The support from the Irish for UFC sensation Conor McGregor is world renowned, so perhaps it’s a surprise to hear one of the country’s sporting icons, former rugby union skipper Brian O’Driscoll, admit he’s got doubts about the featherweight champion.
O’Driscoll is one of the most popular sporting figures from the Emerald Isle, having represented his country an incredible 133 times. When asked about McGregor’s brash persona on Jarlath Regan's Irishman Abroad podcast (h/t Megan Cassidy of Her.ie), he gave something of a surprising response:
Any sportsman who says he lives without doubt isn't even deluded, he's a liar. That's all sports people. Some people might trick themselves into thinking they're more confident than they are but it's impossible to maintain.
I think it's still early on in Conor McGregor's career. I don't know how long a UFC career will go but if you go for 10 or 15 years, I think over that period of time it is very very hard to maintain a really high standard of lack of self-doubt.
No one knows the true inner thoughts of Conor McGregor. Only Conor McGregor does. I'd say John Kavanagh his coach, doesn't even know that. And fair play to him if he believes everything that he's saying.
McGregor was in typically boisterous mood during the first promotional press conference for his next fight: a shot at the lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 197 on March 5. It’s potentially a historic bout, because if the Irishman wins, he’ll become the first man to simultaneously hold two titles in separate weight classes in the UFC's existence.
And, as is to be expected from McGregor, who knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 to become the outright featherweight champion, he was in supremely confident mood when addressing Dos Anjos, per Bleacher Report UK:
Conor McGregor was in typical Conor McGregor-like form during the #UFC197 presser. pic.twitter.com/gNbWfMW687
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) January 20, 2016
During the press conference McGregor was also asked about some recent comments made by retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In an interview with Ben Thompson of Fight Hype, the American had suggested McGregor doesn’t receive more criticism for his brash antics because of the colour of his skin, insisting “racism still exists.” The Irishman denied those claims vehemently at the press conference and encouraged the boxer to think before he speaks in future, per Martin Rodgers of USA Today.
I didn’t appreciate that one bit. There’s people buried in the desert for less than that. Floyd needs to understand before he speaks who he is speaking about, and that is that.
I think Floyd needs to learn before he opens his mouth. You don’t put a man like me in a situation like that. You are putting me in a name that has got to do with prejudice when you don’t know nothing about me. I am a product of many cultures as a young Irish man. I know he wasn’t saying I am (racist), but he was putting me in that bracket.
The FightNights.com Twitter feed noted that, despite many thinking McGregor is universally popular, there are plenty who are not fans of the Irishman:
Floyd Mayweather and Adrien Broner do realize a lot of people hate Conor McGregor and Tyson Fury too right? Race has nothing to do with it.
— FightNights.com™ (@boxing) January 17, 2016
That’s a fair assessment. To be so open and so sure of yourself is not to everyone’s taste, after all. But what sets McGregor apart from many involved in combat sports who are cocksure and arrogant is that he backs it up. He was adamant he was going to beat Chad Mendes and Aldo, despite many experts saying he couldn’t, and he delivered.
Even UFC president Dana White admitted on his Twitter account he doesn’t mind the featherweight champion’s claims that he has a stranglehold on the company because of his ability to get it done:
@GhostFilms75 not at all, Conor has a style and personality unlike anyone ever in combat sports. He's funny but he backs up every word.
— Dana White (@danawhite) January 20, 2016
O’Driscoll does make a salient point. If McGregor is to remain involved in the UFC for another 10 years then there will come a time when he does suffer defeat. Granted, he’s lost previously in professional MMA, but having built up so much momentum in his last few fights, there’s a danger one loss could sap some of the aura the Irishman has.
