Get ready for the ‘old’ Conor McGregor, says UFC star’s manager – ‘I’ve seen a level of fire reignited’
- Audie Attar says Irishman is determined to ‘leave his mark and his legacy on his own terms’
- ‘I’m really excited because I haven’t seen this in a couple of years ... just sit back and you’ll see a performance of an old Conor’
Conor McGregor steps back into the UFC Octagon on January 18 against Donald Cerrone. And his fans should be excited, because his manager has told everyone to get ready to see the “old” Conor.
Yes, that Conor. The one who knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to win the featherweight championship in December 2015; the one who obliterated Eddie Alvarez at 155 pounds just under a year later to become the “champ champ” and take MMA to new levels of mainstream popularity.
The McGregor bandwagon went off the rails inadvertently in 2017, though, when the Irishman spent the first half of the year pursuing what seemed an unlikely, life-changing fight with undefeated boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather. But Mayweather is called “Money” for a reason, and McGregor’s penchant for million-dollar soundbites clearly put dollar signs in the American’s eyeballs.
McGregor made tens of millions himself for that fight, which ended in a 10th-round TKO win for the boxer in August 2017– somewhat inevitably. No one could begrudge him the pay day, but it also – somewhat inevitably – led to McGregor’s taking his eye off the ball when it came to his day job.
“I’ve seen a level of fire that’s been reignited with him,” Audie Attar, McGregor’s manager, told the Post in Hong Kong, where he stopped briefly before heading to Macau for Saturday night’s Legend FC 14 show at the MGM Cotai casino.
