McGregor Calls Mayweather 'True Champion' For Ability To Change Approach Mid-Fight
After going 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor had nothing but praise for the undefeated Mayweather when discussing how he was able to take control of the fight before eventually winning by TKO.
"I'll tell you what, you're one composed individual," McGregor said in his press conference. "You didn't get rattled. You tucked in when you needed to tuck in. I thought you switched up your game plan three times. You came out looking to box; I thought you were being out-boxed early on. You looked to play against the ropes like you look to play; you were getting picked off there. And then you came in hands up towards your forehead, dipped in, forehead on the chest, and started to fight that kind of fight. I didn't anticipate that. Three game changes in the fight, that's what a true champion does. Much respect, you came with it."
McGregor was the aggressor early in the fight, throwing 115 punches in the first three rounds compared to Mayweather's 28. After those first nine minutes however, Mayweather began to dictate the flow of the match and took advantage of a tired McGregor.
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During the eighth, ninth and 10th rounds, Mayweather landed 53 more punches than McGregor. In the 10th round, McGregor got off just nine shots while Mayweather connected on 20-of-28, forcing the fight to be stopped and giving Mayweather the victory.
McGregor said he felt he would have looked better in the 11th and 12th rounds if he had the chance, explaining that during sparring, it was in those rounds that he would catch his "second wind" after showing fatigue in the middle rounds.
"I would have liked to see the end of the 10th," McGregor said. "I think fatigue—it's like a patch—there's this patch somewhere in the middle of fights—even with the Diaz II fight—I have this patch where I must overcome. I get a little wobbly, but it's more fatigue. If you look at the Diaz II fight, I came through that. Came back round four, round five, and I would have liked to see the end of round 10 and see where it brought us."
McGregor, 29, said he plans to get back to his MMA training and return to the UFC.
