The Mindset of a Champion: Floyd Mayweather & Conor McGregor’s Secrets

What's up, Believe Nation? It's Evan. My one word is believe, and I believe in people more than they believe in themselves. And my sincere hope is that if you see in you what I see in you, you'll be able to change the planet. I started the Mentor Me series with the goal to try to learn from people who've done a lot more than us, try to hang out with people who've had more success than us, and hopefully some of their beliefs, some of their mindset, some of their way of working seeps into us to help us become the best version of ourselves. So today we're going to learn from Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor and their motivation. Also, as you're watching, if you hear something that really resonates with you, please leave it down in the comments below and put quotes around it so other people can be inspired by it as well. And if you leave it within the first couple hours of this video going live, you have a chance to win one of two daily prizes.

Do you remember the first time that the thought of fighting Floyd Mayweather crossed your mind?

It's been on my radar for a long, long time. As a young man coming up in the game, in the sport of MMA, I was listening to him in similar weight class, similar weight category, speaking ill of the sport, being ill of the discipline. And as a young kid, I'm looking at him in such a high level, saying, saying these things about the sport that I'm dedicating my entire life to, and thinking, I'll see you for that one day.

Why are we getting ready to watch Floyd Money Mayweather in the ring against Conor McGregor August 26th?

Oh man, um, this is what the world demanded. Um, I put myself in the right position, uh, to make it happen. So I put myself in the right position to make it happen. Um, it's all about chess, and it's not really about being on a chessboard anymore. It's about controlling the chessboard, and you know, that's what I was able to do.

Did you want this fight, or did you respond to somebody who wanted you?

Um, actually, I asked for the fight. I think it was kind of mutual, you know. I think, um, I wanted to fight. Pretty sure he wanted to fight. Um, I don't think in the beginning Dana White thought the fight could happen, but We're here now.

You wanted to fight. Why? Um, not just because that's what the people wanted.

I know, I got that answer, but of course, I mean, of course, I mean, if I could put myself in a position to make 9 figures, why not? Why not? So I put myself in a position.

Once again, there will never be a fighter that's on my level. Because you have to be able to go where I go mentally. You have to be on my level mentally. And it's hard for anybody to be on my level mentally because I think outside the box. That's why I'm always doing record-breaking numbers. That's why I'm always doing record-breaking things. That's why I was able to go on Dancing with the Stars and take chances and go on WWE and steal fans from the WWE and steal fans from Dancing with the Stars and take chances to become a household name. To become a pay-per-view star, to become a mega superstar, to have the biggest deal in sports history. I roll the dice. I take chances.

When you hear boxing aficionados like Max Kellerman say you're not gonna land a punch, how do you react to that?

The people—

like, today we posted videos of you hitting the bag, and it's all people saying, "Look how slow he is. He doesn't know what he's doing. Look at this movement stuff." Do you enjoy that? Is that better for you?

It happens to all greats, training methods, everything is criticized. I mean, originally Floyd, way back, his method of hitting the pads and hitting the bag was ridiculed during the Hatton buildup. When I first kind of started seeing about Floyd, they ridiculed his methods, and then all of a sudden everyone starts trying to follow his methods. You know what I mean? When the success— this is— it's been the same with me when I start incorporating movement training, I start incorporating certain attacks and certain approaches. In the mixed martial arts game. Ridiculed, it's a joke, a joker. How many times have I been called a joke or a joker? And then everyone starts following and trying to study. It's no different here. The boxing game, they're like, "Oh, he doesn't move this way, what's he doing?" This, that, and the other. They just don't understand, and when they don't understand, they just try and discard it. But thankfully, August 26th, there can be no running from it, so.

It will—

the same thing that will happen that always happens. They will try and push it away. It will face— it will be put in front of them. Floyd will be slept, and then they will begin the studying process, and then they will— and then the implementing process. And then I'm on to the next, which is what? I'm on to my next wave of preparation. So they're here, and I'm here again, and then I'm here, and then I'm here.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

Yeah.

