Conor McGregor anxious to tap full toolbox at UFC 229
Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor is ready to wear the belt again.
McGregor has had both titles stripped since the last time he stepped into a UFC cage to compete in November 2016. He plans on getting one back when he faces lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in the main event of UFC 229.
“I see him as a dead man walking,” McGregor said on the first episode of Embedded, a behind-the-scenes documentary of fight week. “I’m going to go in, smack him hard, rattle his head and raise that gold once again.”
McGregor’s only competition of the last two years was his pro boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather. He’s excited to once again be able to use all of his weapons instead of just punching.
“I put many of my tools back in the toolbox and left them there when I stepped in that boxing ring,” he said. “So I think many people forget the skills I possess. I look forward to going back out and proving once again that I’m the No. 1 pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet.”
Fans in Las Vegas will have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of McGregor and Nurmagomedov at open workouts on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at Park Theater followed by a news conference in the same venue the following day at 2 p.m.
Ceremonial weigh-ins at T-Mobile Arena on Friday are also free and open to the public at 4 p.m.
Heating up again
One of the most intense rivalries in UFC history is once again burning white hot.
Jon Jones, who is set to come off his second USADA suspension later this month, is locked in a vitriolic social media battle with rival Daniel Cormier, who holds the light heavyweight and heavyweight belts.
The war of words could lead to a third fight between the two despite Jones, the longtime light heavyweight champ whose title was stripped as a result of a positive test after their previous fight, already owning two victories over Cormier.
UFC president Dana White says it will happen on Cormier’s terms.
“The hatred is real with these two. It’s unbelievable,” White told TMZ. “I would like to see it, I think the fans would like to see it. What would be interesting is, we might see it at heavyweight. I’m gonna do whatever (Cormier) wants to do. I’m gonna do everything in my power to make that man happy.”
Cormier has said he wants to fight former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in early 2019 and plans to retire before he turns 40 in March.
Werdum declines deal
Former UFC heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum says he was offered a deal by USADA in exchange for information on other fighters that may be violating the anti-doping policy.
Werdum declined the offer and received a two-year suspension for an April test that was positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
“They said, ‘Werdum, if you tell on someone we’ll shorten your suspension,’” the 41-year-old told Combate in Brazil. “For the guy to make me an offer like that, to snitch on someone, that goes against my principles. I can’t tell on someone. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t do it. How am I going to snitch on someone to make it better for me, to lower my suspension or whatever?”
According to USADA, Jones accepted a reduced sanction for his violation that could have kept him out of action for four years.
His manager has denied the assertion and said Jones only provided information about himself, but an arbitrator’s ruling and a statement from USADA claim Jones is cooperating with the agency.
‘Sugar Show’ sidelined
USADA and the UFC have agreed to a new policy where violations of the anti-doping policy won’t be disclosed until the full appeals process has played out.
Previously, a violation would be announced and then a follow-up would go out when the process was complete.
Sean O’Malley decided to get out front of the news of his own potential violation.
While no formal announcement has been made, he took to social media to explain he had been pulled from his UFC 229 bout on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena against Jose Alberto Quinonez as he works through the process.
“Even though under the new policy, my case would not be public right now, I feel it’s important to be upfront and honest with my fans about why I’m not fighting next weekend,” he wrote Sunday, adding he’s been working to find the source of the positive test. “I believe that we have already identified a dietary supplement that would have caused this. We’ve sent remaining samples from the bottle I took to the USADA lab and as well as a full sealed bottle. I’m told that the testing of these supplements can take as long as 30 days.
O’Malley apologized to his fans and denied any intentional use of any banned substance.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.