Come Back Stronger

Defeat has not deterred UFC champion Conor McGregor. It may have made him more dangerous.

- Peter Flax

CONOR MCGREGOR BRAGGED that in this UFC cage match, the lion would devour the gazelle. That his opponent Nate Diaz was too soft, too slow, too repetitive. That he would knock Diaz out in the first round. The result? Diaz choked out the cocky Irishman in the second round. “You can either run from adversity or take it head-on and conquer it,” McGregor says. “I took a risk; it didn’t pay off. I will be back.”

It’s that kind of straight talk, along with explosive punching power, that spurred McGregor’s rise to the top of the UFC, earning him milliondollar paydays and legions of fans. Lost in the headlines about the defeat was the fact that McGregor, 28, was fighting two weight classes above his usual featherweight, and he took the Diaz fight on ten days’ notice. MH caught up with the hard-hitting poster boy to discover what the loss taught him. McGregor also explained his training approach, which prioritises unconventional movement practice over brute strength, a focus that could make you fitter and stronger too.

1. Learn from Loss