Conor McGregor using newborn son as added motivation for Floyd Mayweather fight - ‘I’m in awe of my little boy’

Inspiration can be drawn from anywhere in the fight game. Whether it’s family, legacy, financial security, or a more innate force like the appetite for violence, combat athletes are able to harness outside sources to fuel their in-fight battles.

For UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who crosses over to boxing on Aug. 26 to challenge undefeated pugilist Floyd Mayweather Jr. live on Showtime pay-per-view (PPV) from Las Vegas, Nevada, inspiration is drawn from his newborn son.

“He’s been a great motivation this camp,” McGregor said yesterday (Fri., Aug. 11, 2017) at his open media workout (full replay here) live from inside the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. “I’m in awe of my little boy. I’m in awe of him. Comparing images the other day, and he looks exactly like me. I’m very happy about that.”

Relaxing and watching some fights with my son Conor Jr. pic.twitter.com/8j36hwlqPF

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 8, 2017

McGregor’s son, Conor Jr., was born just over three months ago. Since then, “Notorious” has locked up a dream boxing match with Mayweather that could potentially earn him close to $100 million. McGregor has banked millions in the past, but nothing like this. It’s going to be a nice chapter in the 29-year-old’s career when he looks back on it with his son.

“That’s one of the things I look forward to the most,” McGregor said of reliving his fighting career when he shares with Conor Jr. “To show him back my whole career, this crazy journey I’ve been on. And to show him all the hard work and sacrifice that I’ve put into this. He will come up surrounded by many luxuries, but he will always know that it’s hard work that achieves this. In order to achieve great things in this life you must work hard, and that’s the message I will give my son.”

Even though someone as determined as McGregor might not need any additional motivation, “Notorious” seems to be getting it. That doesn’t mean a more inspired Conor McGregor will be able to defeat Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26 inside of the boxing ring, but it does mean the UFC champion is fighting with even more to gain this time around.