Conor McGregor motivational words for fighters

Conor McGregor on believing in yourself and showing up at the gym:

Keep believing in your ability, believe in your shot, believe in your move, and show up at the gym. It is a recipe for success that cannot be stopped.

Conor McGregor: Everything works, every move

Conor McGregor on learning from everyone:

Everything works. There's a time and place for every single move, no matter what it is...That's the approach I take.

Conor McGregor's Bruce Lee attitude

When asked post-fight about his style of fighting (around 5:53 into this clip), Conor McGregor says this following:

"I have no style, the highest technique I hope to achieve is to have no technique"

This comes from a quote from Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon":

Shaolin Abbott: I see your talents have gone beyond the mere physical level. Your skills are now at the point of spiritual insight. I have several questions. What is the highest technique you hope to achieve ?

Lee: To have no technique.

Conor McGregor: Stay Ready, Don't Get Ready

 

For Irish UFC featherweight sensation Conor McGregor, he takes the approach of always being prepared so that he can take advantage of any opportunity. Stay ready so you don't have to get ready. If you have that mentality you can really capitalize on some major opportunities, including title shots. In desperate situations due to injury, which crop up in the UFC, you can get a title shot if you're ready and willing to step up and fight on short notice. Part of taking those opportunities is always being ready. There's an old adage which says that luck is opportunity meets preparation, and staying ready is a plan of action to increase "luck".

 

It's almost like looking at the job of fighting in a similar way to any other profession. A plumber can lay pipe at the drop of a hat. An accountant, surgeon, lawyer, or any other professional are ready to perform their craft at a moment's notice. So if a professional fighter takes that same mentality they can really take advantage of some big opportunities which arise from time to time in the UFC and beyond.

Conor McGregor on Thinking Street, Martial Arts, and Purpose

Some great sayings from Conor McGregor in this video:

"I always think street but train sport."

"There is no one in there with me, it's just me in there putting on my exhibition. Doesn't matter the body shape that's in front of me or what's going on. It doesn't matter the result either, I don't dwell on the result."

"People say: 'Predict what's going to happen'...I just go in and perform, wear my heart on my sleeve."

"Martial arts gave me a purpose, gave me a dedication, gave me a drive that I wouldn't have had otherwise."

Conor McGregor on keeping an open mind

Conor McGregor takes a Bruce Lee approach to combat in that he is open to all styles. He takes what works and discards the rest. In his mindset, which has been influence by his coach John Kavanagh, he trains a variety of styles and knows that at some point he will be able use one of them in a fight. If you continually train something you never really know when it can help you in caged combat, but your subconscious mind absorbs the technique and it can just flow out of you in the midst of battle. Sometimes you aren't even thinking about it but it just emerges out of you in the middle of combat. McGregor notes this in an interview with BloodyElbow.com:

Approach everything with an open mind, with a learning mind. You will never stop learning as long as you keep the mind-set that everything works, because everything does work. There's a time and a place for every single move. If you work on it enough, it will work. Everything works, and that's the mind frame my coach instills in me. Everything works, and every movement can be effective

The Rise of Conor McGregor

The documentary "The Rise of Conor McGregor" on MTV UK, has a bunch of great sayings from UFC featherweight Conor McGregor:

- "All that matters is how you see yourself. If you see yourself as the king...With all the belts and everything...No matter what no one else says, as long as you see that, and really believe in it, then that's what's going to happen."

- "I saw myself as the champ even before anyone else did, I just kept that in my head"

- "You try and take inspiration from everything around you. I take inspiration from looking at my teammates battling through hard fights and just giving it their all, fighting until their last breath."

- "Of course I visualize the belt...That belt is on me 24-7"

- "I'm not going in there to be the token Irish guy, and wear a paddy hat and...carry pot of gold and have a ginger beard...I'm going there to go at people."

- "There is no opponent. There is no Jose Aldo...There's no no one. You're against yourself...And I just feel like I'm able to beat myself...I can beat my mind. I believe in myself so much that nothing is going to stop me."

