JOE spoke to Conor after he’d spent a month training in Iceland for a crack at his second world championship belt.
By Fergus Ryan
Another world class protégé of John Kavanagh at SBGi, Conor has been fighting since 2008 and has racked up an impressive 11-2 record, 10 of which have been (T)KO’s. After going unbeaten in six fights, with two of those coming in Cage Warriors events, Conor pleaded with Cage Warriors management Graham Boylan and Ian Dean to fix a championship fight for his next outing. His wish was granted and Dave Hill was put between Conor and the Cage Warriors featherweight world championship belt during the summer.
Hill, the grappler, and Conor, the furious striker, did battle at Cage Warriors 48 in June. After an intense build-up the fight wasn’t that close. Conor picked his shots, wore Hill down and submitted him to in the second round. To underline his achievement, Conor scaled the fence and jumped Jose Aldo-style into the bosom of his adoring fans. You can see the full fight below.
Moving Up
A first defence was set against Jim Alers for September only for Conor to break the zygomatic bone in his face. Then injury forced Alers out of their New Year’s Eve tilt, leaving Conor trained up but with no-one to fight. Conor explained his reaction to the fight being cancelled and how the crack at a second world championship belt came about.
“John (Kavanagh) showed me the e-mail to say the fight was off on a Friday. I was disappointed but it didn’t really affect me. I talked it over with John and he was suggesting a lightweight fight. I’m still a growing lad so we’ve talked a bit about whether I would stay at featherweight or move up. I don’t want to be 30 and having to cut loads of weight to make featherweight. I feel better at this weight (lightweight). I can feed myself to the scales and not stress my body with starvation and dehydration.”
Was I doing more than if I was in Dublin? Probably not, but I was able to focus 100% on just training. I was doing nothing else but training and thinking about going training
So with history in the making and Conor already in-situ in Iceland, training camp resumed with the fresh focus of adding the Cage Warriors lightweight to the featherweight belt he already holds.
Conor enjoyed his lifestyle in Iceland.
“Iceland was different. I was really well looked after. I was basically put up in an apartment and just went to the same restaurant for breakfast every day, then go and train with Gunni (Nelson)and John and all the lads at Mjolnir (SBG Iceland). I’d take a break in the afternoon, eat some more and then go train some more.”
Conor proves that sometimes less is more.
“Was I doing more than if I was in Dublin? Probably not, but I was able to focus 100% on just training. I was doing nothing else but training and thinking about going training. I can see myself going back and forth from Iceland a lot when I’m preparing for fights.”
MMA in Iceland
In the lead in to Gunni Nelson’s UFC:Nottingham fight we found out about the connection between John Kavanagh and Iceland. It sounds like the Iceland-Ireland axis is getting stronger. Conor agrees.
“It’s such peaceful life. You’ve got none of the distractions you’d get when you’re at home. You’re just there to learn martial arts. The training was great but being here helped my mental state as well. I’m in a really good place now.”
Having fought at lightweight before Conor knows he doesn’t have to get bigger to be competitive at the weight. With the extra food intake, some quality training and not having to watch the scales, he’ll be in perfect shape come fight time.
“I’m a big featherweight but I’m a big lightweight as well. And to be honest, I’d go in there and give welterweights some trouble, so I’m big enough to stay at lightweight. I haven’t been lifting any weights but in Mjolnir there are lots of welterweights and middleweights. So I guess sparring with the bigger guys, having to work harder in the cage has helped me get bigger and stronger. Not having to cut down means I can eat well while doing the hard training and I’m not taxing and stressing my body. I feel strong and energetic.”
Making History
When the discussion switches to the future and what two championship belts would mean, Conor is optimistic that a win at Cage Warriors 51 should lead to greater things.
“Surely it’ll have to mean a ticket to the big show and to be able to make decent money from fights. This sport is a grind. I love it and I’ll be training and fighting till the end. I feel there’s no combat sports person whether its boxing, Thai boxing, grappling, whatever the discipline that could touch me. Having two world titles should put me on big money. I don’t want to sound like it’s all about the money, it’s not, I just want to be comfortable. At the moment I’m not but for all the effort and achievement I’ve done and will do, I should be comfortable.”
In summing up, Conor was pretty clear about his plan to beat Ivan Buchinger. Once he secures victory on New Year’s Eve he’ll be heading towards the UFC whether they’re ready or not.
“I don’t know too much about him. I think he’s a bit wild but he’s got a really good MMA record so I don’t think I’ll break him easily. I’m gonna hurt him in the first and put him out in the second. It’ll be a good scrap. I have set things that I’m gonna throw and I’ll throw them regardless of how or where the fight goes. Me now compared to the guy that fought last June is a different animal. I’m a true martial artist and there’s no-one in combat sports, I don’t care what it is, that can touch me. On New Year’s Eve, I’m gonna blast my way into the UFC!”
Conor wanted to give a shout-out to sponsors Pit Bull Gear, Big Shots Nutrition, Fanatic Shop and the Irish Strength Institute and all his training partners and coaches at SBGi and Mjolnir.
MAIN CARD
- Conor McGregor v Ivan Buchinger
- Chris Fields v Jesse Taylor
- Aisling Daly v Kankaanpaa
- John Michael Sheil v Jack Mason
- James v Alan Philpott
- PRELIMINARY CARD
- Paul Redmond v Ryan Roddy
- James Brum v MoktarBenkaci
- Philip Mulpeter v Tommy Quinn
- Watts v Henry Fadipe
The main card will be streamed live on MMA Junkie at 2100 local time.
Tickets for Cage Warriors 51 are on sale HERE. With more bouts still to be announced, keep track of Cage Warriors on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and updates.
Photo Credit: Dolly Clew
