Stays on top. Gets a mount.
There was a tap. Dustin Poirier!
[reporter 5]
His body's filled out. He's much stronger.
[reporter 6]
You can see in his fights,
he has an ability
to take a lot of punishment.
He's a bit more crafty.
[reporter 7]
Poirier is not the same guy.
He's fired up to avenge this loss.
[Conor] We're in the Middle East now,
United Arab Emirates.
We're in Dubai currently.
Abu Dhabi, they have them in a bubble,
where you can't go anywhere.
We decided to come here to Dubai.
We're here just adjusting
to the time zone,
we're here a couple of days now,
everything's going smoothly.
It's 16 days out, right now.
Six more days work.
So, if you wanna do two,
you wanna go boxing, then
I don't know.
I suppose a bit of MMA boxing
[man] Not to spar as such,
- just tapping around.
- Yeah.
[Conor]
In the coming days, we go to the bubble,
and then we'll quarantine in the hotel
for 48 hours, I believe,
and then fight
a couple of days after that.
Three, two, one, go.
[whirring]
[Owen] We're in Dubai now.
Yeah, it's new, it's fresh.
But that doesn't change the task at hand.
Let's go to work.
We all have one goal,
which is to do our very best for Conor,
to allow him to go in there and do
his best in the cage on fight night.
[Colin] It's really about getting him
in a good mindset.
If you have no obstacles
and you just get on with what you do,
you'll just do it,
and there'd be nothing to distract you.
There's a lot of us involved.
We're all on the same page.
We all just come as a unit.
[man] Time! Lovely.
[Conor]
The training has been phenomenal.
Myself and my team,
we've done a tremendous job.
I've got to make 155 pounds
in the coming days.
- What am I looking to finish at?
- [man] 120.
[Conor] It's very meticulous,
this approach, how we do it.
Every meal, every calorie is counted.
Every session is timed.
[man] Nineteen forty-two.
I feel amazing though,
all things considered.
[John] I believe the approach
we've taken this time
has suited his personality best.
Keep him in that creative flow-state.
At this stage, he's just a well-tuned,
high fight-IQ machine.
[birds squawking]
[Julian] Stay close, don't go far.
But you don't have to be inside the room.
So, I'll just read out the list.
John Kavanaugh, Owen Roddy,
Colin Byrne
The COVID situation,
it's an extra confounder.
It is a serious disease.
We're testing on a daily basis.
If anybody on the camp has a positive test
and close contact,
they are also considered contagious.
So, anything going
into the final few weeks
can be disastrous.
It could end the whole event.
So, we've had to be super-vigilant.
- [doctor] Ready?
- Yeah.
[Dee speaking indistinctly]
- Sorry, sir. Perfect.
- Ah!
[Conor] Just gonna do pads,
sharpen the shots.
The rest of the day, bit of beach,
and then hit the big yacht,
make our way to Abu Dhabi.
I've never felt more confident
going into a fight with me engine
than I do right now.
To push it from the bell,
like, you know what I mean?
And maintain it.
[grunting]
Yes.
[grunting]
[Conor] I like just being primed.
Like, if he's in a panic
and trying to load up with that lever,
just a straight left,
know what I mean? And boom!
- Yeah.
- That started the sequence of events.
The last fight. I had him in a panic,
and I just went, boom!
- Yeah.
- And he's like that, all startled.
- So, the old classic.
- Yeah.
The OG.
Wow, look at this thing.
- Hello, champ.
- Thank you, sir.
Wow, this is something else.
[Dee] Look at the size of it.
Look at that! That's a genius idea.
- [Dee] Yeah, isn't it?
- There's a slush puppy, little girl.
A slush puppy machine on the yacht?
- [children babbling]
- Look! Ice pop!
[Dee] Wow! Can you believe it?
- [water bubbling]
- [children giggling]
[Conor]
I certainly dreamed big, and I still do.
It's good to go
on one of these big ones and feel it.
And then also know that it's worth it.
What are we? Six days from the weigh-in,
seven from the fight.
It just re-centers you.
Makes you know that it's all worth it,
and to keep pushing.
So, to be living this life, I think,
to be giving me kids this life,
this is all motivation for me,
fuel for the fire.
[interviewer] It was endearing
when you showed up
to your first press conference
with a Dickie bow,
and you said you paid
your last few dollars to buy it.
[Conor] Yeah.
But now, I mean, you showed up here today
- with a Louis Vuitton gym bag.
- Mmm.
That's somewhat unprecedented.
I don't see that often.
- It's a nice bag.
- It's a very nice bag.
I'm enjoying the fruits of my hard work.
Nobody works harder than me
inside the Octagon,
outside the Octagon. I am a workhorse.
Alright, lads.
[laughter]
Enjoying yourselves?
Something else, isn't it?
[fog horn blares]
[Conor] I am going to enjoy
the benefits of this life.
I am going to get myself a big mansion,
I am gonna get the soft-top cars,
I am gonna bring my whole team out,
I am gonna spoil them
and give them this life.
Jesus Christ!
We're eating good, living good.
Some people will sit
and take positivity from that,
they will look at that and take
inspiration and push for that.
Others will shell up and critique it,
and be negative towards it.
But one thing is for sure,
those people will stay where they are.
The people who
take inspiration from it will rise up
and also one day experience that life,
so I am enjoying my money,
my hard-earned money
that I have dedicated my life to.
- Welcome to Abu Dhabi.
- Thank you so much. Good to be here.
Pleasure.
[engine revving]
- Good to see you.
- Good to see you, man.
Come on. Let's have some fun.
The notorious Conor McGregor.
Welcome back to BT Sport.
Good to be back here on BT Sport.
Your approach to this fight,
the build-up to this fight,
it's a lot calmer than it was back then.
[Conor] Make no mistake, he's afraid.
He's a scared little boy.
[Dustin] He needs the ass-whooping
he's about to get.
It's gonna make him a better person.
He's a quiet little hillbilly
from the back-ass of nowhere.
I've never disliked somebody
that much that I've ever fought.
[cackles]
[Conor] Hope he likes me
after I whoop his ass.
[Dustin] It's a grudge match.
I don't like this guy.
You're in shit, boy.
[Conor]
It's gonna be a first round KO.
September 27th, I'm gonna rip
Dustin's head clean off, you know
Maturity, you know. I'm grown.
It's a long time ago. Two kids, we were.
I'm gonna bust him up, though.
No doubt about it.
[interviewer] Title after this one?
I imagine so. I want to put a stint
into this 155-pound division,
a correct, proper run at it.
You know, exactly like I done
to the featherweights,
and maul every single one of them.
No messing, full focus.
Show them what's what and line them up.
