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MMA

11th Nov 2016

PICS: There was a very poignant reason for Conor McGregor’s outrageous press conference outfit

A nod to history

SportsJOE

Is Conor McGregor’s new coat made from 54 mink skins, like the one ‘TheNotorious’ seemingly drew inspiration from?

It takes some doing for a McGregor outfit to turn heads at this stage, so used are people to his outrageous press conference gear – from three-piece suits to Hawaiian shirts to very large, Deirdre Barlow glasses.

But when he arrived 30 minutes late for Thursday’s UFC 205 press conference in New York he took the stage in a red roll neck sweater and snow white fur coat.

It was quite a sight, but it would appear there was a very poignant reason for the featherweight champion’s choice of clothing.

Ahead of the 1974 follow-up to ‘The Fight of the Century’, fur aficionado Joe Frazier purchased a new mink coat to wear to Madison Square Garden to take on ‘The Greatest’.

“Not in the ring,” he helpfully clarified in the interview below. “I like to see people look good”

McGregor too likes to look good but, given this was the year when we lost Ali, it is interesting that McGregor would choose to pay homage to Frazier – who lost the 1974 rematch at Madison Square Garden.

McGregor’s lightweight title bout with Eddie Alvarez headlines UFC 205, which is the company’s first promotion in New York since the sport was legalised in the state.

Paying tribute to the much loved ‘Smokin’ Joe’, who passed away in 2011, is a nice touch, even if it may seem a little surprising that he would dress as the man beaten by ‘The Greatest’ as UFC makes its splash in NYC.

However, given he has always rejected comparisons to Ali or any other fighter to come before him, perhaps he just thought Frazier looked good?