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 retiredWhy did he retire?Who is UFCs real No1?McGregor pulled from UFC 200Bailey Howell Jersey . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. Nate Archibald Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. https://www.cheapceltics.com/402n-paul-pierce-jersey-celtics.html .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. Bill Russell Jersey . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. Stitched Celtics Jerseys .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch.DENVER -- Ryan Raburn got waved home for this walk-off.Raburn hit an RBI double and rounded the bases when the Cubs threw away the relay, capping a two-run rally in the 11th inning against Aroldis Chapman that sent the Colorado Rockies over Chicago 7-6 early Saturday.We had luck on our side tonight, Raburn said. I was fortunate enough to get a slider up that I could get the bat on.On a wet night when rain delayed the start for more than two hours, and with temperatures dropping into the 40s, the Rockies wound up winning well past midnight.Dexter Fowler, who led off the game with a home run, gave Chicago a 6-5 lead by blooping an RBI single in the top of the 11th.In the bottom half, Nick Hundley singled with one out off Chapman (0-1). Raburn then tied it with a drive off the right-field wall. And when second baseman Javier Baez made a wild throw that got past catcher Willson Contreras and flew into the Cubs dugout, the umpires pointed Raburn home.I saw them talking to each other and waving to each other, Raburn said. When I saw them tell me to go to home plate, thats when the emotions really started. Its a great win for us, a big win against a great opponent.Cubs manager Joe Maddon said that the umpires ruled that Raburn had reached second before the relay throw was made, entitling him to two bases on the error.Had the ball hit the screen (in front of the dugout) and come back, it is still in play. But it went out, Maddon said.Matt Carasiti (1-0) got the win.Down 5-1 after six innings, the Rockies scratched back and later scored three times in the eighth to tie it at 5. They went on to post their first extra-inning win in four tries this season, overtaaking the team with the best record in the majors.ddddddddddddRookie David Dahl homered for Colorado. Addison Russell connected for Chicago.Rob Zastryzny, making his major league debut after being recalled by the Cubs before the game from Triple-A Iowa, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 10th by getting Gerardo Parra to ground out.The Rockies rally in the eighth included a replay reversal for the final run, with DJ LeMahieu eventually being ruled safe at the plate.Kris Bryant had three hits for the Cubs, including an RBI single. Fowler hit his 20th career leadoff homer and sixth this season.Russells two-run homer made it 5-1 in the sixth. The Rockies got an unearned run in the seventh on a throwing error from Bryant at third base.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: RHP John Lackey was put on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain. ... RHP Hector Rondon also was placed on the DL because of a right triceps strain.Rockies: CF Charlie Blackmon was scratched from the starting lineup because of a bruised right toe but he came on in the 10th inning as a pinch-hitter. ... After battling colitis for the past month, RHP Chad Qualls has been reinstated from the DL.UP NEXTCubs: Mike Montgomery (1-1), who has been pitching out of the bullpen since being acquired from Seattle a month ago, is set to make his first start as a member of the Cubs.Rockies: RHP Jeff Hoffman, a former first-round pick of the Blue Jays who was acquired a year ago as part of the deal that sent Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto, is slated to start in his major league debut. ' ' '