UFC 229: Khabib vs McGregor Prediction and Info Thread

[Hydrogen]

I think there's a chance Conor McGregor damaged his heart/cardiovascular system from doing cocaine et al. Coke abuse is associated with reduced heart function and decreased capacity to circulate blood. The same can be said of steroids and some PED's. If this is true, it means Conor might need an early finish to win the fight. It also means Conor will get tired much faster than normal if Khabib is able to get the clinch position, hold Conor against the cage or force Conor to repeatedly defend takedowns.

Conor didn't seem like himself during the press conference. It may be that Conor is aware of all of these things. He's seeing his cardio decline from alcohol and substance abuse. Promoting whisky could mean that Conor is already looking at life past fighting as if his career were over.

I'm picking Khabib to win. I know that Conor is a very, very, good fighter. But Conor hasn't shown that one punch KO power @ 155 pounds. It took him a number of punches to finally finish Eddie Alvarez. Like Daniel Cormier said about his fights with Anthony Johnson, his focus was on not letting Rumble land the follow up shot to get the KO. I think Khabib fighting out of AKA and training with DC, will follow suit. His goal will be to not let Conor land more than one punch before Khabib gets the clinch. I don't think Conor has the power to get it done with 1 punch. And so I think Khabib is winning this.

[1714670637]

1714670637

[btc_angela]

McGregor should start strong with Khabib and he needs to knock him out on the first 2 rounds. if this match will go to 3rd round or more, Khabib will have a chance to win this using his wrestling skills but again that is if Khabib can get away from the heavy hands of McGregor in the first 2 rounds. Look at the fight between McGregor and Diaz, McGregor looks like he is running out of gas on the 4th to 5th round on their 2nd fight but he still managed to pull a win.

That is the fight that I questioned McGregor stamina, he really looks gas out with the Diaz fight that's why Khabib might have a chance if the fight goes to distance specially if he takes down McGregor to put pressure. I have no question that Khabib's stamina is great but he needs to be careful coming in, he might not get KO or KD if McGregor hits him. But usually when fighters taste the power of his opponent all game plans changes. So its really a intriguing fight to analyse and make our bet.

[tokeweed]

So here are some 'fight studies' I found about Khabib at BJJ Scout's YT channel.  A couple could be outdated, but the info in there are still relevant imo.

I hope this brings more indepth and smarter discussions.  Enjoy! 

BJJ Scout:  Khabib Study 1 - Three Headed Hybrid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FrjANY1T40

BJJ Scout:  Khabib Study 2 - Cage Takedown Tactics and Counters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbM-lv-7BQE

BJJ Scout:  Khabib Study 3 - Footwork vs McGregor's Counter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7jYHLNvqko

[bbc.reporter]

I think there's a chance Conor McGregor damaged his heart/cardiovascular system from doing cocaine et al. Coke abuse is associated with reduced heart function and decreased capacity to circulate blood. The same can be said of steroids and some PED's. If this is true, it means Conor might need an early finish to win the fight. It also means Conor will get tired much faster than normal if Khabib is able to get the clinch position, hold Conor against the cage or force Conor to repeatedly defend takedowns.

Ok, I reckon I already read that assumption from you before. But in any case, if Conor wins what would that say about Khabib? That someone with a cocaine and an alcohol addiction problem can beat him, or are the stories of his addiction untrue hehehe.

Also, is Khabib as tenacious as Nate? No, I reckon.

@btc_angela. But how is Khabib's chin?

[btc_angela]

I think there's a chance Conor McGregor damaged his heart/cardiovascular system from doing cocaine et al. Coke abuse is associated with reduced heart function and decreased capacity to circulate blood. The same can be said of steroids and some PED's. If this is true, it means Conor might need an early finish to win the fight. It also means Conor will get tired much faster than normal if Khabib is able to get the clinch position, hold Conor against the cage or force Conor to repeatedly defend takedowns.

Ok, I reckon I already read that assumption from you before. But in any case, if Conor wins what would that say about Khabib? That someone with a cocaine and an alcohol addiction problem can beat him, or are the stories of his addiction untrue hehehe.

