Is it possible that Conor is a better wrestler than he is leading people to believe?

[HAWTRIDDUM]

Oh I absolutely think his take down defense is Aldo/Woodley level. You're correct that he falls apart when his gas tank fails. When he is fresh he stops the take down and picks guys apart with his boxing. Khabib will test this theory more than any of his previous opponents (if it happens) IMO

More than likely Khabib would wear him down to the point he could no longer defend if Conor can’t crack him.

I REALLY want to see Kevin Lee and Khabib lock up just to see how it goes.

 

[YOLOGOGOPLATA]

Not average? Silly..

I noted that his TDD is exceptional but what makes you think his wrestling/BJJ is even average? I'm not trying to be a jerk and am not an expert by any means so please let me know if I've missed McGregor showing his skills on the canvas

 

[TheLinguist]

Well we know his scrambles are decent, but it’s all moot, Kabib can take him down and smash him and Conor can ko Kabib

 

[TGArthur]

He's also amazing at Jiu Jitsu

 

[YOLOGOGOPLATA]

His TDD doesn't have to be that level. If it was that level Khabib wouldn't have a shot in hell. However, if it's Iaquinta/Barboza level, it should be good enough. All he needs to do is get into exchanges with Khabib, and his boxing will help him keep him off more like Iaquinta's did. Conor obviously is much better than both though.

But I honestly do think his TDD is elite. He just slows down so quickly, I think he has the worst cardio in the top 5 of the LW division. The biggest question in that hypothetical fight is if Khabib can avoid the big shots for 2 whole rounds. That's a lot to ask. Khabib needs to be able to make Conor work (IMO) for the first 2 rounds and if he survives that he should be able to pound him. So many variables, which is exactly why I want to see Conor/Khabib more than any other matchup

 

[GreatWhiteBuffalo]

I noted that his TDD is exceptional but what makes you think his wrestling/BJJ is even average? I'm not trying to be a jerk and am not an expert by any means so please let me know if I've missed McGregor showing his skills on the canvas

If you’ve watched all of his fights in the ufc he has shown some pretty savvy groundwork. Nothing great, but average at least. He has some good sweeps, guard passes, and top tier tdd.

 

[GreatSaintGuillotine]

But I honestly do think his TDD is elite. He just slows down so quickly, I think he has the worst cardio in the top 5 of the LW division. The biggest question in that hypothetical fight is if Khabib can avoid the big shots for 2 whole rounds. That's a lot to ask. Khabib needs to be able to make Conor work (IMO) for the first 2 rounds and if he survives that he should be able to pound him. So many variables, which is exactly why I want to see Conor/Khabib more than any other matchup

Conor's TDD has never impressed me all that much. It's good for sure but has just never wowed me.

Conor's sweeps and escapes have always been what have impressed me about his ground game. His wrestling is meh imo (top game is pretty good) but his defensive BJJ is very underrated! His guard game is way better than most people realize. He's not a top class grappler by any means but he has plenty of tools to get out of a bad spot.

I think Conor's biggest issue is going to be Khabib's mat returns. It's so hard to escape Khabib on the ground because he almost never lets go of a limb of waist lock, allowing him to go right back into his trips/throws/suplexes.

Conor needs to make the most out of his time standing and hurt Khabib as much as possible early on. It's a tough fight for both sides but I lean towards Khabib. It'll be competitive either way.

 

[613]

His TDD is what I’m thinking of primarily.

I realize everyone on sherdog thinks Khabib is unbeatable, and Conor will never match his wrestling, but I wonder if his TDD abilities may be better than people realize.

Most of sherdog base his grappling on when he was completely rocked and gassed against Diaz or when he was trying to fend off takedowns from Mendes with one stable knee.

