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LAS VEGAS – Despite all the hopes of Conor McGregor and Dana White that the UFC 229 card to pay card this weekend was posting a business figure of over 3.5 million purchases The last press conference on Thursday seemed to miss a golden opportunity to make this event believable number. The press conference inside the MGM Theater Park failed to give the face-off (and subsequent fireworks) that potential consumers were hoping to see.
Nurmagomedov (26-0), who will participate in the first defense of the UFC lightweight title that he won after McGregor's withdrawal, has come forward at the hour and was angry for the start from the event, declaring to the pro-McGregor crowd, "I'm not waiting for anyone. Three o'clock in the afternoon, I'm here. This press conference is starting now. "
After 15 minutes of answers to the questions while the crowd tried to drown him, the original Russian delivered his threats to leave, without McGregor showing up. Just 30 minutes later, McGregor finally cheered on his voice and the former two-division champion responded to a steady stream of questions. It was as salty as ever, but significantly dampened by its faster performance on September 20 in New York.
It was at the first press conference at Radio City Music Hall that the UFC chose to ban the public's fears for safety. Thursday's revenge was scheduled in front of a packed and energetic crowd, without producing more than informative advertising for McGregor. new line of whiskey.
So who is to blame? The answer is a bit difficult and should probably be shared by all parties.
McGregor's attempt to play puzzle games with another large delayed entry, similar to previous editions against Nate Diaz and Eddie Alvarez, failed in that he never gave himself the chance to to confront Nurmagomedov in front of a crowd of supporters. And although Nurmagomedov's decision not to bow down to McGregor and focus instead on gaining weight on leaving is respectable, the champion has made the kind of decision that could ultimately cost him some money. money by doing the minimum to promote the fight.
White, the brazen president of the UFC, deserves the blame for not having overseen his star fighter in the same manner as the other members of his company. McGregor was not only unpunished for his assault in Brooklyn that had injured three people and posted four fights in total on the UFC 223 card, but he had been rewarded for his actions by a bout considered the most important in the history of this sport at the time of its signature.
On Thursday, not only did White beat an eye in McGregor's direction after storming the scene late in the evening with a bottle of whiskey in his hand to blame the traffic in Las Vegas comically;
"I'm mad now," White said. "[Nurmagomedov] just said what he had to say. [McGregor] will appear here in a minute and answer everyone's questions. So, [Friday], we are going to have these two face-to-face at the weigh-in and on Saturday they will fight. That's all that matters – weighing and fighting. "
Nurmagomedov (26-0), a man with a normally stony face, continued the unusual behavior that he showed during Wednesday's public session by tackling the subject with McGregor fans. Although the 30-year-old admitted that he was still thwarted by the bus attack and that the fight was personal, he largely downplayed any discussion that McGregor's antics had put out of action.
"Is it in my head? We will see," said Nurmagomedov. "Saturday night, we'll see that, I do not think about him, I have a schedule, I have to put on weight, I have to worry about myself, why do I have to worry about it? worry for him – if someone is late, that's not my problem.
"He can say what he wants, when an alcoholic speaks, no one cares."
When asked if he was still contemplating torturing Mr. McGregor for five rounds by "sentencing him to 25 minutes in prison," Nurmagomedov said his prediction as to how he would win the victory depended on the hardness of McGregor.
"I think at the beginning of the first round, I have to pay attention to him because he has good timing and good boxing, but my fight is my pressure," Nurmagomedov said. "He must kill me to stop, I'll finish this guy and stop him and that's my plan." Maybe, maybe, maybe [the fight goes to a] decision. It all depends if he will give up. "
McGregor (21-3) was ruthless in his way of talking about Nurmagomedov ("the little rat with the jawbone that he is") and his director Ali Abdelaziz ("he is an informant and a virulent terrorist and crazy would like to fight this bastard rat "). He also ridiculed Nurmagomedov for not having waited.
"He knows what he's enrolled for, that's what he is," McGregor said. "I only have a few minutes late for f — he does not want to be with me.He does not want to be with these people.He is petrified.It is what he I do not care about this guy I'm ruthless I'm coming to take this man's skull I'm starving for that man's head, go eat this living man.
"I've seen a man who does not want to be here, to be honest, you've just ventured into this sauna and soaked yourself in a daghestan rat.You did not have the guts to stay here . "
McGregor maintained his prediction of a knockout by stating that he intended to "hit that man's nose directly in nosebleeds" and explaining how he had prepared at the dominant wrestling match of Nurmagomedov.
"I have been fighting and fighting much bigger fighters for months," McGregor said. "225-pound hunters, I do not do any nonsense, I've lived everything, I'm in every scenario, you can be in the brightest spotlight in the world, I'm a veteran."
When asked if he would seek to make peace with Nurmagomedov and bury their grudge after the power, McGregor pulled the biggest response of the day.
"F — peace, there will never be peace here," McGregor said. "I always say that you should aim for peace, but if you can not aim for peace, aim between the eyes, it is never finished, never, never, never."
Already the richest fighter in the history of the UFC and his most salable PPV star, McGregor revealed that he hoped to win $ 50 million for the fight and that he hoped to be a billionaire in five years. He also expected Nurmagomedov 's fight to more than double his own UFC record of 1.6 million purchases during his rematch against Nate Diaz in 2016.
If a fighter can produce more than 3 million purchases for a UFC fight, it's certainly McGregor, who joined Floyd Mayweather to produce an absurd 4.4 million purchases for their boxing match last August. According to White's statistics, Saturday's fight is very likely.
"I do not mean that we could possibly number Mayweather-McGregor, but we could also number Mayweather-McGregor," said White.
Yet for McGregor to deal with such foolish figures as Nurmagomedov, it's hard to ignore the fact that Thursday's event was a missed opportunity.
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