[Ariel] The second Dustin fight,
for Conor,
it was like, you know,
making up for lost time.
Building on the momentum
of a year ago against Donald Cerrone,
proving that he could be a top dog at 155.
Dustin had just fought for the belt,
but the Conor that we saw in 2014
absolutely dominated Dustin Poirier,
so, you know,
could he replicate that performance?
I think everybody who saw
the first one certainly is interested
to see how this rematch plays out.
You know, I know Dustin's tough.
He can take a smack off other people.
He can't take my smacks.
So, that's just the way it is.
You've beat him McGregor-fast before,
but faster on Sunday?
Well, that's the goal. We're looking
to get a cleaner shot and a better time.
[interviewer] The first time round,
it was such a long time ago,
both of you were featherweights,
now you're fathers.
I'm certainly a lot more mature,
you know what I mean?
A lot more composed.
I'm a father, as you've said.
I've two children.
You know, I'm just I'm a grown man now,
and I'm here to do my job,
and I'm excited about it.
- Great. Thank you, Conor.
- Thank you.
[John]
He's reached a new stride in his life.
He's in his 30s now,
he's a family man, he's two kids.
So, to see him at this stage of his life,
to be so content and so focused,
it's very rewarding.
Champ, look, here's the posters. Look.
Get him up on a chair so he can see.
That's Daddy, that's who he's fighting.
D'you want to draw on it, champ?
Right, where's your signature, champ?
Right, one, two, okay, yeah.
And again.
Yep. And again.
Leave the mark, champ.
I'm very, very happy
to be able to bring them with me
and give them these experiences.
We're all in it together.
That's it. I love my family very much.
High-five, champ.
[engine revving]
[camera beeping]
[photographer]
Fists up fighter stance.
[camera shutter clicking]
Jesus Christ, man.
Look at that, Tristin, where are you?
Yes.
[Conor]
Good, solid lightweight frame there.
Ripped. Powerful. Yes.
[giggling]
- It's the best shape I've ever been in.
- Yeah.
[reporter 1] Conor, I wanted
to read you a quote from 2013
that you said.
I've lost my mind on this game,
like Vincent Van Gogh.
He dedicated his life to his art,
and lost his mind in the process.
That's happened to me.
But [bleep] it.
When that gold belt is around my waist
and my mother has a big mansion,
and my girlfriend has a different car
for every day of the week,
and my kids' kids
have everything they ever want,
then it will pay.
Then I'm happy I lost my mind.
[reporter 1]
Can you just reflect and talk to me about
how that makes you feel
hearing that in 2021?
Yeah.
You know, yeah, it's been some ride.
I've got it done and I'm up here.
Mad as a brush. [laughs]
Know what I mean?
What a life. And I tell you what,
I wouldn't want it to be any other way.
I'm very excited to be back here,
and, as you say, Vinny Van Gogh, I'm going
to paint a beautiful picture here
inside this Octagon on Saturday night
and I'm very excited to do so.
[reporter 1]
Awesome. Thank you so much, mate.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[reporter 2] Dustin, you've never had
a $100 million boxing match,
you don't have a whiskey brand
that's distributed around the world.
Are you walking there with a little chip
on your shoulder?
[Dustin] Every fight is a chip on my
shoulder. I'm trying to prove something.
I know what a win over Conor
means in combat sports,
and I know whoever wins this fight is
fighting for gold, and that's why I fight.
[reporter 2]
Fair enough. Thank you, Dustin.
One last one. Dana, obviously,
this is a massive
Can I Sorry.
You've got the hot sauce, Dustin.
- I'd love to taste the hot sauce.
- [Dustin] I got a bottle for you.
I appreciate that. I've got a bottle
of Proper for you. I'd love to share that.
That's So you know what I mean?
He's putting in the work.
I've been highly impressed.
I think the whole business
has been highly impressed.
After that loss many years ago,
he rose up,
became champion. He's given so much back.
I'm honored to share
this Octagon with this man.
I know we have this competitive fire,
and it's gonna be a good,
firework-filled bout,
but the respect is admirable
for this man from me.
[reporter 3] Conor McGregor,
what's your motive after this?
Like, after seven, eight years
of competing in the UFC?
I feel like I'm only starting, man.
Everyone wants to,
"Hey, Conor, you've done it all.
You're so rich,
richer than Dana over here.
What are you doing here?" I'm, like
You know, all the money, all the belts,
all everything, that comes and that goes.
- You know what lives on? Highlights.
- [crowd cheering]
I want my highlight reel
to be like a movie.
So that's why I'm out there.
I'm looking to get in and perform
and put on amazing highlights
that I can sit, as an old man,
with my son,
and just watch back and enjoy life.
Okay, I conquered it.
Let's conquer it again.
Do it twice.
That's what the champ-champ does.
Please, don't be trying to get rid of me,
guys. I love it here.
I helped build this. I wanna be here,
I wanna perform for the fans.
[chanting]
Conor! Conor! Conor!
Conor! Conor! Conor!
[Conor]
Hundred and sixty-one point six.
Just got on the scales. It was at 161.5,
which is really good.
So, 5.5 pounds to go and we haven't done
any sweating yet at all.
So, the plan now is to do a workout,
get some of that sweat off.
[Ariel] The weight-cutting component
to mixed martial arts
is incredibly difficult and dangerous.
You're seeing guys, you know,
they may walk around at 175,
but they'll cut to 155
so that they can rehydrate
and then be bigger than their opponent.
It's this whole gamesmanship
that they play
in order to have the biggest advantage
come fight night.
[Tristin] 3.3 to go.
[clapping]
Let's go.
The day of the cut is the sweating.
Eighteen minutes.
I'm sweating straightaway.
[Tristin] Yeah, great,
I'm just watching your forehead.
That's the indicator.
It's coming off, yeah.
Just stay there, you're good.
It's more about water manipulation.
Two and a half minutes left.
It's definitely a component
that is dangerous,
but if it's managed correctly,
it doesn't need to be.
I've seen it be very draining.
They've just went through
an eight or ten-week camp
where they've, you know,
trained with killers.
Only then, fight week
to do another weight descent.
Once you manage that weight descent, then
you have to go into the ring and compete.
Pound to go.
Come on.
In this or in this?
[indistinct]
[Tristin] It's like that psychological
factor that's daunting.
[Conor grunts]
I'm sweating in here, me. [sighs]
[Tristin] Nearly there, man.
Surprised you're not 55 with a towel on.
- When all's said and done.
- [Dee] Yeah.
It's okay, babe.
That is like fucking
On my face.
[Dee laughing]
[Tristin]
Everything nice and slow, and that.
[panting]
- Wanna lie back to the bed?
- Yep, onto the bed.
[Tristin] There you go.
Alright.