So That's it. That's it. That's, that's, that's life.

A man that has never been in a boxing ring is in the ring with the best ever. That's what you talk— that's what you describe yourself as being.

I don't describe myself. We must realize men lie, women lie, numbers don't lie.

49-0.

Not just 49-0. Let's really, let's really get out there.

I'm listening.

Mayweather has broke every record in boxing. When we get to talk about highest gate, even when they were like right now, they said, oh, Mayweather fight didn't sell out. Well, you know, when they do sell out, I think I'll reach somewhere like, you know, the LiveGate that reached like 80-something million for this fight. Already we already had 60-something million. For those that saying that Mayweather is not doing numbers anymore, um, far as taking the less punishment, I took less punishment than any fighter. Uh, not just best defense, let's talk about offense. The most accurate fighter of all time on the outside the ring. It's not just about being in the inside the ring. I already conquered that. I was— I'm even smarter on the outside, you know. I have to be a genius to even make this, to even make a fight like this happen. So what does that say about me for making this fight?

It says that you're a brilliant businessman, not just a great boxer.

So, and that's what I always spoke about. That's what I always spoke about. I get my credit about what I do in the ring, but I don't get my credit about what I do on the outside.

Are you— I mean, you're enjoying great riches and success now, but can you put yourself in the mindset of the guy who was waiting in line with other people?

Always.

I'm—

you remember what that guy was thinking? Are you daydreaming of this? Was that even possible?

Every second of every day I was daydreaming. But of course I can go back and think there, you know. That's— I, I live there in my head, you know what I mean?

I always be there.

You know, I show up and work every single day like I'm not in the position I'm in, like I'm not me. So that's the mindset I have, and it's, it's working.

You got fighters that may be faster than me. You got fighters that may hit harder than me. You got fighters that's very athletic, but you don't have no fighter that can make adjustments like me. You don't have fighters that can be on my level mentally. It's never personal for me. It's always business. Every, every other fighter fight for certain things. Everybody fight for what they fight for. My thing is this: I keep my eyes on the prize. I never focus on things outside the ring. My focus is the guy that's in front of me. You get to where you're trying to get to by staying focused, staying on a parallel path. I always had a dream, and my dream was to be the best. No matter what happens Saturday, when it comes down to boxing, I'm the best at this.

What do you think they'll say about you in 50 years?

You know, I'm not quite sure what they'll say about me. I'm just a— they'll probably just say I'm a young kid who showed up when he said he was gonna show up. That's it. So I don't know. I don't really think about that.

When you walk in here with the— I just—

what I do know is, and I just know that it will live on. That's what I do know. I, I cannot control what people say about me now or, or, or in the future, but I certainly know what I am doing and the stuff that I have done and achieved will live on long after I am gone.

As you've been away from the game and you reflect on your life and your career right now— yes, where are you just looking at the life of Floyd Mayweather?

Just looking at my life, I don't think most people can handle being in my shoes. Yo, yo. You good? I don't think, I mean, as of right now, I don't think no one can handle my situation.

Why not?

They just can't.

What's your situation that can't be handled?

I'm saying it's like, I mean, they feel like it's pressure on me. I mean, like I said, they tried to defeat me in many different ways. They tried to bring up the tax thing. They tried to bring up he's been locked up. I mean, he's arrogant, he's unappreciative. I mean, years and years and years, they've been trying their best to defeat me mentally. I can't be defeated. I'm a strong individual. Nothing can throw me off. Nothing can throw me off. Throw me off key. I'm always focused on what I got to do.

And that's going to be the case August 26th?

August 26th is going to be real interesting.

Like I said, and I'm not backing up. Remember I told you that?

You're not backing up?

I'm not backing up.

