Tuesday 27 June 2017 08:10, UK
Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh has said the growing number of boxing fans doubting him ahead of his showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr will only make him stronger.
McGregor, the only man in UFC history to hold two belts from different divisions concurrently, will face Mayweather on August 26 in Las Vegas, in one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of recent times.
Mayweather, 40, retired from professional boxing in 2015, never having lost a fight in 49 bouts.
As such, a majority of the response to the fight's confirmation has been to ridicule McGregor, but Kavanagh insists this will work in his favour.
"We've always done best when everybody is just mocking the idea of an unknown Dublin guy saying he's going to take on the whole UFC roster and win the belt," Kavanagh told MMA Fighting.
"Those challenges seem to bind us even closer than we already are. I'm really seeing that spirit lit up in the team. It's always there, but for whatever reason, because we're being laughed at, because we're being mocked, it's making us even stronger."
The fight has been billed as the ultimate battle between boxing and MMA, something Kavanagh says excites the whole McGregor team.
"Obviously, we're talking about one of boxing's all-time greatest," Kavanagh added. "But there's also some things that there's openings.
"As [UFC president] Dana White has posted a few clips, nobody is perfect. Everybody can get it. We're just looking to make those openings happen more often than they usually do."
"We're very proud to be carrying that torch [the MMA community]. Like I said, the mood in the camp is one of ready to see a lot of jaws drop on the night."
