Conor McGregor ; New Version Compared To Old Version

[Deleted member 545701]

That's fucked up. Where did he say that?

 

[IloveTHIS]

Conor is going to get that rematch and obliterate Khabib

 

[Deleted member 506663]

 

[KantoTerror]

He faced a different fighter....There was no threat of takedown from Aldo...
Khabib let everyone know what he would do...and even then...Conor can't do shit about it...

 

[KantoTerror]

im a khabib fanboy but

 

[aali14]

It's called fear of the takedown. Goodness...

 

[Scottish Redcoat]

This is going to be a long post but this is for the people who want to consider a more intellectual, nuanced position on Conor McGregor's belief in himself and the fact that he didn't look his best against Khabib.

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Conor looked different because he has lost his supernatural belief in himself and in visualization.

A few years ago you used to hear him talk about visualization, how "if you see it, have courage to speak it, you are creating that law of attraction and it will happen". His confidence was based on a belief that he simply couldn't be beaten due to a supernatural quality of "manifestation" that exists in the universe. This carried him all the way to the Aldo victory. Look at how he is in the cage for the Aldo fight, zero nerves, calm, visibly relaxed.

However since the Diaz loss and the Mayweather loss, he knew that he could lose, that his visualizations could be wrong. People say that he didn't really think he could beat Mayweather, that it was all for money, but that's not true. He really did believe he would win. He visualized it, yet he was wrong.

Now he knows deep in his heart that he can be wrong, that he can lose. His belief has gone from "This is pre-ordained, I am a supernatural manifester using the law of attraction" to "I have a great left hand and a great fighter, if I hit them I will win, let's have a knock".

His self belief is now based in the mundane physical reality. That's why he looked off. He no longer thinks a higher power is at work- He knows that he is alone, that he alone must do the work, that he alone has to fight through the pain. There is no God-mind manifesting his visualizations into reality, there's just space and time and the movements he chooses to make within it.

He was nervous before the Khabib fight because in his soul, he knew that Khabib was a legitimate threat. And his physiology reflected that. When Eddie fought Conor, it was obvious that Eddie was not THERE fully, he had a gameplan yet he simply couldn't adhere to it because he was stunned by the reality of it, by the reality of having McGregor in front of him throwing hands. The scene became hyper-real, and Eddie froze. He fought at a fraction of his capacity because his mind just wasn't prepared for the reality of Conor landing that left hand, and once Conor cracked him, Eddie realized "it's real, the left hand is real, what they say about this guy is true".

I believe the same happened to Conor. I believe that when he felt Khabib he realized "what they all said about his pressure, his ability, it is all true, the hype is true". After the first round, he is extremely afraid of being taken down, because he now knows experientially that Khabib's grappling ability is for real, and that's how Khabib had the opening for the right hand that dropped him.

Conor looked off because he wasn't in a flow state, due to SHOCK at the reality of the situation, of having Khabib actually in front of him and taking him down. Normally Conor is in a flow state, that's how he slips his shots in so quickly, how he knocked out Aldo. He's fully aware and in the moment. But the reality of the Khabib situation took him out of that flow state, and he went into his conscious thoughts.

There are many factors that could have led to this; feeling Khabib's grappling, basic nerves, a loss of self belief due to the Diaz and Mayweather loss, but also, we have to consider that Conor is now operating in an entirely different context than his previous fights.

In his previous fights he was "yet to be proven", the McGregor hype train and his infamy developed over time due to the fact that he kept delivering on his promises, but after each fight lay ahead a much harder challenge. People would dismiss his chances, and when he delivered again, his stock would rise. Over his FW run, this process of steadily beating better and better opponents, combined with his predictions, made him famous, culminating in his finest moment with the Aldo knockout.

In that context, he was on a mission to prove himself to the world.

Then he used his fame from the FW run, Diaz rivalry and Alvarez knockout to establish himself as a pop-culture figure, fully crossing over into the mainstream culture with the Mayweather fight. So the context he fought Khabib in is one of not being the young kid on the up and up, but being an established pop-culture figure.

He is in a defensive position, trying to defend his position as a pop-culture icon, whereas before it was him against the world. His mentality before was "I'll show them, I'll rise to the top", now it is "I'm a the top, better not slip". Before he was the cocky Irish kid eager to prove himself and prove the haters wrong. Now he's walking into the arena with fucking Drake.

These subtle changes in context and situational awareness resulted in Conor not being in a flow state for the Khabib fight, and fighting to only 30% of his ability.

IMO, the Conor that fought Alvarez still loses to Khabib but he at least lands some better shots, flush lefts, etc, before finally being submitted.

Are you Mindsmash?

 

[Whoa Nelly]

dark eyed calm locker-room conor
vs
ANYBODY

 

[Fantasy]

I think he’s hurt or something. Bad knee, bad back, something’s not right with him.

