Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez exchange heated words at UFC 205 press conference
By Michael Kelleher
Last Updated: 28/09/16 11:31am
Conor McGregor vowed to knock Eddie Alvarez out inside one round as the pair exchanged heated words ahead of their lightweight title fight at UFC 205.
Featherweight champion McGregor is attempting to make UFC history by becoming the first person to hold two titles simultaneously.
McGregor (20-3) and Alvarez (28-4) were present at a press conference in New York to promote what president Dana White called the "biggest card in UFC history" for the company's first trip to Madison Square Garden on November 12.
McGregor started off the mind games by mocking Alvarez's decision to accept the fight on the same contract he had when he defeated Rafael dos Anjos to win the belt, a performance which earned the American $150,000 in disclosed salary.
Nate Diaz received $2m in salary for his last fight with McGregor, with the Irishman getting $3m, and both earned significantly more through receiving a percentage of the pay-per-view revenue for UFC 202. McGregor claimed in the press conference that he earned $25m in total for defeating Diaz.
Talking about Alvarez, McGregor said: "He got it done by signing his last contract. He didn't even negotiate new money for himself. Imagine that. Look at everybody up here. They're all dressed like me. They're all trying to talk like me. They're all trying to be me.
"Everyone in the game wants this fight. This is the lottery fight. And this man took it on his last contract.
"Imagine that. Imagine getting the biggest fight in the game and [the UFC] saying, 'Shut your mouth, kid, you'll get paid what you did on your last fight and you're lucky you're getting that.'"
Alvarez fired back by calling McGregor's fitness into question: "This guy's got eight minutes of fight in him and that's it. He quits after eight minutes every fight. He's not a championship fighter. He's never been. And he's never ever fought anyone in the UFC like me. Ever.
"He spent $300,000 on his last camp and gassed out eight minutes in."
Alvarez captured the lightweight title with a stunning first-round knockout of Dos Anjos in July, but McGregor dismissed the performance.
"I thought it was very sloppy," McGregor said. "The shot selection was very, very poor. He got blessed. He got blessed with a lucky shot. His UFC career has been horrendous.
"He's very, very lucky to be in the position he is. He understands that. That's why he took this fight for the money he was on for the last fight. I mean, that says it all."
Alvarez continued to call McGregor's heart into question and was adamant that the deeper the fight goes, the more it will tilt in his favour.
"When I mention 'fighter' you guys are thinking about technique. I am not thinking about technique." Alvarez added. "When I say 'fighter' I am thinking about how you deal with adversity, how you deal with being in bad situations.
"He deals terribly with being in bad situations and doesn't come back."
McGregor, however, appeared unfazed by the comments and is adamant the 32-year-old's best days are behind him.
"Like I said, he is chinny," McGregor said. "He gets cracked, he gets dropped. It has happened throughout his career. He is a weathered fighter. He is on his way out. He is very, very lucky to be in the position he is in.
"One round it will take me to knock him out. He's going to be shooting, panicking, I'm going to be hitting him from everywhere.
"Sooner or later, he's going to fall. One of those elbows, one of those shots are going to dig into that soft, sweet spot, into the temple. And that's all she wrote! Two-weight world champion! UFC history! New York! The Irish are back!"
