You have to be able to throw it well. Eddie's stance isn't set up to be throwing body kicks and tbh he probably didn't trust his ability to kick without being countered. A guy like Barboza though..
Analysis of Alvarez vs McGregor
- Thread starter wilddeuces
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Barboza has the size, reach, kicks and ground game to give McGregor some real trouble. But I'm even more convinced Khabib would maul him. Even though he got rocked for a few seconds against MJ I don't see Khabib getting KO'd on the feet by McGregor, maybe knocked down but then he'd just resort to grappling and that would be the end of McChicken.
Trading with MJ was actually unnecessary of Khabib, he was just trying to prove he can stand and strike with a striker. His coaches told him in Russian between rounds to stop trying to play around striking and to finish the fight, and he then made it look easy.
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I don't really think Alvarez "gave up" on his kicks. He got dropped less than a minute into the first round and was clearing cobwebs out of his brain for the rest of the fight. Immediately after the first drop, Alvarez was totally pushed against the fence and Conor was jamming his kicks (Alvarez threw four in the final minute, they were all jammed up). The only thing that pushed Conor back was the takedown threat, but Conor was easily stuffing them because of his distance (and the fact that Alvarez doesn't really have that great of a shot and is more of a grab-you-down type of fighter) so Alvarez tried to strike in order to get McGregor thinking--- and McGregor would hit Alvarez every time.
It wasn't until two minutes into the second round where Alvarez said fuck it and began throwing, probably because at that point, everything was going wrong.
Before that, It wasn't like Alvarez was primarily punching, more that literally every time he attacked, he got tagged.
The only thing I don't get is Eddie continuously moving left. That's either an awful habit or maybe they wanted Alvarez to be in open position to throw kicks more. I don't know. Seems suicidal.
It wasn't until two minutes into the second round where Alvarez said fuck it and began throwing, probably because at that point, everything was going wrong.
Before that, It wasn't like Alvarez was primarily punching, more that literally every time he attacked, he got tagged.
The only thing I don't get is Eddie continuously moving left. That's either an awful habit or maybe they wanted Alvarez to be in open position to throw kicks more. I don't know. Seems suicidal.
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It would, and it would also force Conor to block the kicks which would put his arms out of position for responding with a quick counter. Either he blocks or his body starts taking damage and he gets his gas tank sucked dry.
Unfortunately body kicks aren't used much in MMA, mostly because there's a lot of wrestlers who'd be happy to catch a leg and get a takedown, but that's not a concern against Conor.
It takes a while to master that roundhouse to the body. Guys like Pettis or Barboza can just implement it to their game plans without much thought. A guy like Eddie would need much more than one training camp to safely through a roundhouse without getting countered by that big left hand.
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I largely agree but he doesn't need to be Yodsanklai, he just needs to make contact. If he's doing work at range and being defensively savy Alvarez could draw out Conors tendency to pressure and subsequently open him up to counters.
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Is McGOAT staying at Lightweight now?
I like to see Nurmagemedov get his career going again, and then lightweight will be stacked.
I like to see Nurmagemedov get his career going again, and then lightweight will be stacked.
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I don't think he was ever in a position where he was in trouble though. McG definitely hits harder for sure - but Johnson has a lot more speed/zip to his punches. They also strike very differently - M.Johnson tends to plant his feet & lower himself before throwing - McGregor on the other hand always stands tall whenever he throws those counters or lefts. If Khabib manages to scoot under - something he is imho the best at in mma (transitioning from striking to getting to your hips) - McGregor's habit of standing tall when striking will play to Khabib's strength.
Also the way they strike is radically different - M.Johnson & McGregor. McGregor is a lot longer & narrower with his stance placement - his lead leg is out there along with his lead hand - personally I wouldn't want my lead leg that far out against Khabib especially when he is so good at transitioning to grappling. Also McGregor imho doesn't really have a versatile shot selection either - all he really has is the spinning back kick, the left hand & the uppercut - from a striking perspective I feel he doesn't have the necessary effective shot selection to stop someone like Khabib getting under his hips - if Khabib gets low like he usually does what will he do - uppercut or left hand someone going under his hips? Even his teeps are meh.
Unless Khabib follows the Eddie/Aldo plan of abandoning your strengths/game plans - I don't see him playing to Conor's strengths. I think Conor does such a great job of fucking with people that when they get into the octagon they are overtaken by the occasion - for some fighters they have I don't give a fuck attitude - Nate Diaz is one of them - Ferguson & Khabib also have similar mentalities.
Also last thing - Khabib mainly got hit when he exchanged but let's be clear a lot of those punches didn't hit him 100% - so his judging of striking distance seems to be on point. Also most of the hits he got were during striking exchanges where he stood at range & exchanged - when he was looking to strike & close the distance and transition to grappling he got hit very little in fact I'd say he barely got touched and if I'm McGregor that would be worrying.
Also Khabibs top game is the best I've seen in MMA. It's by no means an easy fight for McGregor - of course McGregor could touch him with that left & take him out. But I feel as though Khabib won't be as stupid as Eddie or Aldo - nor will the occasion get to him.
