I am not going to lie, I feared that Conor was going to get his momentum in the 3rd

[ImNotSurpisedDonks!]

That was the gameplan: withstand the mauling like Al but hope your stand up is still there when Khabib predictably fades in the third (which he always does, from Al, Barboza and Khabib fights).
Problem was, Conor was too gassed and his punches were not there.
The next gameplan should be the opposite: avoid mauling and try to knock him out early not late.