Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez had been very complimentary about Conor McGregor after defeat to the Dubliner at UFC205.
And he continues to be so after ceding his belt to a fighter who became the first to concurrently hold two UFC title belts.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Alvarez went into detail about the preparation for the fight as well as how he lost.
"Congrats to Connor and his camp on an amazing accomplishment. These guys continue to deliver. Hats off to you fellas. As for my performance , the only thing I can honestly say was I f***ing blew it. I did nothing. I trained. I did the complete opposite of what we planned on a daily basis for 10 weeks .
"To sum up our plan in a sentence it was 'Go left and mostly wrestle'. Instead I circled into his left hand and mostly boxed. Fighting the way I did was a for sure death sentence and the result was fitting. I say it all the time, there is really small margin for error at this level and I paid for my mistakes.
"I managed to make it to the biggest stage and audience in my long career and f***ed it all up when I arrived, my heart sincerely hurts and when I dwell on it I fill up with regret and anger.
"If there was a list of what not to do against an opponent of this nature, I did them all on Saturday. I am disappointed in myself and this is not a reflection of my coaches, training partners, and the endless hours of training I commit to this sport.
"Every time I get into the cage I negotiate being vulnerable and possibly embarrassed against the opportunity to do something great and grow more. I always choose the latter regardless of the uncomfortability [discomfort] and anxiety it brings to me.
"I think this choice is the only reason I ever succeeded in the first place. I thought in my head at least making a lot of money would make me happy but I am having a lot of trouble enjoying myself regardless of the check that's going to be written.
"I am very uneasy and discontent for the most part. I am lucky to have my wife and my child at a time like this to help me laugh and smile and let me know everything's gonna be all right.
"They are my saving grace. Without them I am a shell of a man. Besides the outcome I thoroughly enjoyed fight week and the lead up. It was a lot fun. I have never defined myself off one win and I'll never define myself off one loss. I simply had a bad night. I'll have the opportunity again to have a good one, and I'll make the walk to see what I got everytime. Thanx for listening - EA."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