Five more minutes, Ma.
Get it off before I smack you
in your bollocks.
[Tristin] John, if you get that side,
just give him a bit of a fan, please.
[John] Yeah.
One, two, three.
Slow. Nice.
Stay there, buddy.
Yes!
- Yes!
- [clapping]
That's gonna be 55. Well done, well done.
Thank you, baby.
Well done.
[Dee chuckling]
- [Conor whispering]
- [Dee chuckling]
[announcer] Alright,
thank you all for being here
for the official weigh-in for UFC 257.
First fighter to the scale, the man
around whom this car was built,
the notorious Conor McGregor.
- One fifty-five.
- Yeah!
[announcer] One hundred and fifty-five,
the official weight for Conor McGregor.
That's one-five-five. Championship weight.
Our next fighter to the scale,
the other half of our main event,
the legend Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier.
One fifty-six.
One fifty-six, the official weight
for Dustin Poirier.
- [Conor] Good job, Dustin.
- [Dustin] You too, man.
[engine revving]
[John] People say, well,
does he have the hunger anymore?
At the beginning, it was desperation,
that he had to do it.
I don't believe that's true.
He was always doing it
for the same reason,
that is he loves the competition
of mixed martial arts.
Sure, there was a period of time
of enjoying the spoils of war.
And then when you come out the other end
of it, you have to ask yourself,
what's going to make me continue doing it?
I have the financial freedom,
I've got the belts,
I've got the accolades, I have the fans.
[announcer]
He's back, the notorious Conor McGregor.
[John]
Well, there is only gonna be one thing,
and that is that you truly love it,
and it gives you purpose.
[foreboding music playing]
[Conor] Let's go, let's go.
- What's up, my man? How are you?
- Very good, thank you.
[interviewer] Do you ever get tired
of trying to keep it all up? I mean
It seems like your life is training,
and then doing
all this media marketing stuff,
non-stop this year.
To get to the number I wanna get,
you gotta do it, you gotta embrace it,
you gotta love it.
If you don't love it,
what the fuck you doing here?
I could walk now.
I could easily go and leave,
and be comfortable
for the rest of my life.
But I'm driven for that number.
I'm driven for that legacy.
To take over the game.
To truly have every number,
every belt, every single record.
It drives me to keep going.
[heartbeat]
Sorry, lads.
That's a cunt of a leg kick.
[groaning]
- We should raise this leg.
- You got a bag of ice in there?
[man] Got some ice, yeah.
Want a chair?
Put that chair here.
[commentator 1] McGregor immediately
puts him on his heels.
I think kicks
are very important for Dustin.
And that's a takedown.
Beautiful.
Bring his head back on the inside!
[commentator 2]
Nice job by Conor McGregor
to get back up
after the early takedown from Poirier.
- And there's that shoulder shrug!
- That's it! Do it!
- That's the one, that's the one!
- Yes!
- And again!
- And again!
[commentator 2]
McGregor now advances.
Nice right hook there from Poirier.
And he points at him.
That's a solid calf kick there.
What the fuck is that?
- [man] It's bad news.
- It's like nerve damage or something.
[groaning]
[man] It'll pass.
Great round, great round.
Keep doing what you're doing.
[commentator 2] John Kavanaugh
and Phil Sutcliffe
appear to like what they saw
out of Conor.
Looked like a debilitating
calf kick there from Poirier,
- and then McGregor fires back.
- That hurt him a little bit.
Conor has not checked
any of those little calf kicks, man.
Dustin keeps planting them.
- Nice leg kick from Conor.
- Smart move.
[John exclaiming]
[commentator 3]
Oh, that leg's beat up, man.
[commentator 2]
That leg is crushed right now.
[commentator 3] It's starting to get dead.
Yeah, he's dead in that leg already.
[tense music playing]
[commentator 1]
Solid left hand from Conor.
[music continues]
- [music intensifies]
- [punches landing]
- [audio drops out]
- [punch thuds]
[clears throat] That's that. That's it.
That was just abysmal.
How come you boys have nothing
I was shot there,
my leg was just dead there.
My leg was dead as fuck.
And I'm not
There wasn't a rattle at all.
[sighs]
This is magnified. What the fuck is this?
This is the sport, this is the sport.
[Dustin] The game plan was to kick,
and wrestle, and box.
To mix it up and make it
a mixed martial arts fight,
to kick inside, to kick outside.
Mike Brown was real big
on me throwing calf kicks this fight.
Really big on it.
And it worked, man. We compromised his leg
and he was in a bad position early.
[Dana] I think Conor had a good
first round, doing what Conor does.
[reporter] Then the calf kicks
obviously played a major part.
One hundred percent.
[somber music playing]
[John] Conor, clearly, I'm sure
you're frustrated with the result.
What are the emotions like
for you right now?
[Conor]
Yeah, it's heartbreaking, John.
It's the highest highs
and the lowest lows in this game.
Me leg is completely dead.
I didn't adjust, and that's it.
Although I
It's just a motherfucker to take, man,
you know.
That's me mind's going, so
You know, me and Dustin now, he's
It is one and one.
I'm sure we'll go again.
Dustin, you're a fucking warrior.
Honored to share the Octagon with you.
And we will do it again, alright.
Good man. Thank you so much.
- [Dustin] Safe travels.
- Congratulations, enjoy.
Thank you, guys,
and you, thank you so much.
Just taking the licks, man.
It's a bastard of a game.
But don't write me off yet,
you know what I mean?
The competitive fire is still in me,
and like I said,
I will regroup and adjust,
and come back. You know,
I've done it before, and I'll do it again.
[TV commentator] He's gotta go back
Oh, big left and now a right!
[indistinct commentary]
Poirier has knocked out
Conor McGregor!
We'll get it back.
You know, it's something that
It's part of the game.
You've just got to take it. It ain't nice.
The highs are very, very high,
and the lows are low.
But you suck it up,
break it down into what went wrong,
and correct the mistakes.
I didn't want to be that person
who stands in the Octagon
or posts a feed, and makes excuses
and points blame.
I didn't want to be that person.
I've seen that many times.
I think that's a
that shows a weakness in character.
- [Owen] UFC.
- [Conor] What?
Did you message him?
- Me and Audie did.
- Saying what?
Saying, "Dustin, rematch for the belt,
May or June?"
Yeah, I'm after messaging Dana as well.
Trilogy for the strap.
Yeah.
I feel strong in my mind. I always do.
I don't let defeat faze me.
The true champions can come back.
The true champions rise again.
And I am a true champion.
[man] You're going to face that fact.
It's how you respond
when it doesn't go your way
that will ultimately determine
your legacy.
[Conor] Sometimes, a defeat
is what you need.
