“I’m sorry I’m late, I just don’t give a f***!”
It is part of the Conor McGregor mystique at this stage. Keep them waiting; keep them wanting.
His late arrivals to UFC photo-calls and press conferences are as famous as they are expected at this stage. McGregor is aware of the precedent and, of late, seems to enjoy stretching out his days and making his opponents wait in front of the glare of the cameras.
During the world tour for his fight with José Aldo [before the Brazilian was injured], McGregor stopped off for a haircut and a stroll while the featherweight champion was made stew backstage. When he arrived, with a fresh haircut and a powder-blue suit, McGregor made that infamous grab for Aldo’s belt.
Before it all kicked off, McGregor had told us:
“I’ve always been late. I was always late for school.
“I was so late, so many times, that they ended up saying to me, ‘Well, if you could just show up by 10, we will be happy… They caved, yeah?! I took that victory.”
Then UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez grew tired of waiting for the Dubliner before UFC 205’s final press briefing and stormed off-stage, returning only after McGregor showed up, 25 minutes in, and apologised to absolutely nobody.
Right now, the wait for McGregor will be the longest UFC fans have experienced since he joined the promotion. The lightweight champion [he dismantled Alvarez at UFC 205] is taking some time away from the sport while his partner Dee Devlin is pregnant with the couple’s first child. A 10-month break has been mentioned by UFC president Dana White, making and August return likely.
McGregor holds to a motto that goes a long way to explaining why he shows up so late to media events, briefings and just about everything else. He said:
“To be honest, I’ve been in so many time zones [recently] that I just don’t touch my clock. I don’t change it any more. F*** that.
“Time does not exist; clocks only exist.”
Try crack that one out next time you roll in late for work, college or a date.
