Conor McGregor says he’s the best at the ‘Conor McGregor Challenge’

The ’Conor McGregor Challenge’ took off in the combat sports world in the days after the UFC star showed an odd technique in front of the media last week. Many boxers and martial artists filmed videos of themselves making fun of a noodle arm technique that showed McGregor whipping his arms around.

In a conference call Wednesday, McGregor said he wasn’t bothered by other fighters making fun, although he thinks he does noodle arms better than the rest.

“I’ve seen some videos, but it is what it is, it’s light-hearted,” McGregor said. “If anything, I see stiffness in every single one of them. You must have the limbs free. You must have the ability to disconnect your shoulders and reconnect it at the point of impact.

“That skillset is how you can change a jab to a hook in the blink of an eye. Or a jab to an uppercut in the blink of an eye. It’s the same thing as the hip flexors for kicks. If I show a kick to the midsection, if I’m tight in the hip and I can’t free my leg like I can free my shoulders — like I showed in one of many training methods on how to free the shoulders — if I can do that with my hip flexors, I can change the point of impact from the belly and switch it up to the head in a millisecond.”

McGregor said he embraces his role as an innovator and educator for the boxing world, and explained that the shoulder loosening technique was pioneered by Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Rickson Gracie.

The Irish mixed martial arts star also called out former WBA cruiserweight and heavyweight champion David Haye, who hit pads with the technique in his take on the McGregor Challenge.

“I’ve seen people, David Haye, hit pads with it,” McGregor said. “You can’t hit pads when the shoulder is disconnected. You’ll do serious damage to yourself. And David Haye is a guy who has pulled out of contests with a sore baby toe, so he has to be careful with the way he hits pads. But again, it is what it is.”

McGregor has brought plenty of unorthodox philosophies to his training leading up to his fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr., but they haven’t won over doubters. That’s not surprising considering he’s still a huge underdog against a 49-0 boxer.

He’ll try to prove the critics wrong on Aug. 26, but for now, McGregor wants one thing to be clear: He’s better at the #McGregorChallenge than you are.