A defeat is the secret ingredient
to success.
That's it. I made my plans for revenge.
[outro music playing]
[music continues]
- [keyboard clicking]
- [mouse click]
- [Twitter whistle]
Oi, yeah, here we go.
Hupa, and we're on!
Croia!
[Conor]
That nice, little girl?
[Conor Jr. whimpering]
Champ, I'm retired now.
Daddy doesn't fight anymore.
D'you know that? Daddy's not fighting.
- You fight me!
- [growls playfully]
Yes, fight your Da!
Are you gonna fight now?
Yeah.
[reporter] Obviously seems like
life is good for you man.
Is there any part of this though,
I know you've had
had this vision, this goal, this drive
is there any part of what you have right
now that you don't like though?
That you, that you come up and said,
"Man I wasn't expecting this?"
I love this life.
It's important for me to remind
myself that I love it.
There's definitely days
I'm, like, "Fuck all of this."
- Hi, Daddy!
- I'm outta here.
And maybe one day, I will be out of here.
And I won't say nothing to nobody.
I'll be just gone somewhere.
But I remind myself why I do it.
What I do it for.
And then I just re-energize myself to it.
This is the life I chose,
the life I have built.
This life is not for everyone.
This life is not for everyone.
It's for the insanely driven individual,
and that's what I feel I am.
I am insane to this game.
[melancholy music playing]
[punches landing]
[Conor] A new bag there, as well.
[laughs] New gym bag.
[chuckles]
[Conor]
I'm just over it now. I'm well over it.
I've been campaigning for a fight
since February 14th.
Three weeks. Less than
three weeks after me last fight.
And I kept getting put on the long finger,
long finger, long finger.
"Wait 'til this happens,
wait 'til that happens."
And then, "Ah, wait 'til after this,
wait 'til that." I'm, like, "Mate,
I'm out of here, I'll smell you later,
I don't need to do it."
But I'm in I'm in a great spot.
I'm not slipping
from training certain points.
So, can't beat that.
Conor McGregor
has announced his MMA retirement.
[TV reporter 1] Conor McGregor
essentially calling it quits.
[TV reporter 2] Conor McGregor
apparently retires for the third time.
- [overlapping chatter, chimes]
- [TV reporter 3] You know the drill.
[TV reporter 4]
I don't buy it for a second.
I think Conor McGregor's trying to get
you to talk about him and you just did.
There is just 100% no way
that he's retiring at the age of 31.
This retirement is BS.
A lot of people are saying no chance
this is anything but a leverage play.
You know, it's a very public
kind of battle
between the UFC and Conor McGregor.
He wanted to fight in May.
He wanted to fight in August.
"I just wanna get back to work,
I'm doing all the right things,
I'm staying healthy,
I'm staying out of trouble,
and you guys can't get me a fight."
How is it possible that the biggest
draw in the history of this sport
can't get a fight?
And so he's finally saying
enough is enough, I'm frustrated,
and I'm taking my ball,
essentially, and going home.
[Audie] There is a lot of politics
that play into all this stuff,
because you've gotta realize that
Conor McGregor is the face of the UFC.
He's also the biggest driver of business.
But ultimately,
his biggest thing was, like,
"Look, for me, in order to be
the best fighter that I could be,
I need to be active."
That was his biggest complaint,
was that after the Cerrone fight,
there wasn't anything.
[Ariel]
This guy's in the prime of his life
and he felt like he was being sidelined,
he felt like he was being iced.
He was, like,
"Enough of this, I wanna fight.
Gimme a fight in the parking lot,
give me a fight in Abu Dhabi,
Fight Island,"
and they wouldn't do it.
They kept kicking the can,
kicking the can.
So you really saw
that frustration boil over.
- He was fed up.
- [car engine starts]
[man] It's like the first trip away.
[Conor]
Yes, it is. Yes, since all the madness.
This place, Monaco here, has zero cases.
- Yes.
- Zero cases.
- Since it began.
- Since early July,
they had four deaths, total.
Bit cheesy.
[both laugh]
Cheesy?
[man]
Did you see, five years ago today,
you beat Chad.
[Conor] Mad, isn't it?
I was only saying to him
on the way out in the car,
like, you know the way in the interviews
they, sort of, they say, "Where do you
see yourself in five years?"
I was, like, "We're driving to the airport
to get on a private jet
to go and buy a yacht in Monaco."
[laughter]
Like, five years ago,
that's where you were.
Like, if someone asked you.
Like, that's life.
That sounds like something I'd say!
That sounds like something
I would've said back then.
- [Dee] That's reality now. It's mad.
- It's mad, yeah.
I wouldn't want to be
with anyone else here, baby.
Swear to God, blessed in so many ways
to have you here with me.
Love you to bits.
[both laughing]
- Cheers.
- Slainte, baby.
We won the war.
[Conor]
Let me get the guys. We're feeling it!
[Ariel] One thing that I think
people might overlook is that, you know,
I really admire your relationship
with your girlfriend.
My girlfriend worked very, very hard.
Throughout the years, coming up,
and stuck by me
when, essentially,
I had absolutely nothing.
I only had a dream that I was telling her.
If it wasn't for her,
I probably wouldn't be where I am today,
so definitely I love to spoil her.
She does not work anymore.
So, for me to be able
to take her out of work
and give her everything she's ever wanted,
and to travel the world with her,
that fills me with pride,
so, it keeps me going.
You know, if you truly feel grateful
for the things in your life,
gratitude is one
of the most strongest forms
of power in attracting good things.
I always celebrate every little good thing
that would happen to me in my life,
even before I had
any kind of money or any of that,
I would celebrate,
and I would feel grateful for it.
It just gave me more,
and this is exactly the same thing
that's happening right now.
I still remain grateful.
And more comes.
[indistinct chatter]
They say you can't travel in time
and change things.
They say you can't travel in time
and change things.
They say you can't travel in time
and change things.
"I've followed my vision
to where I am now.
Fight for your future, today.
Dystopia. Download now."
You've planned a few more
this year, next year?
I wanna be busy next year, yeah.
I would like to
You know, I have four fights left
on my UFC contract
- and I'd like to get through all of those.
- What about this and Khabib?
- Ah, yeah well, fucking right I want that.
- Yeah?
Yes, of course.
I stuffed over half of his takedowns.
It was a small error that allowed him
to get the back in the fourth round.
But I think you were different
on that day?
Yeah, well different.
Physical fitness, and the mind.
And my lifestyle, you know.
I wasn't
I don't regret the contr
I don't regret it.
Everything's a good learning curve.
- As you say, each failure is a lesson.
- Of course, of course.
What I do regret, I suppose,
is taking the b
'Cause I showed up to fight at the
in the Barclay Center
on the bus,
and he didn't get off the bus, right.
