In the eyes of most people, Conor McGregor has never lost a press conference.
What do I mean by that?
I mean that most people would agree that McGregor has won the upper hand over the majority of his opponents by the time the press conference finishes. And for most of his fights I would agree, but for two fights I do not.
His first fight against Nate Diaz; and today against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
I imagine that most McGregor fans would disagree with me on this topic. It’s true, McGregor has a gift. A gift to truly connect with people, get into his opponents head, and convince fans that he can do anything; topped with the fact that most of the time he’s correct in his predictions. However, in the first Diaz fight press conference and today with Nurmagomedov, I didn’t see a glimmer of doubt or fear in them.
It’s true that you don’t have to be scared to get your ass kicked; but I believe that someone who isn’t afraid of Conor, scares Conor.
There were definitely moments in the conference that I thought McGregor had the upper hand. For me, those moments were when Khabib really engaged with McGregor. However, Khabib addressed real thoughts towards McGregor’s weaknesses. Addressing his wrestling and ground game (Which I have also voiced my concerns regarding McGregor). Oh and let’s not forget about how many times McGregor plugged his new whiskey brand. You’re not fighting for the money? Yeah, sure man.
The fact of the matter is that this fight isn’t interesting because Conor can hype a fight or that he has millions in support behind him. It’s interesting and intriguing because these guys are the absolute best at what they do. And I don’t mean complete MMA fighter by any means. I mean striker vs. wrestler/grappler.
This classic matchup between striker vs. grappler may finally witness the best of both arts. The question will be who can execute their strength first, and if something goes wrong can that person adapt. If Conor cracks Khabib in the face, will he still be able to move forward; and if Conor finds himself on his back, will he be able to weather the storm and get back to his feet. Sorry McGregor fans but I favor Khabib in this fight.
Say what you will about Conor’s striking (which I realize is top notch) but Conor has never done well off his back. His MMA grappling and wrestling are average at best for this level of competition.
Another aspect of the press conference that was interesting was how many times Conor stuttered on his words. In the past, his trash talk was much more articulate, smooth and clever. I didn’t see that on Thursday. He actually sounded a bit tipsy at times, which shouldn’t surprise me considering the fact that he was drinking his whiskey throughout the conference.
I’ve said in the past that I feel that McGregor is overrated. At the end of the day if you’re a one trick pony eventually someone will figure you out. I think that Khabib’s superior wrestling/ grappling makes for a bad matchup for Conor. That being said, don’t blink on October 6th because McGregor does hit insanely hard.
