Sky Sports have delved beyond the gorilla tattoos and catchphrases to ask whether Conor McGregor is really worth it. I am not retired McGregors statement in full The brash Irishman feigned retirement and was officially removed from his UFC 200 rematch against Nate Diaz before boldly declaring I am not retired to return to the pinnacle of his sport.Is it all an act? We spoke to people who know McGregor best. The previous victims Conor McGregor (left) knocked out Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas Dustin Poirier was seen as the opponent who could stop McGregors hype in the Irishmans Vegas debut. Poirier lasted less than two minutes.Poirier said: Conor is definitely the real deal. Ive had 22 fights and Ive never been put out like that. I was very emotional, just because of everything that had gone on between me and Conor. The build-up to the fight between us made me fight emotionally, rather than relaxed, which is how I like to fight.He hit me with a good shot and I went down. Id love to do it again. I wouldnt get hit with that shot again, and I wouldnt let myself get so emotional. McGregor knocked me out! Dustin Poirier shares memories of his darkest day Dave Hill lost to McGregor four years ago on the regional circuit. He remembers a cocky Irish kid with remarkable self-assurance.Hill said: I thought it was all an act, all for show. He was kicking off at the weigh-ins. But when he got in my face, because of his intensity, I thought: He really believes in himself. That flustered me.Hes overwhelming in a fight because hes always in your face, hes so confident. He was talking to me during the fight, saying I look soft, and it made my mind go elsewhere. I was thinking should I say something? He has a presence that doesnt give you a rest and puts you on the back-foot.I dont think its an act any more. But when I started fighting him I realised that he believes everything he says - thats the way he is.The coaches I knew Conor would be a great fighter but I didn’t know he would become so popular. He was always a charismatic guy but I couldn’t have predicted how big he would get. He never has moments where that gets on top of him. Pressure is for tyres. Head coach John Kavanagh Phil Sutcliffe was the first man to teach a 12-year-old McGregor to punch at Crumlin Boxing Club, but doesnt remember an outstanding talent.Sutcliffe said: He was like any other novice who we taught the basics to. Hes ambidextrous, we teach that to all our kids, he can box orthodox or southpaw. His straight left changes fights. Its an opportunists punch - hes always had the ability to turn on his back leg to throw his back hand. If he didnt have the right attitude, he would have never made it to the top. I remember the first day meeting him. I remember the confidence Conor had. He was immediately the best boxer we had. You could take him down and submit him but he was never fazed. He knew he could knock you out Striking coach Owen Roddy The fellow UFC champion UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold said he is intrigued by Conor McGregor’s rise The team-mates Aisling Daly, McGregor, Paddy Holohan & Cathal Pendred are SBG gym products Aisling Daly, a UFC womens straw-weight contender, has risen through the ranks alongside McGregor at Dublins SBG gym.Daly said: Hes still the same guy that I knew when we were teenagers but he has fancier shoes and nicer cars. Everything else about him is the same. He makes everyone realise that, with hard work, they can have the mansions and the fancy cars too.Because were a family theres no begrudging him, were all sending positive vibes to him. When one of us makes it, we all make it. Were all in the gutter looking up at the stars. Sometimes Conor will turn up for training in a five-piece suit but, on a normal day, hes rolled out of bed and arrived in a beanie hat and a tracksuit. Hes like the rest of us. Conor is a phenomenal striker and I’ve been learning from him for years. He’s definitely one of the best strikers in the UFC. Gunnar Nelson The promoter McGregor was spotted by the UFC after a successful stint with Cage Warriors Graham Boylan runs Cage Warriors, a domestic promotion that gave McGregor his big break.Boylan said: Without doubt, hes our biggest export, nobody can deny his prestige. I remember the phone call when I offered him a title shot and he said Ill fight tomorrow.When we had Conor for his fifth and sixth fights, we knew hed go on to special things. He just acted differently to everybody. He stood out from a crowd of 30-odd fighters, everybody was looking at him. People with long teeth behind the scenes realised that if he could back up the things he was saying then hed be a star. Conor won all his fights in Cage Warriors because he got into his opponents heads.The future foes We know that Conor has lost twice by submission. He was willing to give up twice, we know that. He tapped out to a choke and a knee hold, which is a move where you give up before it becomes a problem because you’re anticipating pain. I’ve seen that he is capable of giving up. Urijah Faber Frankie Edgar, ranked No 2 at featherweight, isnt impressed by McGregors talk.Edgar said: Maybe he is the second coming like hes been telling everyone! I dont get caught up in the attention around McGregor. Is he skilful? Yes. Does he bring attention to the rest of us? Yes. But hes not always respectful.Donald Cerrone also resides in the lightweight and welterweight divisions, but respected McGregors KO of Jose Aldo.Cerrone said: Unbelievable, man. The dude went out there and did everything that he said hed do. He shocked the world in 13 seconds. How awesome is that?The boxer Hes a character with no regard for anyone or anything which you admire as a fighter. I know people who have boxed with him in Ireland - hes from a boxing background. Hes