Photos by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

There was something very different about Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo’s first public appearance together on fight week. At the UFC 194 and TUF Finale press conference the two fighters appeared very relaxed in each other’s presence, a far cry from the aggressive showings that we became used to during the UFC 189 World Tour.

Many thought that ‘The Notorious’ would launch straight into his usual vicious demeanor when it comes to Aldo given that it seemed to be throwing the Brazilian champion off ahead of their first scheduled meeting in July. However, the Irishman insisted that he was “in a state of Zen”, which will allow him to put on the performance of his life.

“I am in a state of Zen right now,” said the relaxed interim champion. “My mind is calm, composed. I am prepared and I am happy. I’m happy we are here. This must be close to 15 press conferences I have done without getting to fight this man, so I’m happy we are here now.

“My preparation has been perfect. Training at home does something for me, preparing in my homeland does something for me and now I am here and I’m fully ready. That’s it, I’m in a state of Zen and I’m ready to put on the performance of my life.”

While he may have been less imposing this time around in the presence of his rival, the Dubliner pulled no punches when it came to giving his prediction for the contest. Considering the contest, the SBG man claimed that he would usher in “a new era of fighting” with the “master class” he is preparing to showcase on Saturday night.

“Within four minutes the shots will have landed. It’s on him after that. I feel anything after that four-minute mark of the first round will be a formality. It’ll be on him, where he is mentally, where he is physically and how much he truly wants this.

“I see him crumbling towards the end of the first or not answering the bell for the second. It will be wrapped up inside one.”

“This one will be a spectacle, this one will be a master class. This one will be the changing of a guard. Me bringing in a new era of fighting and approach in everything.

“I am a man with something to prove. And a man with something to prove is a dangerous individual. But at the same time, I am calm. I will go in calm, dangerous and look to show the world the new age.”

He later added: “I visualize entering the contest unpredictable. I will pressure him. I will evade him. I will strike him with every limb–the knee, the heel, the fist, the elbow–I will be a ghost in there. He will think I’m there, and then I am not there. He will think that I am not there, and then I am there. I’m going to put on a masterpiece for this fight. This will prove my point that I am the number one.”

A lot of people seem to be shocked that McGregor is the favorite to pull off the win on Saturday night due to Aldo’s unbeaten run as featherweight champion. However, McGregor claimed that he feels like he is the favorite and is carrying himself like a world champion in the lead up to the bout.

“I certainly feel like the favorite,” he said. “I carried myself as the favorite since I came out here. In here I carried myself like a world champion because when I came in here I was a dual weight world champion. I give that off, I go in and I perform, and the odds, that’s how I feel.”

When asked about the weaknesses of his opponent, McGregor insisted that the champion shares a similar problem with “many individuals in the game”. According to the outspoken interim champion, Aldo is “stuck in a routine”, which is not conducive to a growing environment for a martial artist in his opinion.

“I feel Jose, like many individuals in the game, is stuck in a routine. Stuck in the same pattern. They enter the same, they exit the same, they hit pads the same and they grapple the same. It’s routine, it’s repetition and I truly feel that repetition will close off your mind and lock the frame.

“I just feel like he does the same thing over and over. It’s predictable, so that’s where I feel his weakness is, like where many other individuals in the game weaknesses lie. They are predictable.”

Strangely, when the two featherweight champions faced off, McGregor took up an orthodox stance. Whether that is an indication as to what will happen on Saturday remains to be seen, but you can guarantee that Aldo is banking on the celebrated southpaw coming out in his usual left-handed stance.

Check out these related stories:

Aldo versus McGregor: A Clash of Kings

McGregor Stands Between Aldo and Infamy

The Path of Conor McGregor: Rising Through the Ranks