Conor McGregor opens up on being motivated by infant son during Floyd Mayweather training

Conor McGregor the fighter, the social media savant is all about flashy – flashy clothes, flashy cars, flashy jewelry, everything flashy.

McGregor the man, though, says don’t mistake what you see on the outside for what he truly is inside.

“I haven’t changed since Day 1,” McGregor told reporters after arriving in a green Lamborghini to Friday’s media workout in Las Vegas. “I’m the same person. I show up to the gym, I work hard, and through my hard work I gain my confidence. That’s been the same since Day 1.

“What I arrive to the gym in, what I wear to the gym, my home that I go home to, those are things that have changed. They have become nicer. But the fundamentals are still there. I show up, I work hard, and I accomplish through my work.”

McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is set to face Floyd Mayweather (49-0 boxing) on Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a pay-per-view event expected to be the most lucrative prize fight of all time. The UFC lightweight champion, making his professional boxing debut, will enter as a big underdog.

The fight easily represents the biggest payday of the UFC lightweight champion’s career, estimated to be upwards of $75 million. If there’s one source of motivation that has been dear to his heart throughout training, it’s son Conor Jr., who was born in May.

“He’s been a great motivation this camp,” McGregor said. “I’m in awe of my little boy. I’m in awe of him. Comparing images the other day, and he looks exactly like me. I’m very happy about that.”

McGregor regularly shares photos of Conor Jr. on social media, and his pride in being a father shows each time. McGregor hasn’t spoken publicly about his son much, but on Friday he said he can’t wait until Conor Jr. gets older so he can reflect on this crazy journey and instill the lessons that have made him a success.

“That’s one of the things I look forward to the most,” McGregor said. “To show him back my whole career, this crazy journey I’ve been on. And to show him all the hard work and sacrifice that I’ve put into this. He will come up surrounded by many luxuries, but he will always know that it’s hard work that achieves this. In order to achieve great things in this life you must work hard, and that’s the message I will give my son.”

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