certainly a better boxer than the others. George Groves The sports scientistProfessor Greg Whyte puts McGregor through a series of tests to compare him against other sportsmen.Whyte said: His VO2 max is similar to a Premier League midfielder. They run 10-12km a game with short breaks whereas Conor competes for up to 25 minutes. That is all-out effort and his endurance capacity is right up there with the best midfielders. It is his ability to recover before returning to his peak which is impressive and those values are similar to those of footballers. McGregor the compete package Read about his remarkable fitness His power output on a bike is not like an Olympic cyclist but what separates Conor is that he can do it all. He outperforms a cyclist in other areas. Also See: I am not retired Why did he retire? Who is UFCs real No1? McGregor pulled from UFC 200 Cheap New Balance Australia . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Vapormax Store . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. http://www.discountaustraliashoes.com/cheap-air-max-90-fake.html . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Cheap Vans Australia . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Discount Balenciaga .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. NEW YORK -- With so many good teams near the top of the Metropolitan Division, coach Barry Trotz knows his Washington Capitals need to bring their best effort every night if they plan to keep pace.Matt Niskanen scored two goals in the third period, lifting the Capitals over the New York Islanders 4-2 on Tuesday for their fifth straight victory.Brett Connolly and Justin Williams also scored for Washington, which improved to 18-7-3. Dating to a 2-1 overtime loss at Tampa Bay, the Capitals have earned 11 out of a possible 12 points.We need to continue to have consistency, Trotz said. Were now 11 games over .500 and were fourth in the division.Following a five-game winning streak, the Islanders have dropped their last two. New Yorks 11-12-5 record is the worst in the Metropolitan Division.Our goal right now is to finish a couple games above .500 going into the Christmas break, center Casey Cizikas said. I thought we played well enough to win.Brock Nelson and Nikolay Kulemin scored for the Islanders, and Jaroslav Halak made 34 saves.We find ways to lose games, Halak said. Were not finding a way to win a game.The third meeting of the season between the teams -- and second in 12 days -- was a tight-checking game. Neither club was able to sustain sequences in the offensive zone, though the Capitals finished with a 38-28 advantage in shots on goal.Niskanens wrister from the left circle 1:34 into the third put Washington ahead for good. The defenseman snapped in a feed from partner Dmitry Orlov, as all five Islanders were on the left side of the ice.I dont think (Halak) saw it, Niskanen said.From there, Braden Holtby made the lead hold up.Holtby stopped 26 shots, with his two toughest saves coming on Josh Baileys goal-mouth backhander with 11 minutes left and John Tavares snap shot from the slot nearly 2 minutes later as the Capitals held onto their one-goal lead.I felt like I was moving and seeing the puck pretty well, Holtby said. Theyre a team that always (seems) to push in the third against us. ... My job is to be ready.Niskanens power-play goal with 1:57 left ended the scoring.Trailing 1-0 after the first period, it took the Capitals all of 2:09 to draw even on Connollys third of the season. A scratch in Washingtons previous four games, Connolly drove to the net and Lars Ellers centeriing pass ricocheted off his stick blade.ddddddddddddWashington went ahead 5:28 later on Williams power-play goal. Jakub Vrana drove to the net and Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was behind the goal line, found him with a pass, and the 20-year-olds shot bounced off Williams.The Capitals finished 2 for 3 on the man advantage, and killed off both New York power plays.Youre not going to give up two power-play goals and expect to win, Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. Somehow, some way we have to get back to trying to get the special teams where (they) need to be.Despite being outplayed for much of the period, New York was able to tie the game at 2 on Kulemins goal midway through the second. Kulemin deflected Nick Leddys point shot past Holtby for his third of the season.Halak made certain the game stayed tied going into intermission, as he made stops in the final minute on Karl Alzner, Alex Ovechkin and Niskanen, prompting the crowd of 12,730 to chant his name.New York struck first on Nelsons seventh of the season at 9:32. The left wing was sprung by Cal Clutterbucks stretch pass, and Nelson fired an end-over-end shot from the top of the left circle that beat Holtby over his glove.The goal was Nelsons first since Dec. 1.Im losing my patience a little bit with some of the guys, Capuano said. Some guys arent working smart. When you work, there has to be a method of how you go about your business. ... Im talking about the intangibles of the game.Game notes The Islanders returned D Scott Mayfield to Bridgeport of the AHL. Mayfield had one goal and two assists in three games. ... Washington scratched D Taylor Chorney and LW Andre Burakovsky, while the Islanders scratched J.F. Berube and Alan Quine. ... Cizikas missed two first-period shifts after taking a skate blade to the wrist during his first shift of the game. ... The Metropolitan Division rivals will meet twice more this season on Dec. 27 and Jan. 31, both in New York.UP NEXTCapitals: Play at Carolina on Friday night.Islanders: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.---This story has been corrected with a more accurate description of Niskanens first goal, total shots for Islanders and save total for Holtby. ' ' '