I just rewatched the fight. Khabib had zero problems taking him down or avoid his punches and kicks. I think if they would fight 10 times, Khabib would win 10 out of 10. Tony Ferguson is the only guy who could give Khabib some problem, but he had lots of injuries and he is going to be 34.
If he can keep it standing, Connor can sleep anyone. He’d need to spend alot of time in the gym against very persistent power-wrestlers.
But he can’t, that’s the point. Also, Khabib’s boxing, footwork, chin, kicks etc. are absolutely underrated
He can, but I don't think its likely. I agree that Tony is the best threat to beat Khabib. In fact, I might even favor Tony by a narrow margin. I think Dustin Poirier would also be a threat to Khabib, given his sharp boxing, solid defensive wrestling, and his aggressive BJJ. When Conor lifted the belt from Eddie Alvarez, had a quality to his performance that was, for me, akin to watching Muhammad Ali disassemble Cleveland William, or like Sugar Ray Leonard moving in on Andy Price like he had nothing to fear. At that point Conor was blending the various disciplines in an inspired fashion that was basically seamless. And honestly, I dislike Conor about as much as its possible to dislike a fighter without being an outright hater. Where I stand with Conor, I'm basically one road down from Hater Boulevard. But I have to admit he was on fire at that point. Conor didn't look the same against Khabib. Its interesting to speculate about what would have happened if, instead of avarice getting the better of Conor, he'd defended against Tony or Khabib a few months after UFC 205. I don't think its fair to say Conor couldn't defend the take down, given that the entire 3rd round took place on the feet. Also, although Khabib was on top the whole 1st round, he did literally no damage. He was just alternating between holding Conor down and sometimes trying to pass guard. It seemed like Khabib was nervous about losing top position and winding up on the feet. Its not that difficult to imagine a scenario where Conor does a better job of mixing up his offense on the feet and gets some real momentum going. He had a few good kicks to the stomach in. That could be a key tool for victory. If he could mix up the range better, blending those kicks with his boxing, Khabib could have a much harder time.
I disagree. In the first round ha made him exhausted and kept it safe with grappling. Second round he knocked him down and mauled him with ground and pound. In the 3rd round he was playing with him and wanted to knock him out because that was their original gameplan, in the 4th he had enough and finished him. McGregor was absolutely exhausted, Khabib didn’t even sit down between rounds and after the fight he wanted to fight with his whole team. Khabib-Conor was always a mismatch, in A.K.A he is sparring with welterweight contender Kamaru Usman and ex middleweight champion Rockhold and he beats them easily. Conor should have stayed in the featherweight division, Khabib is an impossible task for him, Ferguson likely finishes him. People will say the Mayweather money changed him, but Conor was always overrated and now the reality check is coming.
It blows my mind that people put any stock in those AKA training room stories. It doesn't matter what happens in the training room if Khabib can't finish Barboza or Iaquinta, or if he needs a gift decision to beat Tibau. What happens in the ring/cage is what matters, and although Khabib is one of a kind, he's human, and he's definitely not immune to defeat. Its actually kind of crazy, the boomerang effect from Conor losing. I thought that when he lost it would silence all his nuthuggers and the combat sports world would have a few months of objectivity. Instead all the Conor nuthugging has been replaced with an equally frenzied infatuation with Khabib. I guess that's the 1st law of ESB thermodynamics: every nuthugging action is met by an equal and opposite nuthugging reaction. Like I said in my first post, I'm actually a big Khabib fan myself and I'm basically a Conor hater, but the level of mental gymnastics you need to go through to believe that Khabib was playing with Conor in round three to get the knockout is amazing. You mean to tell me Khabib was trying to kayo Conor when he was frantically clinging to Conor's hips/legs ? Its true Conor was overrated, but that's just because the hype reached insane proportions. You can be overrated but still be an elite fighter. That's the case with Conor, and now, thanks to worshipful fans like Gennady, that's the case with Khabib as well.
I still believe Conor is capable of beating Khabib but I am way less confident then I was before there 1st fight, as well as improving his cardio I think it would be a big advantage for Conor to have Gunnar Nelson back to help him prepare this time.
Conor has no more than a 10 % chance to beat Khabib and it needs to be in the 1st rd on the feet. Basically it won't happen and I have ZERO interest in a rematch. I would much rather Conor fight someone like Anthony Pettis next.
Of course he could. But I don't know if that fight will ever happen again. Mcgregor needs fights, to my eye. He was stiff and slow against Khabib. His movement wasn't what it had.been. But he might never fight again. If he does, and he's about anything more than money, he needs to get back to living in the gym. Then it could be a match. But he's probably done.