So the fight was won, it's over.
I should have left it at that.
Instead, I gave him
an opportunity to come back,
and I did not do myself or my team justice
by living the martial arts lifestyle.
I was
I was living multiple lives,
we'll say, you know, so
Yeah, it is what it is. They know.
That other side know.
I'm just gonna continue to do what I do.
- He can run, but he cannot hide, so
- You need to do it, you need to do it.
Oh, it's done, it's done.
Trust me on that.
[engine revving]
[indistinct chatter]
[Conor] The bloke was talking about
so many attributes that everyone knows.
Speed, power, endurance.
No one talks about the most important.
Your attention span.
How long you can stay attentive.
So when you're shadow-boxing
That's your shadow-boxing.
I don't wanna see this.
None of that shit.
Keep your arm engaged.
- So stay focused and switched on, alright?
- Yeah.
[controlled breaths]
[Julian] It would've been great if we
could've had another fight scheduled,
allowing Conor to focus on that.
It's a lot easier to train
when you have a focal point to go for.
But the fitness was there,
the sharpness was there,
and it was just a question
of keeping it rolling over,
keeping it going.
[whistle blows]
[Owen] He has that stay-ready mentality.
He's always training, he's always in camp.
He's always trying to improve.
[man]
Drive on, drive on. Drive, drive, drive!
Come on, up, up, up!
Yeah! All day.
[Owen] All his career, he'd fought, like,
on average, three times a year.
You know, that's how active he was,
right up until becoming the double champ.
Yes!
[Owen] It's because
he's obsessed about it.
He's always ready to go,
you know.
Now I'm brand-new.
I'm absolutely brand-new.
[Owen] So, yeah, we were still training,
and stuff like that.
But, like, I don't know what's next.
[Ariel]
What Conor had that no one else has
is leverage, star power.
He knew what he possessed.
He basically said,
"Let me take matters into my own hands."
[keyboard clicking]
[Twitter whistle]
And he's, you know,
tweeting back and forth with Dustin
[Twitter whistle]
[Ariel] Conor says,
"Hey, come to Ireland
and we'll do a boxing match,
it'll be for charity," and this and that,
and I think once he put that out there,
the UFC was then forced
to say, like, "Alright,
you guys are gonna agree to a fight,
like, you're gonna do this on our terms."
It was back and forth.
How's his relationship with the UFC?
Can he get back on track?
He 100% expedited that process
and forced their hand.
[reporter 1] The long-rumored and
discussed fight between Conor McGregor
and Dustin Poirier is officially a go.
[reporter 2] Conor versus Dustin 2
officially booked for 257.
He's signed the papers
and the bout is finalized.
[reporter 3] Power play, right?
Like, you know, just think about it.
Earlier in the year, he retired.
Couple of weeks ago,
it seemed like they were going to fight
in a charity match.
Now we're talking about
a date in six weeks.
[reporter 4] Conor understands
the power of his stardom
is to get public interest behind him.
Push the UFC's hand a little bit.
We all want to see Conor McGregor fight.
Everybody does.
[announcer on TV speaking indistinctly]
[Conor] A leg kick.
Get in there. To be honest,
I'd rather have him a bit tired, actually.
[all exclaim]
[man] Great shot.
Yeah, get tired. There you go!
You'll find comfort here.
Find comfort in the clinch!
You need to stay in the clinch,
in the open space, you know what I mean?
Just get in there, it's only a neck-tie.
He's only going for a neck-tie, there's no
level changes or anything there.
[gasps]
Bollocks.
Straight gone out.
- Oh, my God.
- Tap! He's tapping!
That is woeful.
- He tapped
- Yeah, he's tapped a few times.
He tapped a few times
and your man could see it.
- Let's go, you little ratchet!
- Yeah, let's go, champ.
- Night-night, champ.
- Good night.
Enjoy that? Huh? It was good, wasn't it?
Daddy's gonna bash him, yeah?
Daddy's gonna bash him!
[TV announcer]
And now, without question,
the number one pound-for-pound
fighter in the world,
- 29 and 0, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
- There's a big question on it, John.
[TV announcer] I will give you
as much time to gather your emotions.
[sighs] Thank you.
Today, I want to say,
this, it was my last fight.
It was first time when I
[claps]
After what happened with my father
Bah! [laughs]
What?
Ah, fuck it. That bastard.
What is he doing with the helmet on?
[Khabib] She go now and I go fight
without father, but I promise her,
it was my last fight here.
- I know only one thing
- [high-pitched tone]
what I want from UFC Tuesday,
[audio fading]
because you have to put me on
number one pound-for-pound
fighter in the world
because I deserve this and
- [dialogue muffled]
- [high-pitched tone continues]
[man]
Were you surprised by that at the end?
- [normal audio resumes]
- A little bit, yeah.
Although I know he, you know,
he's always had retirement on his mind,
he's not Doesn't really want to be
in there too much, I don't think.
So
It is what it is.
He said he had a conversation
with his mother and
talked to her for three days, so
It is what it is.
I couldn't give a fuck, you know.
[man] There must be a slight tinge
of disappointment though,
- not being able to avenge
- Nah, it'll happen. I don't believe it.
So I'm good.
We'll see what happens.
Carry on.
- Guys, I'll see youse tomorrow, yeah?
- Yeah. What time?
[indistinct chatter]
[tense music playing]
[Conor] Every day, there's things
that may challenge you,
or may present themselves
to try and throw you off.
You know, it's about a lot
of self-internal dialogue
and conversation with yourself.
You know,
it's the mental stage now, you know.
It's not so much physical,
it's more so mental, and, you know,
I have those moments where I remind myself
of all the work,
and I will not be fazed by nothing,
and I am ready,
mentally, physically, and that's it.
[Ariel] Everyone was very well aware
that he was coming back.
Like, it felt like a mega event.
And, you know, to prove
that he's still got it, right?
To re-assert himself
as the face of the UFC
and the man in the sport,
and it was a really big deal.
It was a really interesting fight
because it's rare that you get
a rematch that many years later.
They have the history
of their first fight back in 2014.
[intense music playing]
[commentator 1]
McGregor looking for the combination.
- Wow!
- Ref, you gotta stop that!
It is all over!
Just like that!
[reporter 1]
Poirier. He's getting this opportunity
that he's been waiting for,
for a long time.
[reporter 2] People don't understand
that this guy has improved dramatically.
[reporter 3] Dustin Poirier went,
immediately after that fight with McGregor
up a weight division to lightweight.
[reporter 4]
He has looked substantially better.
[commentator 2]
Stays on top. Gets a mount.
There was a tap. Dustin Poirier!
