McGeeney ‘an animal’, claims fighter McGregor

New Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney is an "animal" who creates an environment in which hard work underpins everything, according to MMA fighter Conor McGregor.

McGeeney was confirmed as Paul Grimley’s successor this week, a move which will be greeted with excitement and expectation among the Orchard County’s supporters. And McGregor offered them further reason for optimism by revealing his admiration for the 2002 All-Ireland winning Armagh captain.

“I always grapple with him,” McGregor said earlier this month just after returning to Dublin from a pre-show event in Las Vegas where he will fight Dustin Poirier in September. “He’s great. He’s a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He’s fit. He’s an animal.”

McGregor also admitted there is plenty of personal pride at stake when the pair lock horns.

“It’s 100% competitive. I’m not going to let some old GAA guy beat me,” he laughed. “And he’s not going to let some young, cocky MMA guy beat him. It’s competitive in here. Kieran’s a great guy and he’s a great person to speak to. I speak a lot to him about everything.”

The Dublin fighter might be just as well known to some for a mouth as quick as his fists and feet, but he spoke with an intensity about McGeeney and said it’s a two-way street in terms of what both sides take from each other.

“He’s been great for John [Kavanagh, McGregor’s trainer] as well. John has taken a lot from him. He has coached at a high level and, I tell you what, he’s a hard worker. He instils hard work in people.

“We talk about the mind, we talk about things like that. He helps me a lot. He’s a good guy, Kieran. The Kildare team used to come here as well. We had a little set-up going with them and they were good guys as well. The GAA people are good people, they are hard workers like everyone involved in sport at a high level. They are hard workers and it’s always good to talk to people in different disciplines, you can always take something from everyone, learn something from everyone.”