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Conor McGregor Thinks UFC 145-Pound Division is Full of ‘Rookies and Has-Beens'
Following UFC 178, a victorious Conor McGregor said he admits to being cocky, but added that he shows his humble side after victory.
Regardless, McGregor was in full form following his first-round win over Dustin Poirier, breaking down the UFC featherweight division in a way that's become his calling card.
SEE ALSO: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier UFC 178 Fight Highlights Video
Everyone at 145 pounds, including champion Jose Also and No. 1 contender Chad Mendes, is either over the hill or unseasoned for the Octagon, according to McGregor.
“The division seems to be full of rookies and has-beens, so I'm just sitting her enjoying myself, collecting these checks, on my way [to] eliminating each one,” the brash Irishman said at the UFC 178 post-fight press conference.
McGregor took out a top-five featherweight in Poirier, and he added that it's part of his plan for taking out the featherweight division, one by one.
And as for the two fighters in the upcoming UFC 179 main event, McGregor said Aldo and Mendes are easy pickings.
“I believe I'll dismantle both of them,” he said. “Chad's a 5-foot-6, overblown — he should be a 125er, but he's gone past that limit now. Now he's a little, small bodybuilder that's stuck in the 145 division … I have an eight-inch reach advantage on him. I'll tower over him. I would maul Chad. And Jose, again, I feel he's in that pattern of deterioration. Another easy win.”
SEE ALSO: Conor McGregor – Gold Belt and Ivory Elephant Trunk Suit (UFC 178 Video)
For all the talking he's done since coming to the UFC in 2013, McGregor has backed it up with four consecutive wins, three of which have come in the first round. Many have criticized him, saying that he's on a hype train that's bound to derail. Others, however, have backed him, and those are the people the Irishman loves.
At the end of the day, McGregor said, he loves proving his supporters right.
“For me, I love this. I love proving people wrong. I'm proving my support right,” he said. “I whoop people for truckloads of cash. How can I hate this life? I love it so much. I'm grateful every single day.”
(Follow @Erik_Fontanez on Twitter)
