I'll just start off right here saying, like this has been in the mix for, we'll say, about two years.

You know, I think July in 2015, McGregor said, you know, if the opportunity came, I'd fight him. And then it was May 2016, the article in the Sun, UK, about the guys negotiating it. Two days later, McGregor posts the fight. He gets licensed in California. Mayweather says he'll fight. You know, everybody knows the timeline. So I just want to get your perspective on what were your thoughts when the rumors first started? And once it became

official on June 14th, did anything change? Did your thoughts change all about it? Well, I wasn't

too dismissive of the fight when I first heard it out there because Connor McGregor has pursued a lot

of different things,

and most of those have come to fruition. So far be it from not only us to doubt what he can do

in terms of his performance against Floyd Mayweather, but I also wouldn't doubt his ability

to sell and build a fight like this. So he hasn't just talked his way to this fight. He performed his way to this

fight. And I think a lot of us who have covered his career are very excited to see what he can do

with this showcase. Again, you know, when the fight first got announced, I probably gave

McGregor about a 10% chance to win. And every time he cracks a mic, Billy, it's climbing. So we'll see how it goes. Four days, four straight press conferences, started out in Los Angeles, ended in London. I thought the Los Angeles and Toronto ones were amazing. I mean, I knew this was going to be must-see TV from day one. But I think those first two press conferences really gave the fans what they wanted. Brooklyn and London were kind of a mess, and I think the guys were just losing steam.

What were your thoughts on those press conferences?

Well, I'm glad to hear you give the Los Angeles press conference some credit,

because Toronto was obviously outstanding.

But I thought the first time Connor McGregor got on a microphone in L.A.,

not really knowing the format, there was a lot

of meat on the bone when it came to what he had to say.

You know, he invoked his son.

I mean, it was a really passionate take on what he was going to try to accomplish on August 26.

So I'm glad to hear you highlight that.

Yeah, I thought it was a mixed bag.

Obviously, Brooklyn was the most forgettable stuff, I should say, but it all served to build this massive, massive fight. And I said at the beginning, you know, if this thing's promoted poorly, it's going to do 3 million pay-per-view buys. So imagine if it's promoted well, and seemingly that has been the case. Showtime All Access has been well received. So I'm excited to see what it can do and I excited to see what Connor can do more importantly, you know? So now, do you think they should have spread those out or did you like the ideas of four straight days? So I'm always thinking about it from the athlete's standpoint because now I work for the promotion, right? I work for the UFC. And so you see the inner workings and what is asked of the athletes during Fight Week and leading up to Fight Week. So I think for the UFC, and so you see the inner workings and what is asked of the athletes during fight week and leading up to fight week.

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