We thought he was taunting Eddie Alvarez. We were wrong.
One of the stand-out images of UFC 205 must have been Conor McGregor facing off against then-lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez with his hands behind his back.
Fans watching at Madison Square Garden and watching around the world witnessed The Notorious bring both his hands back as he prepared for his next flurry on Alvarez. MMA Fighting photographer Esther Lin was in the right place at the right time to capture the moment.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMv8o6IjrZE/
While many thought the ploy was simply to lure Alvarez in before picking him off, McGregor revealed it was something he had taken in from training camp. The new UFC lightweight champion said:
“My right hand was banged up from the [Nate] Diaz fight and my left foot was banged up from the Diaz fight.
“This [right hand] was out of action for the whole camp. That’s where I developed that, putting me hands behind me back, because I was doing it in sparring.
“Sometimes I’d be [use] it in sparring and I’d jar it and it would be swelling up in the middle of the rounds. I just figured out ways to fight around it. So if the right hand was out of action, I’d bring in the right foot.
“When you go through these knocks and these wars, you get knocks and bruises. One time something is good and the next time it’s not good. I’ve got to tuck shots in my pocket for a while but then I can take out other shots. If one limb is out of action, I’ve got other limbs. I’ve got other ways to attack.”
McGregor admitted he had been icing his right hand all the way up to the day before the Alvarez fight.
Go to 4:00 in the video below to check out McGregor’s answer about his banged up hand.
“I’m brand new,” he said.
McGregor is ready to go again. Who knows what division we’ll see him in next.
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