Conor McGregor's former opponent reveals regret nearly a decade after UFC fight

Conor McGregor made history in 2016 (Photo: Getty Images)

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Almost a decade after being a victim of Conor McGregor In probably the best performance of The Notorious' career, Eddie Alvarez has a few things he would have liked to have done differently in the main fight of UFC 205. Then the holder of the lightweight belt (up to 70,3 kg), the American was completely dominated and knocked out in the second round. The duel crowned the winner as the first fighter in the history of the company to win belts in two categories simultaneously.

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Recalling how he prepared for the fight at the time, Alvarez confessed to regretting not having given the necessary focus to boxing training in the months leading up to the duel with the Irishman, in November 2016.

“I probably would have boxed more in preparation, because I boxed a lot for the fight against Justin gaethje. And it was one of my best performances. My eyes were great. My reactions were great. My timing, my punch volume, everything improved. I feel like I got caught early in the fight and I was dumbfounded. What I did in the fight was nothing compared to what we did in the build-up and preparation,” said the former UFC champion in an interview with 'Bohnfire' last week.

Please note:

Conor McGregor, #UFC205'te Eddie Alvarez'i ikinci rountta nakavt ederek hafif sıklet kemerinin sahibi oluyor.
pic.twitter.com/SuFQjwUzmp

— MMA 101 Türkiye (@MMA101Turkiye) November 12, 2024

Alvarez praised McGregor's historic performance

Conor knocked out Alvarez at UFC 205. (Photo: Getty Images)

When citing the performance of his opponent and the Irishman's skills at the time, Alvarez acknowledged that he was dealing with a very unusual opponent. According to him, the Notorious was a different athlete, both physically, technically and psychologically.

“Conor, in his prime, was a really scary guy. When he was in the gym, he didn’t care about anything else, he just thought about fighting and beating the best. He’s a scary human being. He’s one of the best fighters in the world. The margin for error is small when guys are at their peak,” he concluded.