Conor McGregor admitted one of his most famous lines came as a natural reaction.
At the UFC 205 news conference in 2016, Jeremy Stephens interrupted McGregor, claiming that while McGregor TKOs people, he knocks them out stiff.
But he was quickly shut down by McGregor with one line: “Who the fook is that guy?”
It stuck and became arguably McGregor’s most popular lines.
More than three years later, McGregor was asked by UFC Europe if he really didn’t know who Stephens was. It turns out his response back then was just another vintage McGregor press conference moment.
“Of course I knew who Jeremy was,” McGregor said. “Jeremy is a good fighter. He’s a former lightweight, down to the featherweight division. (He has) good power in his hands. But that timing was just impeccable there, and that was it. You don’t really think about these things – you just go off the cusp and just have a bit of fun in there.
“I was in a great spot there. (I) just avenged my loss against Nate Diaz. A lot of hard work went into that. And then I was preparing for the second world title bout and was just in a great spot mentally, physically. I don’t know – (it) just rolled off the tongue and clattered ol’ Jeremy into the cheek.”
McGregor returns Saturday against Donald Cerrone in the UFC 246 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
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