AFTER HITTING SEVEN cities in 11 days, the UFC 189 World Tour came to a climatic close in Dublin on Tuesday evening.
3,000 fans showed up to the Convention Centre to cheer on hometown hero Conor McGregor and berate featherweight champion Jose Aldo ahead of their title fight in Las Vegas on 11 July.
It has been a hectic fortnight for both fighters — who visited Rio De Janeiro, Las Vegas, LA, Boston, New York, Toronto and London before the final leg in Ireland — and the pair looked noticeably drained during their jam-packed media scrums earlier in the day.
Aldo is unbeaten in the UFC and on an 18-fight winning streak but the ever-confident McGregor believes he has nothing to fear and predicts he will end the bout inside four minutes.
“I think I will be too strong and powerful for him,” McGregor said. “Everyone he has fought before has been afraid. He has made a career out of beating short, stocky American wrestlers who are not too good on their feet. I’m going to go straight for him and put him away.
“He has enjoyed his time intimidating them but now he has shrunk. Now he is keeping quiet.
“I’ve heard a lot about his leg kicks but I think they are overrated. He has got a good low right kick but he cannot kick high. The stance change is going to be a factor because I’m a southpaw leading with my right foot and he is an orthodox leading with his left foot.
“I have won fights before where my opponent throws a heavy right kick, I check it and the foot snaps. It shatters. My size and range will help me.
He’s sloppy. He has his basics down, his straight kicks and his low kick but after that he goes wild. He opens up and I find his shot selection is weak.
“If he tries to come in on the pocket rushed against me, I will tip him anywhere across the temple and he goes down. That’s what I feel will happen. We will exchange one or two, he will wobble. He will get loose and wild and he will go down.
“I said that he will be done within four minutes,” he added. “He will be out on his feet in the first round and it will be a formality after that. How long his chin holds up after that is up to him. He has been through many wars in his career.
“Every single fight he comes out busted up so there is only so much the brain and the chin can take before you get hit by someone like me and it gives. The fight will be wrapped up within four minutes of the first round.”
With the tour finishing up tonight, the challenger is planning to relocate to the west coast of America with a number of his SBG team-mates and coach John Kavanagh 10 weeks out from the fight. They will set up camp in LA before moving to Vegas for the final month.
And the Dubliner admits that he is glad to put media duties to one side and concentrate on training and cutting weight for the biggest fight of his life.
“The fact that we did this tour right now is great,” he said. “For the Boston fight, we did the tour a week before the fight. Cutting weight is the real struggle for me so to have to do all those media obligations along with it was hard.
“This time we are getting it out of the way 15 weeks out. The hype is built so now I go and prepare.”
We were blessed to get a point out of the game.Galway were the better team ‘hopefully they can stay up as well
@robert grehan: a favour from drogheda isn’t likely
Delighted with the point and premier football returning to the marketsfield next season. Fair play to galway and their supporters who were fantastic tonight. They played the best football as we sat off them and invited them on. They were very unlucky not to take all three points but Fortunately for us we held tough.
There will be major changes next season at Limerick, an overhaul is badly beeded. Roll on next season already!!!
Appalling ref who ruins every game he does.
Thankfully we’re safe. Up and down season. Heres to next seasons rollercoaster.
Fair play to all the limerick lads on here saying it as it is. DCFC fan
Surely the ref is at the ground at least an hour before kick off , and first thing inspect the shirts ? Mr buttimer imo seek s to be the attraction at most games he refs ! But a good ref when he cuts out this nonsense
Blessed to get a point ? All talk when the manager arrived was we are pushing for a europa spot , fast forward and we were relegation contenders , a lot of hard decisions to be made for next year ?
A very poor display by Limerick. It lacked guts and this stems from the manager who plays an archaic Martin O’Neill type of football. Galway who are very average were made look good. They tried hard and were the better team by a distance. They should have had a stonewall penalty in the last minute. In saying that their first one was dodgy at best, the swan dived earned it. McDonald needs to buy two cbs and go from there.
@Fergus McGrath: Stephen Folan would be a great signing for limerick next season.
CCFC fan here who was at the game last night, (drops down to a number of games when CCFC are playing away).
Yes in fairness I would agree that the posts on here from LCFC fans are accurate. While agreeing that Galway are average as stated I would say that LFC are only above average themselves. I don’t agree that Limerick made them look good, considering Galways periless position they came to the Markeks Field with a positive game plan, stuck to in and should have been 2 up instead of 2 goals down at half time.
Its great that Limerick are safe but they are at a crossroads, no doubt the managers position will have to be reviewed for the 2nd time this season while also a couple of their better players, namely Heny and Ogbene will be courted by other clubs and will possibly move on.