Ladron de redcafe
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- Oct 25, 2020
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In fairness I don't think anyone gave it as an excuse, just disagreed with the sentiment that he was as "motivated as he's ever been" I remember this thread around that time pretty much everyone was saying how fecked he is and he looked coked up/pissed up etc. I'm sure plenty of us have been in that situation at a much much much lower skill level with any kind of sport and you play much better when you're sober than pissed/coked up/hungover/on a comedown. I'm not claiming for 1 second he was drinking during the fight or anything I'm sure he wasn't but it has been strongly implied by his team his lifestyle was not good during the build up and training camp to that fight. It's not an excuse I imagine he loses either way but I don't think the Khabib fight is the most motivated he's ever been. From the outside in he was far more motivated vs. Aldo and also Alvarez (which was his best performance.)
Again, can only listen to what those around him say and the likes of Owen Roddy who seems a decent enough guy has had various interviews stating he lost focus for the Khabib fight and whilst he was training it wasn't his usual discpline, he said the Cerrone build up was different and they went back to what they knew...and it clearly worked.
Re the BT Sport stuff, can you record their box office and watch the next day? I know you can with Sky Sports....or is it like the Khabib fight which was actually on at a decent time?
That stuff came after the fight. Their statements in the build up were all about how ready Conor was to "regain his throne". When you come out with statements that extenuate a loss after the fight (and out of nowhere), they're going to be regarded as excuses by many, unless there had been some indication that this was the case prior to the fight. Instead, every behind-the-scenes video and every comment by Conor and his camp all indicated he was sharp. Only after he lost in the manner he did did he and his camp change their tune.
In contrast, in the buildup to Khabib's fight against Justin Gaethje, his camp were open about Khabib having a less-than-ideal camp, but Javier Mendez prevaricated and said he would open up after the fight. After the fight, the details about his broken toe and hospitalisation emerged. Which was in line with their statements before the fight, and so lends credence to them. In Conor's case, they had nothing to say until after he lost handily, which makes them less credible, and that's why a lot of people dismiss them as excuses.
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