Chael: "When i watch conors skillset from television, i think its weird"

[vcmmafan]

Conor has flaws in technique but has other things that clearly make up for it

 

[Cooliox]

Conor doesn't have good defense. 2-week Mendes was catching him with lunging overhands...

Conor however, does have a great chin... at 145 at least. But we know he was the much bigger guy in that division.

Relying on your chin, is not a good long term strategy. This is why Conor will not surpass any long-term records. He can history like 2 division champ... when its given to him in a shortcut manner, without actually having to defend titles...

So all in all, Conor has been in 2 championship UFC fights... and yes, he looked great against Aldo and Alvarez... but he also panicked against short-notice Nate Diaz after eating a 1-2, and got finished.

If he fought more often, more fights would got that way, especially above 145 where his size advantage cannot be maximized/

 

[Verace]

there are some other examples but I couldn't find a decent gif and am too lazy to search for one.

I personally wouldn't describe Conor as a dangerous kicker but they are still an important part of his game to set up his punches, mix up his timing and generally to disrupt his oponents timing etc.

but I disagree, they are a threat. getting hit on the chin with a shin is never fun. and just like "the threat of the takedown" helps grapplers land strikes on much better strikers the threat of high kicks helps Conor set up and land his other attacks.

he also used body kicks very effective against Mendes and landed a lot of front leg side kicks to the leg of Max Holloway.

again, he is no Crocop but his kicks are an important part of his game imo

Yes, ill agree he has effective body kicks.

But as you mentioned the "threat of a kick"

I would argue that works againt him actually... Because It opens him up for a takedown

In fact this is probably why we dont see more of it from him

 

[vcmmafan]

He has only fought one fighter with equal or greater reach

 

[Gilday]

He's not a well rounded MMA fighter and a lot of the guys he's beaten have better MMA technique, that being said what Conor does best nobody does better

His boxing is the best in the division, both FW and LW, and his timing and accuracy especially on counters is ridiculous

What Conor has you can't really teach, you can either see the openings like he does or you don't

 

[Verace]

Mcg defo isn't a kicker, wrestler or grappler...
Im sure he'd be the first to admit that boxing is his go to, hence him being the one to get the pro debut from ufc.
But he does use them and I believe he uses them more to try and control distance, guard and defend takedowns...

Anyway, this took about 5 seconds to find after googling Mcg kicks.

They are repeating the same kicks multiple times from different angles here

And also, mini Mendes and seiver are very short. He wont have that at 155 anymore

Yeah It isnt an inexistant weapon in his game. But i dont think thats what his opponents are mostly worried about

 

[bigeastgi43]

Everybody doesn't fight the same. Also, you're being a little hard on him lol.

"His chin is up and his hands are down. Guys thats really bad. If you are an aspiring fighter, do not copy. But there are certain guys that come along over time that do break that rule and go a long way with it"

I have to fully agree with chael here. This has always been baffling to me.

When i watch jose, eddie alvarez, poirier, holloway (etc...) fight, i can clearly see why these guys are highly regarded. You can see perfect technique display and well roundness to their game.

When i watch conor, i just dont see that same technique and skill displayed. Not even the athleticism.
The guy has no high kicks. Not a great TDD. Not the most polished ground game. Pretty much no offensive wrestling. Moves weird and uses a weird stance. Also bad cardio.

Yet, he has beaten all the guys mentioned.

What is your take sherdog? Discuss conors skillset... and how does he get away with it. What does he do that allows him to overcome the holes in his game?

Spoiler

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

Micky mouse belt lol

why do you say that?

 

[DeformedGravy]

One thing everyone seems to be overlooking isn't a physical skill, its his ability to get into his opponent's head.

The guy is able to trigger almost all of his opponents. He talks mad trash beforehand, he gets in their face in staredowns, he sells the fight on social media; all these things increase the pressure. Guys come into the fight ready to take his head off, aggressive and seeking to engage.

"I see stiffness" - they are stiff because they are angry. Fighting with emotion makes them over commit and tense up. ​

Then his physical skills kick in. As many others have said he has great timing and great power in his hands (left), along with a solid chin. He will take one to land one, and make his count. When his opponent rushes in he can counter by capitalizing on their mistakes. His stance is part of it, it makes it seem like he isn't taking them seriously and invites them in.

Watching Conor's meteoric rise from the beginning I think his trash talking is his biggest skill. He doesn't have a stellar ground game, he isn't the best with kicks, he isn't a wrestler. But he can get guys to choose to fight where his skills are best.

Look at the guys hes lost to recently. Nate Diaz - a guy who thrives in the anger in all his fights and Floyd Mayweather - one of the best boxers, ever. A professional who can't be triggered in the ring.