[reporter 5]
His body's filled out. He's much stronger.
[reporter 6]
You can see in his fights,
he has an ability
to take a lot of punishment.
He's a bit more crafty.
[reporter 7]
Poirier is not the same guy.
He's fired up to avenge this loss.
[Conor] We're in the Middle East now,
United Arab Emirates.
We're in Dubai currently.
Abu Dhabi, they have them in a bubble,
where you can't go anywhere.
We decided to come here to Dubai.
We're here just adjusting
to the time zone,
we're here a couple of days now,
everything's going smoothly.
It's 16 days out, right now.
Six more days work.
So, if you wanna do two,
you wanna go boxing, then
I don't know.
I suppose a bit of MMA boxing
[man] Not to spar as such,
- just tapping around.
- Yeah.
[Conor]
In the coming days, we go to the bubble,
and then we'll quarantine in the hotel
for 48 hours, I believe,
and then fight
a couple of days after that.
Three, two, one, go.
[whirring]
[Owen] We're in Dubai now.
Yeah, it's new, it's fresh.
But that doesn't change the task at hand.
Let's go to work.
We all have one goal,
which is to do our very best for Conor,
to allow him to go in there and do
his best in the cage on fight night.
[Colin] It's really about getting him
in a good mindset.
If you have no obstacles
and you just get on with what you do,
you'll just do it,
and there'd be nothing to distract you.
There's a lot of us involved.
We're all on the same page.
We all just come as a unit.
[man] Time! Lovely.
[Conor]
The training has been phenomenal.
Myself and my team,
we've done a tremendous job.
I've got to make 155 pounds
in the coming days.
- What am I looking to finish at?
- [man] 120.
[Conor] It's very meticulous,
this approach, how we do it.
Every meal, every calorie is counted.
Every session is timed.
[man] Nineteen forty-two.
I feel amazing though,
all things considered.
[John] I believe the approach
we've taken this time
has suited his personality best.
Keep him in that creative flow-state.
At this stage, he's just a well-tuned,
high fight-IQ machine.
[birds squawking]
[Julian] Stay close, don't go far.
But you don't have to be inside the room.
So, I'll just read out the list.
John Kavanaugh, Owen Roddy,
Colin Byrne
The COVID situation,
it's an extra confounder.
It is a serious disease.
We're testing on a daily basis.
If anybody on the camp has a positive test
and close contact,
they are also considered contagious.
So, anything going
into the final few weeks
can be disastrous.
It could end the whole event.
So, we've had to be super-vigilant.
- [doctor] Ready?
- Yeah.
[Dee speaking indistinctly]
- Sorry, sir. Perfect.
- Ah!
[Conor] Just gonna do pads,
sharpen the shots.
The rest of the day, bit of beach,
and then hit the big yacht,
make our way to Abu Dhabi.
I've never felt more confident
going into a fight with me engine
than I do right now.
To push it from the bell,
like, you know what I mean?
And maintain it.
[grunting]
Yes.
[grunting]
[Conor] I like just being primed.
Like, if he's in a panic
and trying to load up with that lever,
just a straight left,
know what I mean? And boom!
- Yeah.
- That started the sequence of events.
The last fight. I had him in a panic,
and I just went, boom!
- Yeah.
- And he's like that, all startled.
- So, the old classic.
- Yeah.
The OG.
Wow, look at this thing.
- Hello, champ.
- Thank you, sir.
Wow, this is something else.
[Dee] Look at the size of it.
Look at that! That's a genius idea.
- [Dee] Yeah, isn't it?
- There's a slush puppy, little girl.
A slush puppy machine on the yacht?
- [children babbling]
- Look! Ice pop!
[Dee] Wow! Can you believe it?
- [water bubbling]
- [children giggling]
[Conor]
I certainly dreamed big, and I still do.
It's good to go
on one of these big ones and feel it.
And then also know that it's worth it.
What are we? Six days from the weigh-in,
seven from the fight.
It just re-centers you.
Makes you know that it's all worth it,
and to keep pushing.
So, to be living this life, I think,
to be giving me kids this life,
this is all motivation for me,
fuel for the fire.
[interviewer] It was endearing
when you showed up
to your first press conference
with a Dickie bow,
and you said you paid
your last few dollars to buy it.
[Conor] Yeah.
But now, I mean, you showed up here today
- with a Louis Vuitton gym bag.
- Mmm.
That's somewhat unprecedented.
I don't see that often.
- It's a nice bag.
- It's a very nice bag.
I'm enjoying the fruits of my hard work.
Nobody works harder than me
inside the Octagon,
outside the Octagon. I am a workhorse.
Alright, lads.
[laughter]
Enjoying yourselves?
Something else, isn't it?
[fog horn blares]
[Conor] I am going to enjoy
the benefits of this life.
I am going to get myself a big mansion,
I am gonna get the soft-top cars,
I am gonna bring my whole team out,
I am gonna spoil them
and give them this life.
Jesus Christ!
We're eating good, living good.
Some people will sit
and take positivity from that,
they will look at that and take
inspiration and push for that.
Others will shell up and critique it,
and be negative towards it.
But one thing is for sure,
those people will stay where they are.
The people who
take inspiration from it will rise up
and also one day experience that life,
so I am enjoying my money,
my hard-earned money
that I have dedicated my life to.
- Welcome to Abu Dhabi.
- Thank you so much. Good to be here.
Pleasure.
[engine revving]
- Good to see you.
- Good to see you, man.
Come on. Let's have some fun.
The notorious Conor McGregor.
Welcome back to BT Sport.
Good to be back here on BT Sport.
Your approach to this fight,
the build-up to this fight,
it's a lot calmer than it was back then.
[Conor] Make no mistake, he's afraid.
He's a scared little boy.
[Dustin] He needs the ass-whooping
he's about to get.
It's gonna make him a better person.
He's a quiet little hillbilly
from the back-ass of nowhere.
I've never disliked somebody
that much that I've ever fought.
[cackles]
[Conor] Hope he likes me
after I whoop his ass.
[Dustin] It's a grudge match.
I don't like this guy.
You're in shit, boy.
[Conor]
It's gonna be a first round KO.
September 27th, I'm gonna rip
Dustin's head clean off, you know
Maturity, you know. I'm grown.
It's a long time ago. Two kids, we were.
I'm gonna bust him up, though.
No doubt about it.
[interviewer] Title after this one?
I imagine so. I want to put a stint
into this 155-pound division,
a correct, proper run at it.
You know, exactly like I done
to the featherweights,
and maul every single one of them.
No messing, full focus.
Show them what's what and line them up.
[Ariel] The second Dustin fight,
for Conor,
it was like, you know,
making up for lost time.
