Conor McGregor Always Wants to Finish, Says UFC Fight Night 26 Win Felt Like a Loss
UFC featherweight Conor McGregor defeated Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night 26 in a one-sided unanimous decision, but the victory felt like a loss to the brash Irishman.
“It feels like a loss to me to be honest. I wanted the finish and I felt the finish was there for me,” said McGregor during the event’s post-fight press conference.
“I don’t come here for decisions. We are rewarded for finishes, and that’s what I’m looking for. I am a finisher,” he said. “Right now it feels like I’m dealing with a loss.”
The decision was the first in the Irishman's 16 professional bouts.
McGregor arrived in the UFC in April with a lot of hype and on an eight-fight winning streak. His nickname “Notorious” suits him well. Despite the hype and the emergence as a quickly rising star, McGregor is his own worst critic.
“I hype myself up big. I hype myself up so big that everyone else hypes me up, but nobody critiques me more than I critique myself,” he said. “I plan on stealing the show every time. I plan on finishing everyone, anyone.”
McGregor injured his knee during the second round of the fight with Holloway and had to make adjustments, but he didn’t use the injury as an excuse for not finishing.
“I injured my knee halfway through the second. I just can’t get it out of my head, but looking back I should have just pulled my knee from my leg and hit him with it,” he said.
The severity of the knee injury is unknown.
“I heard a big pop and I let out a scream mid-round, but I passed into side control with it. When we stood back up I was unsteady on it,” said McGregor.
UFC president Dana White indicated that the promotion plans to send McGregor to a specialist for evaluation.
“We’ll probably need to fly him out West and get his knee looked at by real good guys and then see what’s up with him,” said White.
McGregor is hopeful that the injured knee will not require surgery.
“Hopefully not. I don’t know. It’s the outside of the knee, so usually that kind of pressure takes about six weeks, but I don’t know. Only time will tell,” he said.
Injury aside, McGregor wants to get back in action sooner rather than later.
“I come out to finish every time,” he said. “Let’s get the next one in because I’m ready to whoop somebody real quick.”
Be sure to Like MMAWeekly.com on Facebook and Follow @MMAWeeklycom on Twitter.
