Honestly I see Conor trying to finish him in the first like he tries in all his fights that way he can say he finished Floyd faster than Floyd finished him.True. But, as much we love to think Conor fights for Sherdog's honor/oppinion, I think he'd do it for dat extra $100 mill and carry Floyd till an UD, if needed.
Actually he defends clinches the same way Conor does, by framing, which is a very viable means of defense. Leg kicks are a different stroy of course but he does have good tools for the clinch.Floyd would get the legs kicked the shit out of him & he has no answer for a muay thai clinch
Think about it, if Floyd can some how defend the kicks, and use his speed, and head movement, he can tee off on Conor especially since Conor's stamina is shit.
Conor should win unless Floyd could develop a decent kick defense game then sure it could be interesting. Floyd still has a massive speed, striking, footwork, and cardio advantage.
Too many what ifs to be 100% about anything.
Dude. Im a boxing guy, and a Conor "disliker", (not a hater). But Floyds particular boxing style would suck in mma, as he relies alot on tying up, and clinches for breaks. And ducking low to defend, thats not a good idea.Conventional boxing defense really requires the large gloves for full effectiveness. The Philly Shell absolutely requires big gloves for full effectiveness.
Floyd would POSSIBLY get kicked left and right, and it would be interesting to see how he reacts.
I don't think it'd be as one sided as a lot of you guys think though. His hand speed, conditioning ETC all still are gigantic factors.
How is it a "muay thai fight"? Im mean yea, all strikes would be legal, but gloves are mma, in a cage..Thinking about it more, this is a pretty weird proposition. You would have two non-Muay-Thai fighters competing in a Muay Thai fight. That is arguably even more obsurd than Conor/Mayweather, which at least had one guy actually competing in his own sport.
The statement was completely hypothetical and you're taking this too seriously. Basic kicking defense if not that complicated. The big challenge is getting used to the range difference and reading movements. Actually defending is not hard and reflexes still aid in this.Learning how to defend kicks is a little more complicated than that. The moment you start to block them one way, your opponent will start throwing them another. It's an entire game inside of itself. That's like saying Conor should learn how to defend Floyd's punches. Floyd isn't experienced enough in the game to defend against Conor's efficiently, or any MMA fighter's for that matter.
... Yeah okFloyd would die if he took a leg kick or teep to the gut
The statement was completely hypothetical and you're taking this too seriously. Basic kicking defense if not that complicated. The big challenge is getting used to the range difference and reading movements. Actually defending is not hard and reflexes still aid in this.
Also there will never be a never ending storm of kicks that is mind-blowingly hard to defend. There is always a recovery period that needs to be taken after throwing kicks to adjust your range and regain your balance. Throwing kick after kick after kick is just a terrible idea.
Not saying Floyd can do this. I'm just saying you're being a bit too rigid in your thinking. (Especially with the "any mma fighter" comment. Nothing is cut and dry)
Developing a basic kicking defense is not rocket science but it isn't easy either. Same with basic boxing defense.
There are plenty of fighters who have deficits in one area but use their overwhelming strength in others to make up for it. Given time or assuming he's already started training(in this hypothetical scenario) Floyd would could very well use his foot work to supplement certain, more technical, aspects of kicking defense. It would not be world class by any means but Conor's kicking game isn't particularly devastating and has been known to burn through that fuel tank of his. It is unlikely, but possible for Floyd to polish his defense enough to, once again, last until Conor tires himself out. Get by on points then go for the kill in later rounds.A basic kicking defense isn't going to cut it at the highest level, especially when your opponent will be training to specifically target those holes. Maybe he could do this on a regional level. And I know people on here like to say that Conor only uses his left hand, but the reality is that he's a really proficient kicker when he needs to be. And it's not just the kicks. It's knees, elbows, all of that from the clinch, etc.
Floyd wouldn't be able to train for it unless you're giving him a lot of time. The same time that he doesn't have at fourty years of age.
There are plenty of fighters who have deficits in one area but use their overwhelming strength in others to make up for it. Given time or assuming he's already started training(in this hypothetical scenario) Floyd would could very well use his foot work to supplement certain, more technical, aspects of kicking defense. It would not be world class by any means but Conor's kicking game isn't particularly devastating and has been known to burn through that fuel tank of his. It is unlikely, but possible for Floyd to polish his defense enough to, once again, last until Conor tires himself out. Get by on points then go for the kill in later rounds.
Unlikely to say the least but possible.
As for the clinch game, I'm not that worried about it. Floyd already has a food framing tactic to avoid clinches which would still be functional in MMA. It could be polished to be more effective.
And of course time is fleeting and Floyd doesn't have time to learn but it's all what ifs anyway so why not entertain the idea?
Besides, who knows if Floyd's been secretly training his MMA game for years. Crazier things have happened lol.
You lost me at somehow defend the kicksThink about it, if Floyd can some how defend the kicks, and use his speed, and head movement, he can tee off on Conor especially since Conor's stamina is shit.
Wow man, you're no fun.And there are very few of these fighters at the highest level. Make no mistake about it, Conor submits most fighters at the level of MMA that Floyd is at. Set him or most UFC / Bellator fighters loose in a regional promotion and even if they're strikers they'll look like Demian Maia. Floyd's brand footwork and head movement will mostly work against him in the setting of MMA. It's a game that relies a great deal on the size of boxing gloves and (though to a lesser degree) the stability shoes.
And I disagree. Conor's kicking game doesn't have to be devastating on an elite level (like Barboza or Crocop) to destroy Floyd Mayweather. Nor do his knees. Or his elbows. Look at how he faired against his regional opposition, or Max Holloway. Or Chad Mendes. Or Nate Diaz. And I highly, highly doubt Floyd survives for long enough to see a gassed Conor. A better question - will Conor gas? We've seen Floyd tire him out by forcing him to waste punches on the girth of his gloves. But he won't have these gloves in MMA. All of the nuances that allowed him to outsmart boxers will be different. The roles will change and Conor will have the advantage here. The other time McGregor gassed out was against Nate Diaz, who exhausted Conor with his height, length, size (leaning on him in the clinch), and attrition - none of which Floyd would have in MMA. We have far more evidence to suggest Conor wouldn't gas against an opponent whose so much smaller and so much less skilled in this sport.
So why don't we go all out and just say they train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and fix all of their holes? Because we're trying to be somewhat realistic with this. We're debating as if this were to occur in reality.
Who knows if Conor's been secretly training his kicks with Bruce Lee (who it turns out isn't dead and has been in hiding all these years) and he becomes a master? You see what I'm getting at?
Wow man, you're no fun.
Yes there are indeed "levels to this shit". As I said the probability of the picture I'm painting is very very very very unlikely. I just don't think it'd be as clear as most people think. Floyd is smart. If he planed on going into MMA he would have started training when negotiations started. Floyd's greatest attribute is his work ethic and planning.
If the fight were to happen the game plan would be the same with two exceptions. Don't walk straight forward and dig to the body more. Force Conor to gas instead of just letting him do it on his own.
At the least Floyd needs to be able to get the distance down and defend for long enough for the field to level out a bit more.
There are many boxes that must be checked for Floyd to have any success but under these rules...it's not outside the relhm of possibility.
No. He would set his distance it’s side, leg, feel kicks and disrupt movement and break pace to land his clean left.