Connor McGregor's striking analyzed [GIFS]

Fernando Cappelli, former editor for the UFC website in Brasil, analyses McGregor's style.

Sorry if there are translation mistakes, but that's the best I can do :wink:

Punches
McGregor's hybrid style is a mix of classic MA and basic boxing focusing on counter-strikes. To taunt his opponents, Conor emulates the 'Irish Fighting' style, an old boxing stance with his body leaned back and his fists turned so the back of the hand is facing the opponent.

Left-handed, McGregor's wide stance and flexed legs is similar to traditional karate and gives him a fencer look. Keeping a lower center of gravity is a tendency to stop takedowns and get better level changing, besides from mixing the strikes. Aside from that, it enhances the power of straight strikes, such as a straight hand or front kick, always tools in the irishman's arsenal.



McGregor's works on the philosophy of hitting without getting hit. Right-handed fighters generally prepare themselves to face left-handeds believing that they always avoid strong strikes coming from the right, and that's the natural mechanichs.

Mcgregor doesn't circle only to get out of the strong stikes. He generally uses both sides and eventually retreats, forcing his oponnent to attack and then coming from the right so he can condition his opponent to use a straight hand or a hook and then counter-strike it. All of these are used by Lyoto Machida a lot.



The irishman always takes benefit from the 'hand in hand' situation to control the distance and confuse his opponent about what he's doing. In this type of technique, he is able to close the angles and mess with the guard hand, striking afterwards.

Another technique used by McGregor is to use movement followed by strikes, like a 'spring'. Conor closes the distance bending and move in the opponent's direction, angling to the right. Then, he lands an uppercut with his lead right hand from under the opponents lead hand.

With that, he creates a surprise factor to complete the combo with a right hand.

Kicks



Front and lateral kicks are a great part of Conor's arsenal. He values a lot the defensive/ofensive aspects of this kind of strikes, for blocking the opponnents shootings or to strike the head, body and legs.

His style is to kick based on speed, like a whip, pulling the leg quickly after the strike. Because of that, his work with the lead leg is constant.

Another strike frequently used by the Irish is the hook kick (ura-mawashi in Karate). Landed with the sole or the heel, it is used a lot in taekwondo. McGregor also says he trains Capoeira and risked a lot of different reverse kicks.

Conclusion
McGregor powers up his strikes with words, but it goes beyond that. It is a mix of dynamics, technique and bad intentions expanding.

He knows how to impose himself as a remarkable fighter - something necessary - in sport combats.

Like all the good counterstrikers, he has an easy time predicting what is going to happen next, but he still have to face some better competition inside the octagon to show how he can triumph over the adversities.

Can Dennis Siver be the guy to break this confidence Saturday night?

(I don't think so).

 

Nice thread TS.

Btw, *Dennis.

 

No one can break his confidence. Goat!

 

Thanks bro, already fixed

 

The fight against Holloway is something to watch.



Good thread TS! It is Conor, not Connor!

 

Great stuff! Replace "Connor" with "Conor" though, please! It's a real spelling.

 

yep.

thanks TS.

here's Jack Slack in case anyone hasn't read it yet. http://fightland.vice.com/blog/jack-slack-conor-mcgregor-is-the-future-of-mixed-martial-arts

 

Mcgregor in 2

 

Before this turns into another Conor bless love fest, I will say I do like the ease and the fluidity of his striking and stylistically how he puts combinations together. I can't help thinking he bit some of JBJ & Anderson Silva's flare for flicking out kicks & punches.

With that said I'm crossing my fingers for the upset by beating Conor. Maybe some nut hugging can get back to a tolerable level.

 

Can Conor avoid the leg kicks of death from Aldo?

 

Conor would break his leg like Weidman did to Silva if Aldo tried it too many times.

 

I really liked this analysis of Conor's mix of pressure fighting and counter striking by Connor Ruebusch and Sherdog's Pat Wyman.

http://heavyhandspodcast.com/conor-...derson-hendricks-brown-mma-technique-analysis

They're discussing Conor's tendencies, his stylistic similarities to Mile Tyson, how he'd do if matchen up with Aldo, the Siver fight, etc.

Btw, never understood why people would let internet reactions dictate who they root for in a fight. Weird sense of what matters imo..

 

One of Connor's great advantages is the perception that he keeps his left hand low. It's not low, it's cocked. To hit him with the right, you have to go around his left, which opens up his left straight. It's ridiculous (yet somehow understandable) how people always fall for it.

Once he establishes the straight, people try to get cute with movement and he lands the left hook.

 

You don't really want a guy this good and this promising to fall to the likes of Siver just so his fans will shut up, do you??

 

I personally want him to lose just to see what the UFC does. All this promotion they're giving him and if he loses to Siver of all people...

 

Holy shit you've got to be kidding me lol

 

All of these breakdowns don't mean shit until he fights a legitimately elite fighter.

 

Considering he's done it in the UFC as well, no jokes to be had.

 

Why does he get submitted in his fights?

 

Why did Aldo, Anderson Silva, and Matt Hughes get subbed in their careers early?