Nate fucking Diaz took him down twice when he was not rocked. He hasn't shown anything that suggests he has good TDD

 

[613]

Oh I absolutely think his take down defense is Aldo/Woodley level. You're correct that he falls apart when his gas tank fails. When he is fresh he stops the take down and picks guys apart with his boxing. Khabib will test this theory more than any of his previous opponents (if it happens) IMO

Aldo and Woodley wouldn't get taken down by Nate Diaz twice. Also Aldo stuffed 15 out of 16 TDs from Mendes, who took Conor down 4 times in under 2 rounds. How could anyone say Conor has Aldo/Woodley TDD

 

[Thepaintbucket]

That's like saying if Conor had unlimited sparring sessions in his gym he would eventually beat Mayweather. Likewise; Conor training his ground game this entire time won't be enough for Khabib. Khabibs been training his ground game since he was a little kid. He was a Sambo champion. He has a black belt in Judo. Khabib's been using his ground game in MMA since day 1. No amount of training in a gym will ever make up for it.

I do however agree with Conor having an underrated ground game. The guy loves to strike so he rarely shows his ground skill set. Still isn't enough for Khabib.

 

[613]

His TDD doesn't have to be that level. If it was that level Khabib wouldn't have a shot in hell. However, if it's Iaquinta/Barboza level, it should be good enough. All he needs to do is get into exchanges with Khabib, and his boxing will help him keep him off more like Iaquinta's did. Conor obviously is much better than both though.

Almost nothing Conor does standing is Boxing based besides his counter left. Just because you throw punches doesn't mean its Boxing. Thats not an insult to Conor, MMA is not Boxing. It just shows how little Conor's own fans know about Conor

 

[The Domin8or]

I think Conor ground game is underrated and its not bad at all , but his ground game is no where near khabib's ground game

 

[wolfss]

Im sure his gas tank is never ending and his boxing is better than world class boxers!!! Oh wait!!! He gassed and got slapped up by a guy who was an vacation

 

[613]

I think Conor ground game is underrated and its not bad at all , but his ground game is no where near khabib's ground game

Its underrated in the same way Anderson had underrated TDD in his prime. Anderson was like 75% TDD. Probably top 10 at MW, but for an elite fighter it was nothing special. Conor's ground game is not bad at all, but when you are a top fighter your skills will get compared to other elite fighters. Conor's is likely not close to the top of the division

 

[NotoriousMillions]

Almost nothing Conor does standing is Boxing based besides his counter left. Just because you throw punches doesn't mean its Boxing. Thats not an insult to Conor, MMA is not Boxing. It just shows how little Conor's own fans know about Conor

You don't know about anything lmao

 

[NotoriousMillions]

But I honestly do think his TDD is elite. He just slows down so quickly, I think he has the worst cardio in the top 5 of the LW division. The biggest question in that hypothetical fight is if Khabib can avoid the big shots for 2 whole rounds. That's a lot to ask. Khabib needs to be able to make Conor work (IMO) for the first 2 rounds and if he survives that he should be able to pound him. So many variables, which is exactly why I want to see Conor/Khabib more than any other matchup

I think his cardio is getting overly criticized like the rest of his skills. He outlasted Nate, and was only outlasted by Nate and Floyd. Neither of those two guys are typical of the type of cardio you're going to find even at the top of divisions in MMA.

 

[YOLOGOGOPLATA]

I think his cardio is getting overly criticized like the rest of his skills. He outlasted Nate, and was only outlasted by Nate and Floyd. Neither of those two guys are typical of the type of cardio you're going to find even at the top of divisions in MMA.

I hear ya. I don't even count Floyd when I think about Conor's skills or cardio. Boxing cardio is a different world than MMA. We will have a more definitive answer if the Khabib fight happens

 

[613]

You don't know about anything lmao

I think you already proved how clueless you are about Boxing before the Floyd fight.

Conor does little that would be considered Boxing besides his counter left. His stance, footwork the way he punches most of the time etc... are not boxing based at all. Hell he takes more from Karate then he does from Boxing

 

[dildos]

Cm punk is a better wrestler.

 

[Kobra420]

The only wrestling Conor could ever be good at, is WWE.
He should get Riddle to talk to Vince.
https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2018/7/...tt-riddle-nxt-king-of-bros-mma-wrestling-news