 

[MMouse]

205 Conor destroys Khabib.

Strong cope

 

[migeru29]

View attachment 450841
Where was this wide bouncy foot work in and out movement? He was smiling and laughing while in a striking exchange with someone who hadn't lost for 10 years
View attachment 450843
Where was dark eyed lazer focused Conor in the walkout?
View attachment 450845
He could barely make eye contact with the camera in the 229 walkout and his focus was elsewhere
View attachment 450847
It seems like this was no longer a "this is my octagon" kind of ritual that he did before 229, he was just going through the motions
View attachment 450853

There was definitely something much different in McGregors focus for this fight and it showed

I don't think he could find his own pace. Thoughts?

A great striker can't look the same can't fight the same against an elite wrestler. You didn't know this ? Pure common sense dude

 

[migeru29]

Khabib fucked him up on the feet in every exchange, he's not the conor mcgregor i used to know

No, you don't seem to understand. He got caught not because he's not the same striker but because when fighting an elite wrestler your to worry about the takedowns and clinch. He's simply not as efficient and that's why he got caught. Understand man don't be that deluded. Conor was fighting something new a fighter different in size, style and with such a dominant grappling, don't you really think just for a second that this might be the reason he looked "different"? Be honest with yourself man and be a little open minded. Aldo, Diaz, and Alvarez are completetely different fighters, you can't correlate with the past as your evidence.

 

[Hater Hater]

I thought he looked different too. I just went back and watched the Alvarez fight and he looked better physically in that fight. He seemed a bit soft vs Khabib and maybe a little bit of ring rust. Anyway, I hope he doesn't fight Khabib again right away. The man has something to be motivated for and hope we get to see the old Conor back soon. Pettis would be a good fight.

 

[Whoa Nelly]

Be honest with yourself dude and be a little open minded

true but it can also be true something wasn't right. And You be open minded about that as he just didn't look right, I'm talking ring walk, stare down all of it. The two things aren't exclusive. It seemed like a below par mcgregor and an amazing night's work from Khabib

 

[Hater Hater]

Consider a few things then, to expand the scope of what you think about in a fight.

This is his third fight at LW, with a bigger, stronger man.
Khabib's wrestling is unlike ANY fighter he's faced before, so extra caution is needed.
Conor may have gotten tired after the early takedown and grind.
TBH he may have ring rust as well.

See none of this involves screenshots and zooming at his face to "read" his emotions.

Oh for sure! Good chance Khabib beats any version of Conor we have seen. Still, I don't think his time away from the cage has done well by him. I hope he comes hungry and puts on a few good performances before he hangs them up. Also, I hope he stops with the bullshit outside the cage.

 

[Hater Hater]

McNuggets need to stfu with their crying and excuses already.. A dose of reality just neck cranked them into Bolivian and they still live in denial

Khabib is a better fighter than Conor, deal with it and move on

He was definitely better on that night, that we know. Khabib might be the best 155er we have ever seen for that matter.

 

[linch]

View attachment 450841
Where was this wide bouncy foot work in and out movement? He was smiling and laughing while in a striking exchange with someone who hadn't lost for 10 years
View attachment 450843
Where was dark eyed lazer focused Conor in the walkout?
View attachment 450845
He could barely make eye contact with the camera in the 229 walkout and his focus was elsewhere
View attachment 450847
It seems like this was no longer a "this is my octagon" kind of ritual that he did before 229, he was just going through the motions
View attachment 450853

There was definitely something much different in McGregors focus for this fight and it showed

I don't think he could find his own pace. Thoughts?

About the stance and bouncing back and forth, it would be very easy for khabib to grab that front leg, that's why he took more square stance against Khabib

 

[Hater Hater]

Be honest here, can u see THIS Conor getting dropped by that punch? Eddie posed TD threats and conor still didn't get touched that fight

View attachment 450891

Agreed! Also, look at Mcgregor physically here. In the Khabib fight, he looked softer.

 

[SoSoSmart]

im a khabib fanboy but I expected him to come out like he did in the MSG fight and he didnt really even look like he did for 196 either he just looked weird and soul less

Khabib fanboy. Conor av. Makes stupid thread full of Conor excuses. All checks out.

 

[Hater Hater]

No, you don't seem to understand. He got caught not because he's not the same striker but because when fighting an elite wrestler your to worry about the takedowns and clinch. He's simply not as efficient and that's why he got caught. Understand man don't be that deluded. Conor was fighting something new a fighter different in size, style and with such a dominant grappling, don't you really think just for a second that this might be the reason he looked "different"? Be honest with yourself man and be a little open minded. Aldo, Diaz, and Alvarez are completetely different fighters, you can't correlate with the past as your evidence.

OR, I am just going to throw this out there, he just came of a two year layoff, made a shit load of money in that time, and took the fight on 10 weeks notice. Now, I am not saying that your wrong, but you also have to admit that could have played a part here as well. Like I posted earlier, go look at the Alvarez fight and tell me that you think he looked the same physically and mentally.