Conor McGregor’s return is just around the corner and he still has everyone buzzing, even a pair of all-time greats.
During a recent episode of The GSP Podcast, welterweight legend Georges St-Pierre and flyweight legend Demetrious Johnson discussed a number of topics, including the value of trash talk in the fight business. McGregor was brought up as an example of a fighter who is as well known for his sound bites as his championship triumphs, and St-Pierre acknowledged that the two are inextricably tied together as part of McGregor’s immense success.
“I think it’s because fights are promoted by emotion,” St-Pierre said. “They try to trigger emotion. Most fans, I mean, not all the fans, but I would say a big part of the fans in mixed martial arts, especially in occident, in the west part of the globe, they want to be attached to an emotion. That’s what triggers their interest for a fight. ‘Oh, he said this’ or ‘He did this,’ so they relate to that thing. Because they might not know the science of fighting, which is necessary sometimes to appreciate a good fighter like you. Like, if you know the science of fighting, the way you move, everything, it was unbelievable, but they want an emotion.
“That’s why I believe, for example, Conor McGregor was very skilled, but what makes him the most popular fighter of all time is his talking, his ability.”
McGregor, 37, returns from a five-year hiatus on July 11 at UFC 329, where he meets past rival Max Holloway in a rematch. In his prime, McGregor captured UFC titles at 155 and 145 pounds, knocking off some of the best fighters of his generation including Jose Aldo, Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier, Chad Mendes, Nate Diaz, and Donald Cerrone. However, McGregor’s past two fights against Poirier were disastrous, with Poirier winning twice to take a 2-1 advantage in their series and send McGregor to the sidelines with a broken leg.
Johnson is curious to see how McGregor’s skills have held up in his time off, as he believes his performances were also integral to his rise to superstardom.
“And for me, it was his skill set,” Johnson said. “I’ll never forget watching him fight Diego Brandao, the way he was able to move and hit him. The way he would throw his cross, southpaw, his push kicks. Even when he fought-I didn’t care, the shit talking was the cherry on top for me. It attracts the masses, but for me what attracted me to Conor was his skill set.”
McGregor is sure to be in full sell mode for the UFC’s annual International Fight Week ahead of his comeback bout, with his most loyal fans surely champing at the bit for their idol to take the stage once more. Whatever the reaction is on fight night, St-Pierre sees it as a good thing for McGregor and the UFC.
“I think it’s because most of the fights create an emotion,” St-Pierre said. “Conor was the best because he was very charismatic. He used to create an emotion out of it. You couldn’t look at Conor and be like, ‘I don’t care.’ It’s either you love him, you want to see him win, or you want to see him lose. But behind that he was able to back it up because he was like a sniper with that left hand. Boom.”
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