Despite the unanimous-decision win, Conor McGregor (pictured) feels like he lost at UFC Fight Night 26. Photo via Getty Images.
Conor McGregor went into his UFC fight in Boston with a finish on his mind. Settling for a decision was not in the cards for the Irish mixed martial artist.
To his disappointment, McGregor secured his Fight Night 26 win by unanimous decision. A win is a win, of course, but when other fighters are collecting bonus money, it angers the fast-rising featherweight.
“I’m sitting here listening to this guy got ‘of the Night,’ this other guy got ‘of the Night,’ this guys got ‘of the Night’ – I want that,” McGregor said at the post-fight news conference. “I don’t come here for decisions. We are rewarded for finishes and that’s what I’m looking for.”
The reaction from the 25-year-old Irishman is exactly what UFC President Dana White likes to hear. The executive explained that the attitude McGregor carried following the unanimous-decision win on Saturday tells a story of what fans should anticipate from the fighter in the near future.
Rage stemming from not finishing a fight should show that there are big things over the horizon for McGregor, according to the UFC boss.
“I love that he’s that kind of a fighter,” White told reporters following the news conference. “That just shows you more and more the promise that this kid has. I love that attitude.”
White may love his fighter’s demeanor, but McGregor is treating the fight like Max Holloway got the best of him on Saturday. Had it not been for an injury, McGregor said, “Notorious” might have gotten the win the way he wanted it.
If there was a way to rip off body parts and use them as weapons in the Octagon, McGregor said it would have worked to his benefit. Beating up Holloway with a limb sounded like a good idea.
“I don’t give a sh-t. It feels like a loss to me, to be honest,” McGregor said. “I wanted the finish in that one. I felt the finish was there for me, and I injured my knee midway through the second [round], and I just can’t get it out of my head. Looking back I should have just pulled my knee from my leg and hit him with it.”
Either way, Ireland’s most famous mixed martial artist is in the good graces of his boss, White. As long as he keeps the same approach for all his fights going forward, he’ll have the backing of the UFC President from now until the end of his stretch as a fighter.
“Why am I promoting this kid? Why am I getting behind him? Because I love what he’s about,” White said.
