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3rd August 2017
03:46pm BST

"Lot of violence. I went in there to prove a point. I didn't like the fact I had to fly across the country on Monday, and they have me scheduled for 12 on Tuesday. I thought it was a little bit of a setup." "Usually all sparring is private. I show up at the UFC headquarters and (Lorenzo) Fertitta is there. Dana White is there. So, I'm thinking these guys are thinking they'll catch me right off the flight, set me up for him to look good in front of his audience. I didn't like that. I kind of went in with a chip on my shoulder."https://www.instagram.com/p/BXSnhdKAcAc/?taken-by=thenotoriousmma As for what transpired inside the ring, Malignaggi admitted getting tired in the last two rounds where McGregor excelled. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't exactly a squeaky clean performance from McGregor either.
"There was a pushdown yesterday. Conor on the inside, he can get a little rough. He shoved me down, you know, but no knockdowns. Obviously, 12 rounds, you're gonna see there's a mark on my face. Very, very hard work for both of us. I was starting to get in a groove in the middle rounds, starting to land some good shots. Conor really came on strong in the end. It was back and forth."Indeed, it was hard to miss the marks McGregor left on Malignaggi's face.
They look like the makings of two shiners to us.
Malignaggi signed off by announcing that he doesn't consider himself to be friends with McGregor, but rather, he thinks of him as his 'frenemy'.
While the phrasing may be surprising, the sentiment certainly isn't. These two warriors are ultra-competitive. They have earned each other's respect, but once those gloves get laced up, it's all business.Explore more on these topics:

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