Forget the buildup, Conor McGregor wants the Ferrari now

Conor McGregor celebrated his 25th birthday in Las Vegas last week being driven around town by UFC president Dana White in his Ferrari.

It was the culmination of a whirlwind four months for the Dublin resident, who picked up his last public assistance check just a week before making his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut with a 67-second knockout of Marcus Brimage in Stockholm on April 6.

The spectacular introduction to the UFC made McGregor an immediate star. The night out with White gave him a goal to continue to strive toward.

McGregor would like to take advantage of the heat he created around himself and climb the featherweight ladder by fighting a contender as soon as possible. UFC officials, however, would prefer to slowly nurture the organization’s valuable commodity into a superstar.

After that April victory, McGregor spoke of wanting to fight again right away. The UFC’s idea was to save him for its Aug. 17 card in Boston that will help launch the Fox Sports 1 network.

When his original opponent, Andy Ogle, had to pull out of the fight, McGregor asked for top contender Ricardo Lamas as a replacement. UFC officials instead picked Max Holloway.

McGregor understands the process.

“They said ‘No, no. We’re building you up. Don’t be in a hurry,’ ” McGregor said during a media luncheon at an Irish pub. “I’m a wolf. No one’s feeding me, I’m doing the eating. I would have liked anyone in the top 10. At the same time, I understand what they’re saying. Take my time, build it up, make some money, build a base.

“But I want a Ferrari now.”

There is no doubt why the UFC wanted McGregor on the Boston card. His flashy, exciting style will be on display to viewers on the new network that will feature the UFC as one of its centerpieces.

McGregor also is the most prominent fighter from Ireland to date in the organization and will be showcased to Boston’s large Irish-American population.

“Irish-Americans are as crazy as the Irish themselves,” McGregor said with a smile. “I’m expecting the biggest cheers. I’m going to come out to an Irish ballad and blow the roof of the place. It’s a dream come true. This is my U.S. debut and to fight in Boston, the long lost city of Ireland, is going to be special. I really am going to put on a show. Regardless of what goes down, it’s going to be a spectacle.”

■ NELSON RE-SIGNS — Las Vegan Roy Nelson will fight heavyweight Daniel Cormier at UFC 166 in Houston on Oct. 19, sources close to the organization confirmed Monday.

Nelson’s UFC contract expired after a loss to Stipe Miocic on June 15. He was expected to seek competing offers, but instead will remain with the UFC, in which he is 6-4 since signing in 2009.

■ UFC ON FOX 8 — John Moraga could become one of the most unknown champions in modern UFC history with a win over flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson in the main event of Saturday night’s UFC on Fox 8 card in Seattle.

Both of Moraga’s previous UFC fights were the first bouts on preliminary cards, with one airing on Fuel TV and the other streaming on Facebook.

Johnson is more familiar with his opponent than most fans, but hasn’t exactly gone to school learning about Moraga in advance of this matchup.

“John Moraga possesses great skills. He throws great combinations, but when it comes to my training and preparing for fights, we don’t bring anybody in to emulate my opponent and we don’t go out and seek information on my opponent,” Johnson said. “We just train hard. I believe in my training partners and my coaching, and that’s what we’ve done and it hasn’t let us down yet.”

Moraga has won his two UFC bouts by knockout and submission, but Johnson isn’t overly concerned. Johnson noted he had little trouble with his last opponent, John Dodson, who Johnson feels has the best knockout power at 125 pounds.

The bout headlines an event that will air live on Fox (Cable 5) at 5 p.m. A welterweight contender bout between Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald is also scheduled.

■ MITRIONE-SCHAUB RESET — Matt Mitrione and Brendan Schaub, both former NFL players and castmates on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10, will fight in a heavyweight bout at UFC 165 on Sept. 21 in Toronto.

The match originally was scheduled for the Fox card Saturday, but was scrapped after Mitrione suffered an injury two weeks ago and had to pull out.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.