Tony is a wildcard for sure and he does get hit often - but I think Conor struggles with rangier fighters and Ferguson has reach on him & knows how to use his range well imo. Plus he has a chin on him, seems durable & is a mastermind on the ground. If he goes in & sticks to a game-plan he could give McGregor problems.
At the moment it's hard to judge how good McGregor is imho because apart from Nate, no-one has tested him yet and it's not because they aren't competitive - it's like they lose their composure & leave their brains at the door of the cage.
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That would be an amazing fight. It's too bad Barboza's chin is weak and he tends to get drawn into brawls. He'd destroy Conor's lead leg and probably submit him.
Thats the thing with fighting. Its very easy to get swept by your own emotions in a fight (especially a fight IF this magnitude). A lot of people on this forum seem so surprised by what happens to these guys when they fight Conor but the Truth is that they've never fought on this stage and it clearly affects them.
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Ferguson is the most interesting match up, for me. If Connor does not have the ability to crack that chin in the first 2 rounds it's going to be a hard night, working the body might be the best game plan.
If Khabib sticks to his bread and butter and does not try to play striker I can see him pulling off the finish if it hits the ground.
I think it's the reason Khabib is fighting Ferguson first. The UFC will line Connor up for another "Super fight" after his layoff for his baby break and then it's going to be another wait until either Ferguson or Khabib get a sniff at that belt......and this is just the light weight belt!! don't see him defending the other one anytime soon!!
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I think the Khabib fight is going to be rather boring. Either Conor completely wrecks him on the feet, or Khabib completely wrecks him on the ground.
I'd rather see Conor fight Ferguson, who is more versatile than Khabib, and also rangier than McGregor -- we already know he destroys shorter fighters, so seeing him fight taller ones is interesting. There'd be exciting exchanges on the feet, not just one fighter doing his best to keep it standing and one fighter doing his best to get it to the ground.
I'd rather see Conor fight Ferguson, who is more versatile than Khabib, and also rangier than McGregor -- we already know he destroys shorter fighters, so seeing him fight taller ones is interesting. There'd be exciting exchanges on the feet, not just one fighter doing his best to keep it standing and one fighter doing his best to get it to the ground.
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Everyone is overlooking Ferguson but they shouldn't. He can really give McGregor problems if he game plans right. He's got a chin, rangier & versatile with his techniques.
I think Khabib will be alright even if he plays striker - what he shouldn't do is forget that he's there to win not to fight. In the M.Johnson fight he got caught in exchanges because he sat right at the edge of M.Johnson's range when he should have been closing the distance & pressuring - when he sat back that's when he got caught with punches. When he's pressuring he gets hit a lot less because the person opposite has to consider the threat of the takedown or being clinched - this is when Khabib striking comes into play and where he excels with his transitions from punching to grappling.
He should stick to his bread & butter. The worst thing any short fighter can do is sit at the edge of range & exchange - you'll only get picked off. As long as he doesn't do that with Conor - I think he'll be good.
Khabib is a lot more slicker than Alvarez at closing distance - whereas Alvarez frequently gets smacked closing distance - Khabib doesn't as much - nowhere near the amount Alvarez does - in fact I think Khabib gets hit a lot less closing distance than anyone else in the lightweight division. He's extremely good at it.
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Against orthodox / right handed fighters ,moving to your right side moves you out of the opponents power hand and outside their jab, while putting you in a position to strike.
against a southpaw / unorthodox / lefthanded fighters it does the opposite- puts you right in line for a straight left and offers a better angle for a right/ lead hook
i imagine that after years ajd years of only sparring and training with orthodox fighters, that when he got tagged, he boxed instinctively which would have helped EXCEPT this time the opppnent was a southpaw.
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Yeah, the easiest explanation is that combo that dropped Alvarez in the first 50 seconds of the match wobbled him so hard, he never fully recovered. Scary hands, Conor has.
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People thought Jones was the best thing since sliced bread in any aspect of mma and were writing Gus off before their fight.
Never underestimate how fighting someone their own size has a strange habit of making really good fighters seem ordinary if they are rangy and used to having a reach advantage.
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Moving left wouldn't had made a difference since Alvarez was constantly losing the outside angle with his lead hand. The foot position isn't what really matters against a southpaw
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The difference in that comparison is that Gus is the one with good boxing fundamentals. Not Bones.
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the foot positioning gives you the angle
the hand positioning is dynamic and controls lead hand dominance
Lol if people in this thread are baffled at how his opponents fight him, imagine how they feel watching the tape!
It's a combination of the mental games, the pressure, the feints, the footwork, the control of distance and especially the power. As Eddie Alvarez can tell you, there's the theory of fighting McGregor and then there's the reality of fighting McGregor.
It's a combination of the mental games, the pressure, the feints, the footwork, the control of distance and especially the power. As Eddie Alvarez can tell you, there's the theory of fighting McGregor and then there's the reality of fighting McGregor.