Building on the momentum
of a year ago against Donald Cerrone,
proving that he could be a top dog at 155.
Dustin had just fought for the belt,
but the Conor that we saw in 2014
absolutely dominated Dustin Poirier,
so, you know,
could he replicate that performance?
I think everybody who saw
the first one certainly is interested
to see how this rematch plays out.
You know, I know Dustin's tough.
He can take a smack off other people.
He can't take my smacks.
So, that's just the way it is.
You've beat him McGregor-fast before,
but faster on Sunday?
Well, that's the goal. We're looking
to get a cleaner shot and a better time.
[interviewer] The first time round,
it was such a long time ago,
both of you were featherweights,
now you're fathers.
I'm certainly a lot more mature,
you know what I mean?
A lot more composed.
I'm a father, as you've said.
I've two children.
You know, I'm just I'm a grown man now,
and I'm here to do my job,
and I'm excited about it.
- Great. Thank you, Conor.
- Thank you.
[John]
He's reached a new stride in his life.
He's in his 30s now,
he's a family man, he's two kids.
So, to see him at this stage of his life,
to be so content and so focused,
it's very rewarding.
Champ, look, here's the posters. Look.
Get him up on a chair so he can see.
That's Daddy, that's who he's fighting.
D'you want to draw on it, champ?
Right, where's your signature, champ?
Right, one, two, okay, yeah.
And again.
Yep. And again.
Leave the mark, champ.
I'm very, very happy
to be able to bring them with me
and give them these experiences.
We're all in it together.
That's it. I love my family very much.
High-five, champ.
[engine revving]
[camera beeping]
[photographer]
Fists up fighter stance.
[camera shutter clicking]
Jesus Christ, man.
Look at that, Tristin, where are you?
Yes.
[Conor]
Good, solid lightweight frame there.
Ripped. Powerful. Yes.
[giggling]
- It's the best shape I've ever been in.
- Yeah.
[reporter 1] Conor, I wanted
to read you a quote from 2013
that you said.
I've lost my mind on this game,
like Vincent Van Gogh.
He dedicated his life to his art,
and lost his mind in the process.
That's happened to me.
But [bleep] it.
When that gold belt is around my waist
and my mother has a big mansion,
and my girlfriend has a different car
for every day of the week,
and my kids' kids
have everything they ever want,
then it will pay.
Then I'm happy I lost my mind.
[reporter 1]
Can you just reflect and talk to me about
how that makes you feel
hearing that in 2021?
Yeah.
You know, yeah, it's been some ride.
I've got it done and I'm up here.
Mad as a brush. [laughs]
Know what I mean?
What a life. And I tell you what,
I wouldn't want it to be any other way.
I'm very excited to be back here,
and, as you say, Vinny Van Gogh, I'm going
to paint a beautiful picture here
inside this Octagon on Saturday night
and I'm very excited to do so.
[reporter 1]
Awesome. Thank you so much, mate.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[reporter 2] Dustin, you've never had
a $100 million boxing match,
you don't have a whiskey brand
that's distributed around the world.
Are you walking there with a little chip
on your shoulder?
[Dustin] Every fight is a chip on my
shoulder. I'm trying to prove something.
I know what a win over Conor
means in combat sports,
and I know whoever wins this fight is
fighting for gold, and that's why I fight.
[reporter 2]
Fair enough. Thank you, Dustin.
One last one. Dana, obviously,
this is a massive
Can I Sorry.
You've got the hot sauce, Dustin.
- I'd love to taste the hot sauce.
- [Dustin] I got a bottle for you.
I appreciate that. I've got a bottle
of Proper for you. I'd love to share that.
That's So you know what I mean?
He's putting in the work.
I've been highly impressed.
I think the whole business
has been highly impressed.
After that loss many years ago,
he rose up,
became champion. He's given so much back.
I'm honored to share
this Octagon with this man.
I know we have this competitive fire,
and it's gonna be a good,
firework-filled bout,
but the respect is admirable
for this man from me.
[reporter 3] Conor McGregor,
what's your motive after this?
Like, after seven, eight years
of competing in the UFC?
I feel like I'm only starting, man.
Everyone wants to,
"Hey, Conor, you've done it all.
You're so rich,
richer than Dana over here.
What are you doing here?" I'm, like
You know, all the money, all the belts,
all everything, that comes and that goes.
- You know what lives on? Highlights.
- [crowd cheering]
I want my highlight reel
to be like a movie.
So that's why I'm out there.
I'm looking to get in and perform
and put on amazing highlights
that I can sit, as an old man,
with my son,
and just watch back and enjoy life.
Okay, I conquered it.
Let's conquer it again.
Do it twice.
That's what the champ-champ does.
Please, don't be trying to get rid of me,
guys. I love it here.
I helped build this. I wanna be here,
I wanna perform for the fans.
[chanting]
Conor! Conor! Conor!
Conor! Conor! Conor!
[Conor]
Hundred and sixty-one point six.
Just got on the scales. It was at 161.5,
which is really good.
So, 5.5 pounds to go and we haven't done
any sweating yet at all.
So, the plan now is to do a workout,
get some of that sweat off.
[Ariel] The weight-cutting component
to mixed martial arts
is incredibly difficult and dangerous.
You're seeing guys, you know,
they may walk around at 175,
but they'll cut to 155
so that they can rehydrate
and then be bigger than their opponent.
It's this whole gamesmanship
that they play
in order to have the biggest advantage
come fight night.
[Tristin] 3.3 to go.
[clapping]
Let's go.
The day of the cut is the sweating.
Eighteen minutes.
I'm sweating straightaway.
[Tristin] Yeah, great,
I'm just watching your forehead.
That's the indicator.
It's coming off, yeah.
Just stay there, you're good.
It's more about water manipulation.
Two and a half minutes left.
It's definitely a component
that is dangerous,
but if it's managed correctly,
it doesn't need to be.
I've seen it be very draining.
They've just went through
an eight or ten-week camp
where they've, you know,
trained with killers.
Only then, fight week
to do another weight descent.
Once you manage that weight descent, then
you have to go into the ring and compete.
Pound to go.
Come on.
In this or in this?
[indistinct]
[Tristin] It's like that psychological
factor that's daunting.
[Conor grunts]
I'm sweating in here, me. [sighs]
[Tristin] Nearly there, man.
Surprised you're not 55 with a towel on.
- When all's said and done.
- [Dee] Yeah.
It's okay, babe.
That is like fucking
On my face.
[Dee laughing]
[Tristin]
Everything nice and slow, and that.
[panting]
- Wanna lie back to the bed?
- Yep, onto the bed.
[Tristin] There you go.
Alright.
Five more minutes, Ma.
Get it off before I smack you
in your bollocks.
