Conor McGregor has voiced his support for fellow MMA star Ronda Rousey in the wake of her shock loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193. He also encouraged Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to keep his opinions on the sport to himself.
Given Rousey’s dominance of the bantamweight division, her meteoric rise and the fact she decided not to touch gloves with Holm before the fight, there were plenty who were pleased to see her suffer her first-ever loss in professional MMA earlier this month, including Trump.
However, McGregor had some advice for the politician (warning: NSFW language). "Donald can shut his big, fat mouth," the Irishman said to TMZ at Los Angeles International Airport (h/t MMA Fighting). "I don't give a f--k about Donald Trump."
Here's what Trump had to say about Rousey's loss:
McGregor was also asked his thoughts on Rousey’s devastating defeat. The popular Irishman was adamant Rowdy would learn plenty from her loss and come back even stronger:
Very tough fight. Holly fought a great fight. I have much respect. This is the fight business. These things happen. Ronda will be back. True champions come back. And congratulations to Holly, the new champion. …
Defeat is the secret ingredient to success. True champions can conquer that, overcome it and come back. So I wish her all the best and that's it.
McGregor arrived in the United States to continue preparations for his upcoming fight with Jose Aldo at UFC 194, one of the most highly anticipated clashes in the history of the brand. The Irishman, who beat Chad Mendes at UFC 189 to clinch the interim UFC featherweight belt, revealed on his Instagram account that he’s expecting record revenue to be generated by the showpiece.
Aside from McGregor, Rousey has been the biggest star in the sport over the past couple of years, decimating opponents and becoming a well-established name among casual sports fans. For some, the loss will permanently blemish her record, but the UFC is an environment in which even the greats can suffer defeats, as noted by All That MMA:
Indeed, McGregor himself has two losses on his record, and as he alluded to in his earlier quotes, they’re setbacks he learned from as he’s continued to climb the ladder. With those defeats in the back of his mind, the Irishman is never complacent inside the Octagon.
Given McGregor’s colourful antics, brash fighting style and reel of tremendous quips, it’d be a big blow for the UFC if both he and Rousey were to lose in the space of a month. Bleacher Report’s lead MMA writer Jonathan Snowden implied as much here:
Rousey should return a much more rounded fighter. Should a rematch with Holm be scheduled, the former champion would be wise to use her judo background much more prominently in the early stages instead of standing upright and trading.
You suspect McGregor will have many more questions to answer about the likes of Rousey before he makes his entrance at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Dec. 12, though.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
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