We didn't realise we needed new Conor McGregor training footage, but we really did.
Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov is being sold as the biggest MMA fight ever. However, at the time of writing, the hype has yet to really reach its peak.
That is not to say that it won't. Fans and media members will remember the build-up to UFC 214: Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier II being very muted until fight week. That card ended up selling an estimated 860,000 PPV buys, a staggering amount in the modern era.
There are a few reasons why UFC 229 fever hasn't hit the masses yet. Firstly, the oversaturation of UFC cards has played a huge factor. There have been two PPV cards and a Fight Night since the lightweight title fight was announced. There are two more lacklustre Fight Night cards to slog through between now and October 6.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/1038600125118119936
Social media... yawn
Another reason is the interactions between McGregor and Nurmagomedov, or lack thereof. Aside from the initial dolly-throwing incident, which has been shameless shoe-horned into pretty much every promo for the event, these two haven't been really butting heads.
That is likely to change once they meet at a press conference. However, the social media jabs from McGregor haven't been on the same level as we've become accustomed to. Nurmagomedov's unwillingness to engage in a social media back-and-forth has also lessened the impact of the slagging.
So what's the best way to generate excitement for a fight without words? That's right, with fists!
That's why Conor McGregor's brilliant new training montage has dropped at a perfect time. If this doesn't put a twist at the end of your punch, you might want to ask Jon Jones for one of his 'male enhancement pills'.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnmiIB6gxx4/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=16kv60oibiqd8
Even Rocky had a montage.