[Tristin] John, if you get that side,
just give him a bit of a fan, please.
[John] Yeah.
One, two, three.
Slow. Nice.
Stay there, buddy.
Yes!
- Yes!
- [clapping]
That's gonna be 55. Well done, well done.
Thank you, baby.
Well done.
[Dee chuckling]
- [Conor whispering]
- [Dee chuckling]
[announcer] Alright,
thank you all for being here
for the official weigh-in for UFC 257.
First fighter to the scale, the man
around whom this car was built,
the notorious Conor McGregor.
- One fifty-five.
- Yeah!
[announcer] One hundred and fifty-five,
the official weight for Conor McGregor.
That's one-five-five. Championship weight.
Our next fighter to the scale,
the other half of our main event,
the legend Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier.
One fifty-six.
One fifty-six, the official weight
for Dustin Poirier.
- [Conor] Good job, Dustin.
- [Dustin] You too, man.
[engine revving]
[John] People say, well,
does he have the hunger anymore?
At the beginning, it was desperation,
that he had to do it.
I don't believe that's true.
He was always doing it
for the same reason,
that is he loves the competition
of mixed martial arts.
Sure, there was a period of time
of enjoying the spoils of war.
And then when you come out the other end
of it, you have to ask yourself,
what's going to make me continue doing it?
I have the financial freedom,
I've got the belts,
I've got the accolades, I have the fans.
[announcer]
He's back, the notorious Conor McGregor.
[John]
Well, there is only gonna be one thing,
and that is that you truly love it,
and it gives you purpose.
[foreboding music playing]
[Conor] Let's go, let's go.
- What's up, my man? How are you?
- Very good, thank you.
[interviewer] Do you ever get tired
of trying to keep it all up? I mean
It seems like your life is training,
and then doing
all this media marketing stuff,
non-stop this year.
To get to the number I wanna get,
you gotta do it, you gotta embrace it,
you gotta love it.
If you don't love it,
what the fuck you doing here?
I could walk now.
I could easily go and leave,
and be comfortable
for the rest of my life.
But I'm driven for that number.
I'm driven for that legacy.
To take over the game.
To truly have every number,
every belt, every single record.
It drives me to keep going.
[heartbeat]
Sorry, lads.
That's a cunt of a leg kick.
[groaning]
- We should raise this leg.
- You got a bag of ice in there?
[man] Got some ice, yeah.
Want a chair?
Put that chair here.
[commentator 1] McGregor immediately
puts him on his heels.
I think kicks
are very important for Dustin.
And that's a takedown.
Beautiful.
Bring his head back on the inside!
[commentator 2]
Nice job by Conor McGregor
to get back up
after the early takedown from Poirier.
- And there's that shoulder shrug!
- That's it! Do it!
- That's the one, that's the one!
- Yes!
- And again!
- And again!
[commentator 2]
McGregor now advances.
Nice right hook there from Poirier.
And he points at him.
That's a solid calf kick there.
What the fuck is that?
- [man] It's bad news.
- It's like nerve damage or something.
[groaning]
[man] It'll pass.
Great round, great round.
Keep doing what you're doing.
[commentator 2] John Kavanaugh
and Phil Sutcliffe
appear to like what they saw
out of Conor.
Looked like a debilitating
calf kick there from Poirier,
- and then McGregor fires back.
- That hurt him a little bit.
Conor has not checked
any of those little calf kicks, man.
Dustin keeps planting them.
- Nice leg kick from Conor.
- Smart move.
[John exclaiming]
[commentator 3]
Oh, that leg's beat up, man.
[commentator 2]
That leg is crushed right now.
[commentator 3] It's starting to get dead.
Yeah, he's dead in that leg already.
[tense music playing]
[commentator 1]
Solid left hand from Conor.
[music continues]
- [music intensifies]
- [punches landing]
- [audio drops out]
- [punch thuds]
[clears throat] That's that. That's it.
That was just abysmal.
How come you boys have nothing
I was shot there,
my leg was just dead there.
My leg was dead as fuck.
And I'm not
There wasn't a rattle at all.
[sighs]
This is magnified. What the fuck is this?
This is the sport, this is the sport.
[Dustin] The game plan was to kick,
and wrestle, and box.
To mix it up and make it
a mixed martial arts fight,
to kick inside, to kick outside.
Mike Brown was real big
on me throwing calf kicks this fight.
Really big on it.
And it worked, man. We compromised his leg
and he was in a bad position early.
[Dana] I think Conor had a good
first round, doing what Conor does.
[reporter] Then the calf kicks
obviously played a major part.
One hundred percent.
[somber music playing]
[John] Conor, clearly, I'm sure
you're frustrated with the result.
What are the emotions like
for you right now?
[Conor]
Yeah, it's heartbreaking, John.
It's the highest highs
and the lowest lows in this game.
Me leg is completely dead.
I didn't adjust, and that's it.
Although I
It's just a motherfucker to take, man,
you know.
That's me mind's going, so
You know, me and Dustin now, he's
It is one and one.
I'm sure we'll go again.
Dustin, you're a fucking warrior.
Honored to share the Octagon with you.
And we will do it again, alright.
Good man. Thank you so much.
- [Dustin] Safe travels.
- Congratulations, enjoy.
Thank you, guys,
and you, thank you so much.
Just taking the licks, man.
It's a bastard of a game.
But don't write me off yet,
you know what I mean?
The competitive fire is still in me,
and like I said,
I will regroup and adjust,
and come back. You know,
I've done it before, and I'll do it again.
[TV commentator] He's gotta go back
Oh, big left and now a right!
[indistinct commentary]
Poirier has knocked out
Conor McGregor!
We'll get it back.
You know, it's something that
It's part of the game.
You've just got to take it. It ain't nice.
The highs are very, very high,
and the lows are low.
But you suck it up,
break it down into what went wrong,
and correct the mistakes.
I didn't want to be that person
who stands in the Octagon
or posts a feed, and makes excuses
and points blame.
I didn't want to be that person.
I've seen that many times.
I think that's a
that shows a weakness in character.
- [Owen] UFC.
- [Conor] What?
Did you message him?
- Me and Audie did.
- Saying what?
Saying, "Dustin, rematch for the belt,
May or June?"
Yeah, I'm after messaging Dana as well.
Trilogy for the strap.
Yeah.
I feel strong in my mind. I always do.
I don't let defeat faze me.
The true champions can come back.
The true champions rise again.
And I am a true champion.
[man] You're going to face that fact.
It's how you respond
when it doesn't go your way
that will ultimately determine
your legacy.
[Conor] Sometimes, a defeat
is what you need.
A defeat is the secret ingredient
to success.
That's it. I made my plans for revenge.
[outro music playing]
[music continues]