UFC star Conor McGregor says he has modified his fitness approach in preparation for his boxing debut August 26 against Floyd Mayweather. In addition to a different style of fighting, McGregor must also contend with shorter rounds but more of them if the bout goes the distance.
"We've adjusted certain timings in my cardiovascular preparation," McGregor said on a conference call. "On the endurance phases we've stretched it out to accommodate the 12 three-minute rounds. It's actually been very enjoyable to go from five five-minute rounds, which is what I'm used to, which is 25 minutes, to 12 threes in the boxing, which is 36 minutes. You've got to factor in there's not as much grabbing. There is still clinch-work and that, but not to the extent of a mixed martial arts bout where you can end up on your back and you've got to tactically work your way back to your feet, which is very draining.
"But it's a different kind of cardiovascular training. So we have adjusted some things, and I feel absolutely amazing. I've done multiple 12-round fights in the buildup for this. I've done 12 rounds just last night. We are more than prepared. Myself and my training team have formulated the McGregor F.A.S.T. program. This is a cardiovascular training program that we formulated after I suffered my first defeat in the UFC to Nate Diaz. We formulated it for the Diaz 2 rematch. And even a triathlete with a big weight advantage, much bigger man and can go for days, that's what he specializes in.
"He has an unrivaled gas tank. So we had to come up with a special formula and a special method to train. And that's what we've done. We created the McGregor F.A.S.T. program, and I've been on that since about a week after that first loss. And since then I've had I believe two bouts under that and now this will be the third one. So I've been on this program over a year now and you'll see the results. I mean, to be able to go from five fives to 12 threes and we've done it pretty seamlessly as well, I'm very proud of it and I'm very excited to go in and represent the McGregor F.A.S.T. program on August 26th as well."
McGregor and Mayweather will fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The four-bout card is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET, and is available on pay-per-view.
