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Did Conor McGregor's performance fall short because of fans' absence at UFC 229 news conference?

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NEW YORK – Conor McGregor is a performance artist of sorts.

Where we know what to expect when almost every other UFC fighter appears at a press conference, we’re unsure of what McGregor will bring – or when he will bring it – when he takes his seat on a dais.

Fans and pundits aren’t just interested in what McGregor will say when he’s in front of a microphone. They also want to know what time he will arrive, what he will wear, what he will drink, how much he will curse and if he’ll declare himself a god among men. There’s even curiosity about if he’ll chew gum when he makes an appearance. None of this is lost on McGregor, who has made both his appearances both in the cage and out must-watch events.

Detractors – and yes, McGregor does have some of those – can deny it all they want, but the ex-two division UFC champ has become bigger than not just the UFC, but bigger than sports as a whole. He is MMA’s first real and honest superstar. Ronda Rousey flirted with that status, but losses – and the manner in which she dealt with those setbacks – prevented her from reaching the rarified air that McGregor presently inhabits.

And so when it was announced that the former two-division UFC champion would take part in a press conference on Thursday at New York’s famed Radio City Music Hall, alongside his UFC 229 opponent, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the media-only event became one of the most anticipated UFC spectacles of the year.

The event began surprisingly close to the scheduled 5:30 start time and when McGregor made his entrance in a maroon windowpane check suit with an open-collared shirt under it, he did so with the confident swagger that we all have come to expect from the brash Irishman. McGregor also had two UFC title belts slung over his shoulder (despite not being a current UFC title holder) and a bottle of his own brand of Irish Whiskey, Proper No. Twelve, in his hand.

While Nurmagomedov made his entrance in a more understated all-black outfit, McGregor assembled his belts and drink in front of him, but he did not take his seat. Instead, he began his gamesmanship, staring at his opponent as he put his own title strap on the table in front of him and took his seat.

Throughout his career, McGregor has become a master at finding chips in his opponent’s psychological makeup and taking a chisel to those chips until they open into cracks. And once he opens those cracks, McGregor relentlessly jackhammers those cracks until they become chasms and the only thing his opponent can think about is revenge and getting even. Almost every fighter McGregor has faced has failed to stave off that onslaught. Honestly, it’s a trait that many fighters wish they could emulate, but none come close to McGregor’s mastery of the psychological breakdown.

McGregor’s verbal attack on Nurmagomedov was non-stop. It was almost awe-inspiring to watch him run through his checklist of items he had in mind to find Nurmagomedov’s weakness. He called him a “rat,” a “fanboy,” poked fun at him for not leaving the bus that McGregor threw a dolly at after a UFC 223 media event, brought up Russian billionaire Ziyavudin Magomedov, shouted at him behind White’s back, stood up and antagonized him, tried to hand him a drink of Proper No. Twelve, spoke about Nurmagomedov’s injuries and fight withdrawals, Vladimir Putin, “the Chechen people,” Ramzan Kadyrov, Nurmagomedov’s father, and even the World Cup.

Not content to show the amount of research he had done on his opponent, McGregor also took shots at Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, after the fighter staredown, and told Abdelaziz he had researched his background, as well.

McGregor once again showed himself to be a different beast. There’s no way he came to the UFC 229 press conference without preparing to hit the points he did on both Nurmagomedov and Abdelaziz. The man not only researches his opponent’s potential weaknesses inside the octagon but outside as well. It was a reminder that what McGregor does is countless levels above the other fighters in the UFC. His performance was masterful. However, McGregor did not seem to do more than chip away at Nurmagomedov.

The lack of fans was a huge drawback for McGregor. Without the noise and support of his rabid fanbase, McGregor struggled at points. Had he had his army of supporters in the seats at Radio City Music Hall, McGregor could have fed off their energy. He could have paused in his attacks and made them more pointed. Instead, the lack of the crowd forced McGregor to keep his foot on the gas for the entirety of the press conference. He hardly had a time to take a breath and let the barbs sink in, something a crowd would have helped with. It was an extraordinary expenditure of energy, but overall it seemed to be for naught.

Sure, McGregor did get to Nurmagomedov at times, but almost as soon as a crack appeared in the champion’s usually stoic facade, he seemed to catch himself and realize he was walking into the ex-champ champ’s trap. Had there been fans present that might not have happened, that energy might have forced Nurmagomedov to react and get into more lengthy exchanges with McGregor, which would have only swayed things in McGregor’s favor.

The event was memorable, but like with all artists, McGregor needs a crowd to truly shine. He did his best to do so at the UFC 229 press conference, but in the end, it was not one of his best, or most successful, performances.

For more on UFC 229, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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