UFC Fight Night 46's Conor McGregor: I saved Diego Brandao from UFC release

Conor McGregor believes Diego Brandao was on the verge of a UFC release before receiving a short-notice opportunity to step in as one half of the UFC Fight Night 46 main event Saturday from Dublin’s The O2.

“I believe he was probably cut, but he hadn’t been told yet,” McGregor told MMAjunkie. “I just feel that way. You can’t threaten to stab somebody and miss weight and get knocked out in the first round and expect to keep your job. I believe he was just left in limbo in case anything happened, then guess what? Something happened.”

The incident McGregor (13-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) refers to revolves around Brandao’s most recent fight with Dustin Poirier. The two featherweights met in a heated toe-to-toe at the pre-fight weigh-in. Brandao (18-9 MMA, 4-2 UFC) shoved Poirier and subsequently threatened to stab him in the neck. On top of that, Brandao missed weight for the contest, which took place at UFC 168 in December, before being stopped with strikes in the first round.

Coming off his most unflattering UFC showing to date, Brandao needs to bounce back with a strong performance. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, McGregor says he’s meeting the wrong opponent at the wrong time.

“I believe it’s not a good time to be Diego Brandao right now,” McGregor said. “I believe he has his own problems going on. He has to face me, and that’s a big problem right there. I feel for the guy.

“People are saying that he starts well and then fades, I don’t think he’s even going to start well. I’m going to be straight at him off the gate and I think he’s going to feel pressure like he never felt before. He’s going to be on his back foot and experience shots and movements that he’s never experienced before until ultimately he crumbles, and he will crumble.”

To be fair, McGregor has a lot going on his own world in the lead-up to his first UFC main event, which streams, along with the rest of the card, on UFC Fight Pass.

The hype surrounding the Irishman is immense as he prepares to headline the UFC’s first visit to Dublin in more than five years. Along with that comes the pressure to perform. While some fighters would be flustered by the idea of competing in front of a sold-out crowd of their own, McGregor says he’s entirely prepared for the moment.

“I’ve visualized this walk since I was a young boy,” McGregor said. “I’ve visualized this walk out. I’m not going to get overhyped by it. I’m not going to get timid by it. I’m just going to stay perfectly balanced; I’m going to embrace it all.

“This is the culmination of years of hard work and years of dedication and enjoy it. This is a historic moment for Irish sports, period. Not just for combat sports, but period this is historic. I’m just going to embrace it.”

Even though he only has two UFC fights to his name, McGregor believes a chance to challenge for the featherweight championship will be within his reach should he get past Brandao in dominant fashion.

Whether or not that’s true still remains to be seen. But regardless, McGregor is putting all other 145-pound fighters on notice: he won’t let anyone get in the way of his goals.

“I haven’t been impressed by any of these guys in a long, long time,” McGregor said. “Sit them right there and let them see the new king. Let them bow before the new king. I have a clear vision of that gold belt being strapped around my waist by the end of the year. I’ve predicted the future before, so I’m not going to doubt myself this time, either.

“I believed in it before other people did. I believed this was going to happen, now it’s happening. Saturday I will prove my worth. Everyone will know on Saturday night, everyone will know there’s a new champion in town.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 46, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.