Also, is Khabib as tenacious as Nate? No, I reckon.

@btc_angela. But how is Khabib's chin?

Never been tested as far as I know so its looks solid at this point. That's why I also wanted for McGregor to test it and see it if holds. hehehe.

[crwth]

So here are some 'fight studies' I found about Khabib at BJJ Scout's YT channel.  A couple could be outdated, but the info in there are still relevant imo.

I hope this brings more indepth and smarter discussions.  Enjoy! 

BJJ Scout:  Khabib Study 1 - Three Headed Hybrid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FrjANY1T40

BJJ Scout:  Khabib Study 2 - Cage Takedown Tactics and Counters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbM-lv-7BQE

BJJ Scout:  Khabib Study 3 - Footwork vs McGregor's Counter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7jYHLNvqko

This is really an exciting thing to watch. I haven't finished everything yet but the video is informative regarding Khabib (nermy (?)) lol. You would know how he becomes a greater fighter and how he changed over time. The improvements are a lot 

[Hydrogen]

Ok, I reckon I already read that assumption from you before. But in any case, if Conor wins what would that say about Khabib? That someone with a cocaine and an alcohol addiction problem can beat him, or are the stories of his addiction untrue hehehe.

Also, is Khabib as tenacious as Nate? No, I reckon.

If Conor wins, it depends upon how he wins.

Khabib is a far superior wrestler to Nate Diaz, both in his athleticism and his technique. That's the most obvious and glaring difference. One thing that is certain about Khabib is, he hasn't absorbed much damage in his fights. He hasn't taken many punches, elbows or kicks. There could be two sides to that good and bad. The good side is, Khabib's chin is likely to be in good shape. The bad side is, Khabib's body might be suspect due to him not taking many body shots and it not being tested.

Conor always praises his coach John Kavanagh. Looking @ Conor's team of guys trained by John Kavanagh however, they are suspect in their wrestling and grappling. You can see it in Artem Lobov's fights where he freezes when he's on the ground or winds up in a grappling situation--example his fight with Ryan Hall. A lot of SBG Ireland fighters have little confidence in their ground game and it shows. That could be a tremendous obstacle for Conor to overcome, especially against someone like Khabib who specializes in that area.

[NightSabre]

Hey guys, here are some interesting vids to watch before making any bets.  Lol.  These are not some UFC promotional hype videos that make you mess with your picks and making you them.    These are made by real martial artists, analyzing their moves, tactics, etc.  Enjoy...

BJJ Scout:  McGregor Study 1 - Left Hand Overview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvc3D2d_SCE

BJJ Scout:  McGregor Study 2 - Cage Craft
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh7ZDuC77gY

BJJ Scout:  McGregor Study 3 - Footwork, Balance, Timing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyQ6aiKn6VA

Here's one of Khabib, but I'll look for more.

BJJ Scout:  Khabib Meta Study - Combat Sambo in MMA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5P-N7L1qu8

Those were really interesting thank you for sharing!

I think I'm going to go McGregor under 2.5 rounds but I know I'm probably betting with my heart rather than my head. Old Kebab will probably take it by judges decision.

[tokeweed]

Cool...  I'm glad some of you love the vids.  Now time to go watch some of the 'tapes' of their bouts, before we get to the promotional hype stuff.  Lol.

UFC McGregor vs Diaz 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlxgOub5dsk

UFC McGregor vs Chad Mendes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alvsnk3PDTg

Khabib vs Michael Johnson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y99mVdUYoqg

UFC Khabib vs Barboza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsLSxHxxWRQ

I think these matches are the most relevant ones for the McGregor - Khabib match up.  Feel free to add more tho.  

[Theb]

McGregor's only hope is if he takes this fight into his own game which he needs to be standing up right with both of his hands prepared to strike a KO, that is if he is smart to do so or if his body can, it also depends on how Khabib will play this out. McGregor is really the underdog here as his last match in the octagon being two years will really put him in a disadvantage in terms of experience and him having a big break in his pro mma career will also be a big factor as his fight IQ might not be as good as Khabib's. It would be a miracle to see him win this bout.