When I was a kid, I used to always visualize stadiums, and like, even when I was playing football, I'd kick the ball against the wall and I'd pretend I scored a goal, and I'd run off and I'd be raising my hand and visualizing in an arena full of fans. And that was something I'd done as a kid out on my own. I like just running around kicking the ball. I always had these visions of something, but I just didn't know what it was. And then I suppose when I came to these events and I started training and then came to an event, I was like, okay, this is it. This is what I'm going to do. And then now I'm doing it.

But did you ever have, let's call it a normal job, Conor, a 9 to 5? Yeah, because the Irish thing is to get into a trade straight away. I was no different. As soon as I finished school, I was always getting pestered, what are you doing with your life? You know, this, doing that. They didn't know what it was. They didn't know what MMA was. They didn't know none of this. They didn't know I could make a career out of it. As far as they were concerned, me ma and da I'm talking about, as far as they were concerned, I was just getting into a cage and fighting with some other guy. They didn't know nothing about it. No one did really, but I knew, you know what I mean? I knew. But, and then I got it. I ended up getting a trade just to keep them quiet because I used to have a lot of fights with me dad. What trade did you get? I ended up getting a trade as a plumber.

How bad was that?

The plumbing?

Yeah.

Horrendous.

Were you actually in the trenches?

I mean, it was an industrial, so it'd be like building this. It'd be like the plumbing that would be needed in a place like this. 6 o'clock in the morning and the motorway, and I used to have to walk for about an hour to get there, to get there on motorway, and then I stand on the edge of the motorway and wait for a bloke to drive by. So he'd give me a lift and then the motorway was like getting renovation at times, so it'd take me 2 hours, 2 and a half hours to get to the place, it was out in the country. Then I'd be there for 10 hours walking and I was a first year, so I was the worst of the worst, you know what I mean? I was only beginning. Then 2 hours to get back in the traffic again.

It was just a horrible, horrible time and I was like, you know what?

I don't want to deal with this and then I just left.

I lasted 18 months still, but it was tough, you know what I mean? Just wasn't the life for me, you know what I mean? And then John said, because I was training with John as well at the time, and then John got on Twitter and says, I have a show, I'm running a show, I'd like to fight on it. And then that was it. I just packed it in, didn't show up. My dad used to come in and punch the head off me and like try and drag me out of bed and I just wouldn't go, you know what I mean? I had uproar for a good few years with him over it. And that was it. I just packed it in, quit, and then focused on training. And that's— I knew, I knew, I knew what was going to happen. I knew I was going to get here. They didn't. There's a lot of stressful years, you know what I mean?

A lot of tough times.

Times, um, but I proved them wrong. I proved myself right. But everything I do in my life is, is related to this. I don't do nothing else if it's not got to do with fighting, you know what I mean? And that, that is why, you know, I mean, to be true, all you've got to do is show up. Is that not unhealthy? Um, I don't know. Do I look unhealthy? Take a look at this physique. I'm in phenomenal shape in body and mind. To me, what's unhealthy is living an unhealthy life. To me, what's unhealthy is getting up and going through the same day every day, you're like 9 to 5 in an office or in it, that's unhealthy. That beats your mind. I don't, I don't work. I love what I do, and that's why I'm doing what I love, you know what I mean? That's why, that's why it's become a career for me, because I love it. I love what I do.

Thank you guys so much for watching. I hope you enjoyed. I'd love to know, what did you learn from this video? What clips spoke the most to you, and how are you going to apply it immediately somehow in your life or in your business? Please leave it down in the comments below. Also, if you're leaving a comment within the first few hours of this video going live, you have a chance to win one of two daily prizes. I also want to give a quick shout out to Luis Lopez from the Better Men Project. Luis, thank you so much for picking up a copy of my book, Your One Word, and doing the review on your YouTube channel. I really, really, really appreciate the support, man, and I'm so glad you enjoyed my book.

If you could describe yourself with one word, what would it be?

Thank you guys again for watching. I believe in you. I hope you continue to believe in yourself and whatever your one word is. Much love.

I'll see you soon.