Conor McGregor on not being complacent

Conor McGregor spoke to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour about on not being complacent, despite receiving a lot of hype already in the UFC:

"I don't get comfortable, I don't get complacent. I went out for dinner with the Don (Dana White), we went out for a meal, and I was saying to him, just because we're here now and going for meals and shit, don't think I'm going to be getting comfortable, don't think I'm going to do what a lot of these schmucks have done. They got lazy, they got sloppy and sluggish. Come fight time they show up and they're out of shape, their shots are off. Me, I don't get complacent, if anything, these kinds of things, and all this going on spoils me to work harder. I use this as motivation."

Conor McGregor: Success is all I envision

For Conor McGregor, he is only focussed on success. His thoughts and visions are all based in achieving victory and success:

Failure is not an option for me. Success is all I envision.

Conor McGregor praises Demetrious Johnson for win over John Moraga

UFC featherweight star Conor McGregor praised his flyweight co-worker Demetrious Johnson for his armbar victory over John Moraga at UFC on Fox 8 in Seattle. McGregor, who takes on Max Holloway at UFC on Fox Sports 1 on August 17th in Boston, has a tremendous amount of respect for the smoothness, precision, and efficiency of "Mighty Mouse". Conor McGregor wrote on his Twitter:

Big @MightyMouseUFC fan and his coach Matt Hume!! Smooth, precise and efficient. UN-ARMED COMBAT at its finest!!
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 28, 2013

With the victory over John Moraga, Demetrious Johnson now improves to 18-2-1 and is a perfect 4-0-1 in the UFC flyweight division, and has defended his title twice.

Conor McGregor on Acting the Part

Fake it until you make it. Act the part and it'll eventually be yours:

Act the way you want to become, and then before you know it, it just happens.
- Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor and Rashad Evans on gay rights

The sports world as a whole isn't the most beckoning culture for homosexual males to come out of the closet. In mixed martial arts Liz Carmouche is the openly gay fighter, and she is a female. However, no male has come out in the mixed martial arts landscape, but surely just based on percentages there are some out there. Eventually one day some fighter that competes in the UFC will come out, and it's fighters like Rashad Evans and Conor McGregor who are ones to thank to make it easier for that process to take place. Both UFC stars have been supportive of LGBT community and Conor McGregor has said he has no problem training with any gay fighters because everyone is looked at as equal in his gym regardless off race, sexual orientation, culture, religion, or the hundreds of other things that segment society.
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Next European UFC champion

Dutch fighting legend Bas Rutten made history in May 1999 when he defeated Kevin Randleman at UFC 20 to become the first European champion in the UFC. Who is the next champion of European descent? Here are three fighters with the best shot:

1. Alexander Gustafsson

This Swedish light-heavyweight force of nature has the best shot right now because he's the only European to be fighting for a title right now. Alexander Gustafssson takes on Jon Jones at UFC 165 in Toronto and his striking will be his best asset in this fight.

2. Michael Bisping

England's Michael Bisping has always been hovering around the top of the middleweight class and has been a win away from a title shot on multiple occasions. If Chris Weidman can retain his UFC middleweight title in a rematch with Anderson Silva, it opens up the weight class for unique scenarios, and one of them would be a fight between Weidman and Bisping. Weidman has great wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, and his striking has come a long way too. Bisping however has good takedown defense, and amazing skills getting back to his feet. The English fighter's striking is very strong and his cardio is so good that he gets better as the fight goes on, because his opponents usually fade. Would be an interesting fight with Chris Weidman.

3. Conor McGregor

Ireland's Conor McGregor has made a huge name for himself at featherweight, and is looking to take the 145 pound division in the UFC by storm. The affable Irish fighter has a strong belief in himself, is obsessed with mixed martial arts and improving, has a very calm mindset in the cage, has exceptional talent and work ethic. The Irish fighter is destined for big things in the UFC.

Conor McGregor on the influence of Gunnar Nelson on him

The calmness of Gunnar Nelson is a trait that has rubbed off on his friend and training partner Conor McGregor and something that the Irish UFC star appreciates:

He’s an inspiring man and I’ve taken a lot from his mental approach to the game – he’s got a strong, calm mentality. He’s also a great training partner and great friend.

Conor McGregor on people chasing their dreams inspiring him

Conor McGregor on dream chasers being his source of inspiration:

I try and take inspiration from everything...Basically someone chasing their dreams is what inspires me.