it absolutely could play out that way.
the first round should be very telling in terms of whether Conor can land anything of consequence and if Khabib is able to close the distance and get the TD.
I don't see there being a big advantage for Khabib if the fight drags out. Sure, Conor MIGHT gas...but Khabib will not be landing the way Nate was landing, so that is a HUGE assumption to make.
I would like to see Khabib try to get him down early and then stray from focusing so much on positional control and instead take more chances to try and finish Conor ASAP.
the longer the fight goes, the more chances Conor has to land a fight-changing bomb, so I hope Khabib more prioritizes a quick finish rather than believing that a 'whole-fight beatdown' (like he put on MJ and Barbosa) is a viable game plan against Conor. I really don't think it is.