Make no mistake, UFC 178 is the Conor McGregor show
When Irish featherweight Conor McGregor burst onto the scene in 2013, there were high expectations that he could be the fighter to bring the UFC back to the Emerald Isle. The promotion had visited Ireland on a few previous occasions, but the mark of a truly successful territory is finding a local fighter the people can rally around like a hero.
Canada had Georges St-Pierre. England has Michael Bisping. Ireland needed Conor McGregor.
But what happened after his debut was a storm of attention that few fighters have received only one fight into their UFC careers. McGregor was a media darling after the fight when he revealed how he was living on government assistance up to his debut and never even had a bank account prior to starting in the UFC.
Humble beginnings made McGregor hungry for success, but knowing what he was capable of inside the Octagon and with a microphone in his face made the brash young Irishman a promoter's dream come true. Now just three fights into his UFC career, McGregor will finally make his pay-per-view debut against top-five-ranked featherweight Dustin Poirier. But despite the fact that he's ranked lower than his opponent, the 26-year-old Dublin native knows who the people are coming to see Saturday night in Las Vegas.
"It's around me, it's not around Dustin. If Dustin pulled out and somebody else stepped in, the buzz would still be there," McGregor told FOX Sports. "If I pulled out and somebody else steps in to face Dustin, tell me what happens then? Tell me if the buzz is the same? You're damn right it's not.
"The buzz is around me."
McGregor is now a long way from the days of having no bank account, much less money to put in it. He traveled to Las Vegas two weeks out from his fight to make sure he was acclimated to the time change and climate difference, but he's not staying in a one-bedroom hotel with him and his coaches piled on top of each other, clamoring for space.
No, McGregor is staying in plush accommodations and wearing $1,000 suits to news conferences these days. Money doesn't make the man, but McGregor certainly doesn't dislike the lifestyle that being one of the new faces of the UFC has made available to him.
"We are reaping the rewards of years of hard work and years of sacrifice; years of not knowing of what will lie ahead; years of doubts about what if this doesn't work? Through all doubts, we conquered it. We made it. We're in the presidential suite. We have a butler on hand. We can have anything we want whenever, however. We are living life," McGregor said.
"Saturday night, I'll go out there and put on another flawless performance and keep going on this journey."
While his fight with Poirier is actually the third bout from the top in terms of placement for the pay-per-view broadcast, McGregor knows who the people are coming to see when they buy their tickets for UFC 178. McGregor is a main event attraction fighting a little lower than the headline spot, but that doesn't mean he's not the biggest draw competing this weekend.
The actual main event this weekend pits 125-pound king Demetrious Johnson against Chris Cariaso with the flyweight title on the line, but the odds are so lopsided most people have already put the belt back around the incumbent champion's waist. While McGregor is known for slamming the opposition, he happily compliments Johnson, whom he enjoys watching fight immensely.
So for anyone who's bashing the main event, don't try to get McGregor to do the same. But then again, he also knows where the interest in this card truly sits.
"Mighty Mouse Johnson is up there as one of the pound-for-pound greats. He's phenomenal, his movement is phenomenal. Every time I watch Mighty Mouse, I love watching Mighty Mouse fight. Chris Cariaso is coming in with nothing to lose. These make for great contests, and people like to b**** and moan about certain things," McGregor said.
"There are some great contests on the card, but make no mistake about it -- it's the Conor McGregor show."
There's little argument that McGregor is one of the most talked-about fighters on the UFC roster these days, and he's quickly become a national celebrity in his home country and abroad. While McGregor definitely asked for the attention, it's hard to put a time stamp on the fact that he's only been in the UFC for about a year and a half.
Like a lot of A-list celebrities in the United States, McGregor no longer benefits from anonymity when he leaves a hotel room or gets off a flight. He's often swarmed with photo and autograph requests, and while that may sound like a pretty good problem to have, even McGregor isn't above getting rattled at times.
"Of course there's a downside. People try to get too familiar," McGregor explained. "All of a sudden, people act like they know you and nobody knows me. I know five people closely. I have a small circle, a small clique, my team, my friends, my family. Sometimes you don't want to be bothered. Sometimes people try to take too much, so that can be a downside
"But is it really a downside? If I was to compare that with other people's situations, of course it's not a downside. It can be a bit draining at times, but this is the nature of the beast."
It's no different for the card coming up this weekend.
McGregor is getting the lion's share of the attention over his opponent. He may not have the ranking or the experience that Poirier has, but McGregor is the name on the lips of everyone discussing this event.
He has no problem carrying this fight because he says he knows Poirier would be crushed under the weight of it all if the UFC expected the same out of him that they do with McGregor.
"I'm living this life 24/7, whereas they are not. So when the contest gets made, when you sign to fight Conor McGregor, it's a media storm, it's a fan frenzy. All of a sudden, everybody's eyes are on you. Day by day, they crumble," McGregor said.
"It's no different with Dustin. He will crumble. He is crumbling."
McGregor's confidence never really seems to waver much, but it bubbled over when he finally came face to face with Poirier back in August during a UFC media tour. He finally stared into the eyes of his opponent, and what McGregor says he saw was a whole lot of fear.
At that moment, McGregor says he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he could book his victory party because Ireland's favorite son was coming home with another UFC win.
"He was scared. It's plain and simple. He spoke on Twitter, saying all this during when the Diego Brandao fight was going on and when it was over. I believe the term is 'keyboard warrior.'" McGregor said. "But when we come face to face, man to man, I didn't hear a peep out of him.
"You can use the word 'scared' because that's what he was. He was afraid."
For a list of all the action happening in Las Vegas this week, make sure to check out our UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso schedule and viewing guide.
