Conor McGregor might be more obsessed with movement than he is in perfecting his mixed martial arts (MMA) weaponry.
Regardless, the two go hand-in-hand, according to movement coach and pioneer, Ido Portal, who worked with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim Featherweight titleholder back in November.
Portal specializes in helping athletes of all kinds become more fluid, so a pairing with the self-proclaimed "master of movement," McGregor, made much sense prior to the latter's title unification headliner opposite Jose Aldo at the UFC 194 pay-per-view (PPV) blockbuster on Dec. 12, 2015.
As "Notorious" attempts to unify the 145-pound strap, Portal spoke with MMAmania.com and discussed how McGregor is changing the MMA game, how he competed with a majority of his ACL torn at UFC 189 and his rangy kicks, defeating Aldo and much more.
Check it out:
How did the partnership with Conor come about?
IP: Conor has been following me for a while actually and looking at my videos and studying from afar and listening to some of the interviews and ideas, implementing it into his work. I think he's a very successful autodidact -- a person who can study and develop alone, someone who can take something and run with it and improve upon it.
Lately, I've been more involved in the world of MMA. The connection was made and I got the invite there to fly in and to do some work together with Conor. And it was just some good coincidences that led us to meet and we plan to do some more work together in the future.
So you spent around a week or so working with Conor?
IP: I should be going up there in Las Vegas [soon] to support him and hopefully that will all kind of align because we're all very busy and I'm flying around, teaching people and giving events and running an international corporation and of course the whole fight business, which is huge.
How much did you know about Conor and had you watched a majority of his fights before you worked with him? What stands about him and his use of movement?
IP: Conor is a new breed of fighter. He's fluid and light. He's not just tough and you know the mouthpiece in and endless sparring sessions and endless injuries to come with it. But, he's employing better thinking and methods. He's changing the game -- he's evolving constantly. You can have a look from fight to fight to fight. You see evolution, you see growth and you see learning. He's definitely obsessed with improving himself as a fighter, which makes him standout.
I think one of his biggest attributes is just very strong clarity and the more pressure there is, the more clear and more sharp he becomes and able to pick up on all the small details and strategize upon it and work with it.
Do you feel as if he's one of the best in MMA at being efficient and using movement right now?
IP: He's one of the more efficient and more mobile, smarter, lighter performers. There's been some amazing movers in the MMA game -- Anderson Silva and Jon Jones to name big names. Conor, right now, is taking it to the next level ... maybe even in a more diverse fashion, while changing the skill sets and the tools constantly and able to shift between layers. Not just the footwork, not just the kicking -- which is very often misunderstood, how he uses the kicking and not just his excellent boxing. The power he carries with his punches is just incredible.
Obviously, one of his biggest attributes are his kicks, and Conor most recently fought Chad Mendes in July with most of his ACL torn. How impressive was that to you and how is the kicking game misunderstood?
IP: People look at every offensive attack with the arms or the legs as a potential knockout and a way to end the fight, but much more often than that, these tools are used to manage distance and timing and to set rhythm. Conor has been using kicks very efficiently for those goals. Moving his partners and manipulating them into positions enable him to capitalize upon his strength creating rhythm and tempo.
What do you make of the fact he was able to perform and perform well with the majority of his ACL torn? Is that even possible?
IP: First of all, he's a badass. He doesn't complain and he won't -- it'll have to be a fucking bulldozer to run him over to stop him from competing and coming in. He wants it and he's there.
It's definitely possible to compete without an ACL, even with a full tear in certain cases. There has to be a very smart, strong muscular system to protect you. The knee might be less stable than it could, but while optimizing all those areas, it's definitely possible.
With Conor being a bit bigger than most fighters in the Featherweight division, did you see him having any limitations in his movement? Did you see any weaknesses when working with him?
IP: I think he's showing he has more advantages. It's just nobody can take those hits, nobody can take his power. Yet, he still moves better than people much lighter than him. I believe actually he has a huge advantage. When going to heavier weight classes, he would have another advantage. It would be very, very hard for them to deal with his movement and elusiveness. I think he's very balanced. He has the power on his side and movement, the movement and mobility.
We've seen Conor in a heightened aggressive state in his last few fights, but against Jose on Dec. 12, he'll be dealing with a prolific Muay Thai striker. In what ways can Conor counteract his weapons and perhaps be more defensive?
IP: Conor has been called again by many people an aggressive counter-puncher, which is exactly the style -- anyone who stood in front of him, almost immediately feels this pressure coming about even without any action happening and there's just this from the sense of distance and from posture and positioning. There's a consistent pressure that's constantly present.
Now, if you attack and go full on, he will capitalize on this. This is his specialty and some have tried not to go that route and then he develops his pressure. I think he will do very well against Aldo. The kicks would be responded with very quick and immediate responses. That change in timing will keep Aldo out of balance. The footwork will make throwing those attacks much more difficult.
Aldo has had the chance to work like a sniper before, waiting for a sitting target and once it's standing there, just shoots it. With Conor, the game is a little bit different.
What do you expect for Conor in this fight? How successful do you think he can be and do you see it going all five rounds?
IP: I'm no Nostradamus and I don't predict fights, but I have a great belief in Conor. From our connection and his intelligence, from his self-belief and also his humbleness of knowing what needs to be done, when and how. I will be at his side and wish him a lot of luck. I have great confidence in him.
Since you've gotten to spend some time with him, have you gotten to see a different side of him that the public and the media don't necessarily get to see out of him?
IP: The general public is not really comprehending the full picture. There are many layers to those fighters and Conor is a good example of that. There is the martial artists that are super honorable and respectful -- just extraordinary and ethical. Then there's the showman, which makes things interesting and puts on a show -- sells those tickets and bring people to the screen and bring people to MMA, who had no interest in it. Then there's also the competitor, who believes in himself, who goes in with full belief because there's no other way to do those things.
I think a lot of egos are receiving kind of heat sometimes from the showman and a mirror is placed in front of them and when this mirror kind of reflects self-doubt, or any prior experience with a similar figure, you immediately hate or love that kind of behavior and I think Conor is doing things right on all those layers. He wouldn't be standing where he is in such a short time.
Before we go, do you have any plans to work with other fighters or boxers in the future?
IP: I've worked with some fighters before. I just finished working with a very interesting, great movement and very, very promising fighter Michael Page. If people need my help, I'm always here. Interested in working with people who value movement and see it as the evolving tool that it is and see beyond the need of just strength and conditioning, or some isolated mobility.
Could you give us your quick take on working with Michael?
IP: Michael is an incredible talent -- a very, very hard worker and dedicated guy. Another example where all these layers -- when you meet Michael in person, the guy just constantly bows in respect and honor to his teammates, teachers and his opponents. He's a martial artist in every atom of his being. A very, very coordinated mover, with the ability to learn and study movement quickly. I think he has a great future in front of him. I got the chance to work with him over the last two weeks and we've made some incredible changes and strides using some very innovative movement tools that I brought to him and shared with him.
Look out, Michael Page is going big.
For the complete UFC 194: "Aldo vs. McGregor" fight card, click here.