[DarkDays]

McGregor should start strong with Khabib and he needs to knock him out on the first 2 rounds. if this match will go to 3rd round or more, Khabib will have a chance to win this using his wrestling skills but again that is if Khabib can get away from the heavy hands of McGregor in the first 2 rounds. Look at the fight between McGregor and Diaz, McGregor looks like he is running out of gas on the 4th to 5th round on their 2nd fight but he still managed to pull a win.

True, I think that McGregor will need to go for a standing KO, try to keep it on their feet because Khabib will dominate him on the ground.

I expect that McGregor will recognize this and try to stay up, though no doubt Khabib is going to take it to the ground. Either way, McGregor can handle himself well on the ground, but I doubt he will last too long if it goes down multiple times.

I'm going to predict submission by Khabib in round 3.

[Sukut]

McGregor should start strong with Khabib and he needs to knock him out on the first 2 rounds. if this match will go to 3rd round or more, Khabib will have a chance to win this using his wrestling skills but again that is if Khabib can get away from the heavy hands of McGregor in the first 2 rounds. Look at the fight between McGregor and Diaz, McGregor looks like he is running out of gas on the 4th to 5th round on their 2nd fight but he still managed to pull a win.

True, I think that McGregor will need to go for a standing KO, try to keep it on their feet because Khabib will dominate him on the ground.

I expect that McGregor will recognize this and try to stay up, though no doubt Khabib is going to take it to the ground. Either way, McGregor can handle himself well on the ground, but I doubt he will last too long if it goes down multiple times.

I'm going to predict submission by Khabib in round 3.

Khabib can take it down in just 1 but you know, show business..

[darklus123]

On stats, we can really see the difference but Conor wont really be on that position if hes not capable 

Conor really has only few advantages than Khabib does. However if we are going to look at the  punch power of Mcgregor 9.4, only a slight of hands can end this much and that what makes him very dangerous.

That punch as well also destroys alot of fighters

[nydiacaskey01]

If this fight turns out very well with good gate receipts and ppv, Dana White may play along with the hype of this fight and turn this into a trilogy just like the other fights in UFC that turns out like Dana's cash machine. We all know that McGregor is dana's cash cow, but he also needs to look for other fighters that can deliver great results like McGregor. Khabib maybe a good candidate for that.

[btctalk4life]

Btw, still no update about UFC embedded vlog series for UFC 229 on youtube?

[NightSabre]

Anyone see the rumours about the announcement of the new 165lb weight 'superfighter' class?

Theres speculation that if Connor wins against Khabib he'll be put forward for the new title against Nate

[tokeweed]

^  The UFC denied it.  Tho Poirier and Diaz are basically campaigning for it on Instagram.  Come to think of it, it's actually good for the UFC.  They'll get that bridge between 170 and 155 where Woodley (who's at 170) and McGregor or Khabib (155) could fight for another title.  

And both 170 and 155 are both pretty stacked.  I wish they make room and do it.

[NightSabre]

Aww I didn't realise it had already been denied. I was actually looking forward to a new class. At the moment the gap between 155 and 170 means fighters seem to struggle to move up.

Bloody Nate trolling again 

[bitcoinmaster44]

Am I the only one who wants McGregor to lose?

[Hydrogen]

Nice. Every fight fans has been waiting for this fight to happen in ages. And they're going at it for years now. I'm leaning towards Khabib here, overall he has the tools specially his wrestling and grappling. Its going to be entertaining fight so let's see how Conor prepare for this one, as we all know that Khabib is a different animal specially if he control Conor on the ground for the duration of the fight.

On stats, we can really see the difference but Conor wont really be on that position if hes not capable  

That info comes from cagerank's site:

http://cagerank.com/HR5K.G1zC/Conor-McGregor-vs-Khabib-Nurmagomedov

Its a great website, unfortunately the data it uses hasn't been updated in around 5+ years. Not as accurate as we would like.

Btw, still no update about UFC embedded vlog series for UFC 229 on youtube?

The embedded series will be out next week(the week of the fight). This week only has bellator 206 Rory MacDonald vs Gegard Mousasi scheduled for saturday september 29th.

Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov is next week on october 6th.