It’s been a stressful year for Conor McGregor – that swashbuckling charm that enticed us all was replaced by angst as he sought revenge for a major humbling. Koji Uehara Jersey . But now the swagger is back, and that could spell trouble for Eddie Alvarez… The cocksure smile was first wiped from McGregors bearded face back in March when, minutes after a surprise defeat to Nate Diaz, he astutely assessed his own shortcomings. He emerged with credit for explaining the inefficient energy that led to his loss but that moment forced the UFCs great entertainer into a volcano of vengeance.Gone were the one-liners that had been a welcome part of every McGregor pre-fight tirade. He should be commended for locking himself away for five months to become the subject of his own sports science experiment, embracing the harsh desert environment of Nevada in an effort to match Diazs fitness, but the toil took an obvious strain. Watch Conor McGregor clash with Eddie Alvarez at their press conference It included the debacle of UFC 200, a milestone event that McGregor was expected to lead with Diaz as his dance partner. Amid rumours of a rift between the enigmatic Irishman and his employers, he was eventually removed from the event due to failing to attend a New York press conference on the premise that he was too busy training - this, in turn, led to the infamous retirement tweet that broke social media records and had the sports world wondering. McGregor had always been proud of the businessman behind the athlete but never had such malice crept into the forefront of his merriment.The foreboding of McGregors mission to rectify his sole UFC defeat to Diaz took an uneasy turn in the days before he re-entered the cage - plastic bottles were hurled between the fighters respective entourages in an ugly spectacle that shone a light on the pressures of the upcoming performance. The featherweight champion from Ireland addressed the major flaw on his record by outpointing Diaz in a 25-minute slog when the seeds of five laborious months were finally sewn. He cut a relieved and justified figure afterwards, yet still the laughter has only recently resurfaced.McGregor had his audience in hysterics during a press conference alongside Alvarez, the lightweight champion who he will challenge next, in a welcome return to the fighter who first captured imaginations two years ago. His put-down of Jeremy Stephens, a fringe contender who shared the same stage, was the type of hilarious response absent from the Diaz chapter.More recently, he appeared to genuinely enjoy a public work-out at Madison Square Garden, the venue for his fight, successfully completing a free-throw of a basketball on the home turf of the New York Knicks. On Thursday, the faux-aggression displayed was akin to a WWE sketch rather than anything more threatening. Better than Rousey? Exclusive interview with Joanna Jedrzejczyk McGregor is at his best acting as a jester not a juvenile. His wit, when deployed with humour, has played havoc with opponents mind-sets heading into previous fights - on more than one occasion it could be attributed to making them act irrationally during the heat of battle.This is the same McGregor who, two years ago, reduced Diego Brandao to a ball of pent-up frustration by insightfully detailing what lay ahead. Dustin Poirier got the full brunt of McGregors comedy routine - Hes a quiet little hillbilly, I have nothing against the guy, Im sure he grew up in a circus or a fair, hes a nice little kid - before Jose Aldo was tortured verbally for nearly a year and was in disbelief when the Irishman stole his championship belt during a Dublin event. His UFC career has been horrendous. Hes very, very lucky to be in the position he is. He understands that. Conor McGregor on Eddie Alvarez Analysing Alvarezs world title win, McGregor quipped: I thought it was very sloppy. The shot selection was very, very poor. He got blessed. He got blessed with a lucky shot. His UFC career has been horrendous. Hes very, very lucky to be in the position he is. He understands that.McGregor first caught the imagination of the wider sports world for boldly describing the downfalls of established champions, mixing a tongue-in-cheek assessment their skills with hilarity-inducing rants that less articulate opponents simply couldnt respond to. Losing briefly muted him but rediscovering his shtick is troublesome for Alvarez.McGregor, with designer sunglasses hiding his poker face, has returned to the casino as the high-stakes gambler that he is. He looks revitalised by the fresh challenge of Alvarez, whose wrestling acumen could well prove to be a flush hand. Defeat would undo much of McGregors brash talking but thats exactly how hes excelled in the past. Watch Conor McGregor clash with Eddie Alvarez at their press conference Also See: Joanna Jedrzejczyk exclusive McGregor: Im not just talk Alvarez: Ill make McGregor quit Bones Jones banned for a year Ron Santo Jersey . - Kyle Wood and Barclay Goodrow scored second period power-play goals to provide all of the scoring for the North Bay Battalion in a 2-0 victory over the Erie Otters in Ontario Hockey League action on Thursday. Tyson Miller Jersey . - The Clippers have signed guard Dahntay Jones to a second 10-day contract. MADISON, Wis. -- Ben Brust scored 18 points, Sam Dekker added 17 and No. 4 Wisconsin used a 20-0 run in the first half to easily beat No. 23 Illinois 95-70 on Wednesday night. The Badgers improved to 16-0 (3-0 Big Ten), the best start in school history. Wisconsin shot 53 per cent from the field in the first half to open up a 25-point lead by halftime. The Illini (13-3, 2-1) stumbled badly in their debut this year as a Top 25 team and lost a sixth straight to their border rival. Rayvonte Rice led Illinois with 19 points on 7-of-21 shooting. The Illini missed 13 straight shots, some on easy looks, while Wisconsin methodically wore them down inside and on the perimeter during the big first-half run. Joseph Bertrand added 18 points and nine rebounds for Illinois, while Tracy Abrams had eight points. Nnanna Egwu grabbed 10 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end. The balanced Badgers had five players with at least 11 points, with Frank Kaminsky adding 15 and freshman Nigel Hayes 11 off the bench. Traevon Jackson had 15 points and went 7 of 7 from the foul line. The end of Wisconsins first-half run typified Illinois frustrating evening. Kaminsky, Wisconsins 7-foot outside shooter, hit a 3 to make it 29-10 with about 10 minutes left before proving his worth at the other end. The only defender back initially against two Illini, Kaminsky got in Abrams way to force a missed jumper. Illinois grabbed the rebound, but Egwu missed a short layup. Two more offensive rebounds, two more misses before the ball went out of bounds to Wisconsin. By contrast, the Badgers played with typical efficiency at the other end, aa hallmark for coach Bo Ryans teams. Willson Contreras Jersey. The ball wound around the perimeter before going into Dekker. The lithe 6-foot-7 forward backed down his defender with about 5 seconds left on the shot clock before turning and hitting an easy layup. Bertrands short jumper finally ended the run, but Illinois was well out of it already by then, down 33-12 with 7:56 left in the first half. The Badgers gave them a few easy looks on the defensive end but Illinois failed to convert. Illinois outrebounded Wisconsin 48-35, including 25-5 on the offensive end, but still lost badly. Coach John Groces team played a little better to open the second half and still could get no closer than 17. Just another solid win for Wisconsin. The Badgers arent necessarily flashy, but theyve got much more firepower offensively than in years past. Dekker can beat opponents off the dribble, as he did on a pretty diagonal drive through the lane that ended with a hesitation move and three-point play during the start of the 20-0 run. Kaminsky can hit the 3 or smoothly manoeuvr in the post. The pesky Brust can make opponents pay from the perimeter, finishing 4 of 8 from 3-point territory. And whats more, Wisconsin takes care of the ball. The NCAA leader with just 8.47 turnovers per game had just four on Wednesday, including two for Jackson after the point guard had a career-high seven his previous outing against Iowa. Illinois gets three days to regroup before heading back on the road for the short trip Sunday to Northwestern. It has been 25 years since Illinois beat a Top 5 team on the road, a 70-67 win at No. 3 Indiana. ' ' '