Conor wins when his opponent is mad.
{<Mcgoat}

 

[wisdom blows]

He’s a southpaw and his timing and accuracy is good and I’d even say great in terms of UFC striking BUT he’s almost always had a huge reach advantage over almost all of his opponents. When he didn’t have a reach advantage and faced another southpaw he looked very average.

No he didn't. He absolutely beat the brakes off of Nate and had trouble due to his subpar cardio. Fresh Conor slapped the head off Nate in both fights.

 

[wisdom blows]

Now imagine how bad someone like Also would look lol

 

[tenniswhiz]

"Any sufficiently advanced striking technique is indistinguishable from magic"

A wrestler like Chael Sonnen simply doesn't have the mental capacity to comprehend Conor's striking

Is he a wrestler too?

I thought he was just a real estate broker.

 

[Liquid Samurai]

I genuinely hate people's inability to take in new information and come to a non-biased conclusion with said data.

Part of the reason Conor gassed was because he is not used to being punched in the face. Speaking of, 80% of Nate's punches were landed at distance, which reinforces my initial point that reach is indeed a big factor in Conor's game planning, or in this case, weakness. This is not a knock on Conor. This is called understanding MMA. It's a good thing. No need to get defensive and show your bias.

Moreover, Nate landed 23 of 23 shots in the first at distance, with 16 of those to the head. By comparison, Eddie, Dustin, Siver, and Aldo landed a combined 18 strikes to the head versus Conor. Yes, reach is an absolutely fundamental aspect of Conor's offense. That is n no way a criticism of him as fighter, just and observation about his physiology.

Fight the urge to argue back and let that sink in. You'll be better for it.

Take any number of fighters with the same reach as Nate at 145 or 155. Now, subject them to the shots that NATE TOOK in the first fight and how many go down, or are finished as a result? I'd say a majority of them at least go down. Nate's ability to absorb punishment was more of a factor in that fight than his reach.

 

[Uber_Noober]

He’s a bloody fooking sniper with his fists I tell you.

 

[pookiyama]

Im going to find d it i teresting what everyone has to say here.

My take. Conor is as successful as he is partially because Jose Aldo pulled a Chuck-Level metagame shift on the division.

Top game wrestlers had 0% Chance to beat either. So the contenders that rise through the division alter their skill set to adapt to the champ, or they get brutalized and don't continue to hang in the top ten.

They don't hang in the top ten because the other contenders who did alter their skillsets, usually have a wrestling background as a primary or auxillary base. This make them also hard matchups for the top game wrestlers, as sprawl and brawlers. This pushes the wrestlers out.

The style that beats the champ, with the least resistance, is the better striker who only needs enough wrestling to beat wrestlers who have gotten away from wrestling as a primary tactic. See Conor or Rampage.
Now the division is ripe with matchups that favor his style because of the metashift away from offensive wrestling, and the new breed who have adapted to the new metagame are also not wrestlers at all (Holloway, Ortega or Machida, Shogun).

Now, Conor also has great skills himself that Chael doesn't recognize. Conor doesn't have bad cardio, he can push the pace and break fighters using his conditioning combined with tactical pecking. And he has enough power, reach and technique that he can force fighters to expend pyhrric amounts of energy shooting from the outside unsuccessfully, in order to do anything.

Conor also utilizes his feet to defend his chin, and his chin is bait. But he has a solid chin and he keeps good posture by having his shoulders down and back straight. Good feet also serves as an ancillary boost to his offensive wrestling.

He is the perfect fighter for a post Aldo transition featherweight division. However, he is not the perfect fighter for the next transition to come. But it doesn't matter, as he is at LW now. His Jon Jones difficulty matchup is now Khabib and I'd be shocked if he pulled that off.

 

[trident]

Anderson fought the same way. It works for some guys.

Counterpunchers

 

[Paolo Delutis]

It's kind of true.

BUT - Dudes timing and accuracy is almost uncanny.

He gets away with things because of his movement and his ability to pin-point shots that are superior to his opponents. He is really accurate with that left hand.

As per usual sir top notch posting...im not a big or even really a fan of conor but if there is one thing that he can do and do it consistently is put his strikes on target with speed and timing..thats hes best attributes as a fighter...the definition of a new MMA style that i call sniper striker...


Military/ MMA sniper breakdown

snipers arent built for dragged on extended fire fights( bad cardio)

Or close quarter fighting ( bad grappling & clinch fighting)

They just need space and time and most importantly 1 shot..and its over

Thats conor.. iMO

 

[YellowBanenoo]

When i watch conor, i just dont see that same technique and skill displayed. Not even the athleticism.


[/SPOILER]

TS might be blind

 

[Squintz]

No he didn't. He absolutely beat the brakes off of Nate and had trouble due to his subpar cardio. Fresh Conor slapped the head off Nate in both fights.

 

[ItsKYRO]

I hate to admit it but hes got powerful hands and good timing. Thats been enough to win him the fights. We havent seen anyone wrestle him much other than Mendes