Conor McGregor has been trying really hard to make you think his sparring sessions are an indication of how good he'll be against an actual boxing champion. Members of his camp mysteriously leaked stories about how "out of control" his recent sessions with sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi were, and his opponent was a good sport about it, as he later confirmed the intense session during an interview.
But things took a turn when Malignaggi abruptly quit last week, calling the lead-in to McGregor's fight withFloyd Mayweather "a circus" and expressing his outrage over photos that appeared to show Malignaggi getting knocked down by McGregor. He has implored McGregor to release the full sparring footage in order to prove his side of the story.
Its not nice 2 paint a pic that isn't true, this was a pushdown in sparring, post the whole video rounds 1 through 12 UNEDITED https://t.co/R82BLiMMVm
The @ufc PI has cameras all over the gym recording 24/7. The video exists UNEDITED of rounds 1 through 12 Tuesday night, let the fans see.
I came to help this camp out, not to be exploited, now your gonna get the truth though. Post FULL UNEDITED VIDEO FROM TUES night #Ethics
With the damage already done in his mind, Malignaggi has continued his assault on McGregor and his camp in the days since. The boxer joined an episode of The MMA Hour on Monday, and he ravaged McGregor personally on his way out the door.
"This guy is one of the biggest dirtbags I’ve ever met in my life, bar none," said Malignaggi. "I was amazed at what a dirtbag this person is. I don’t care if we never speak again. My life is fine if I never see Conor McGregor again."
The attacks also went beyond name-calling and ventured into questioning McGregor's chops as a fighter. A former world champion himself, Malignaggi accused McGregor's camp of running things in an amateur fashion by forcing McGregor's sparring partners to go a full 12 rounds during sessions. Malignaggi claimed this is uncommon for boxers, who typically rotate partners so the prize fighter is facing a well-rested opponent throughout the session. Malignaggi said he believes it speaks to McGregor's entire mentality.
"He doesn’t want to be put in those positions. He wants to be the front runner," Malignaggi said. "He wants to be the guy who always has the advantage, because when he has an advantage he’s a big man. When he gets tired, he wants out of a fight."
That's a hell of a claim to make about another fighter, but we'll find out just how true that is when McGregor steps into the ring with Mayweather. If you've got some time to listen to the whole Malignaggi interview, you can check it out up top, starting just past the four-hour mark.
