Coach: Conor McGregor has an “upgraded engine” going in to UFC 202

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will be looking to avenge the first loss of his UFC career when he rematches Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 202 this Saturday night in Las Vegas.

The first fight between McGregor and Diaz occurred this past March headlining the UFC 196 fight card in Las Vegas. The bout took place in the UFC’s welterweight division (170-pounds), this after Nate took the bout on just 11 days notice in order to replace Rafael dos Anjos who had suffered an injury.

After having a very successful opening round against “The Stockton Slugger”, McGregor looked to be slightly fatigued entering the fights second-round and was eventually forced to submit after Nate locked in a rear-naked choke.

The McGregor vs. Diaz rematch will also take place in the UFC’s welterweight division but this time around coach John Kavanagh is not worried about Conor’s gas tank:

“I’m lucky that I have a good friend for a long time, he’s actually the guy behind the camera of TheMacLife,” he told Ariel Helwani on today’s edition of The MMA Hour. “He’s an ex-professional cyclist. I reached out to him and his teammate from back in the day who is now a doctor, and there’s not much they don’t know about human performance. Being a cyclist, it’s not the most technically demanding sport, as compared to say mixed martial arts…in general there’s not a lot to it, other than having a huge engine. It’s about your VO2, it’s about your heart and your cardiovascular system. So, Dana [White] helped him make a machine, and that’s what we’ve spent the last 17, 18 weeks doing, is upgrading Conor’s engine. Now it’s a super-charged, 800 horsepower, five-liter American muscle car type engine.”

Do you think the improved cardio of Conor McGregor will make a difference in his rematch with Nate Diaz this Saturday night in Las Vegas? Sound off PENN Nation!