Just Rewatched Khabib vs. RDA

[Jin Akutsu]

It's hilarious to watch people invent threats to dethrone Mcgregor. The only two things that can beat Conor is a KO punch or a submission. You will not dry hump him for 5 rounds. At some point Conor will catch them or break there will in my opinion. I'm not a huge fan of Conors persona but his biggest strength is his self belief. You won't break him mentally. Khahib would get brutally KO'd imo.

 

[Bradillac]

Khabib has never lost unlike Connor and RDA

Khabib is gonna be hungry for that money and that successs while Connor and RDA have had thier fill

you guys are gonna see the monster version of Khabib in 2016

He won't just hold guys down..he will also punch them now

He lost to Tibau.

 

[jko1355]

RDA is tough as hell, very strong and very good on the mat (3rd degree black belt) - don't be surprised that Khabib couldn't do much more then hold when they were on the ground. Conor does not have that level of a ground game - hell he couldn't even get a natural 135 pounder off of him. Whats Mcgregor's weakness? As with many European fighters (and we saw it in the Mendes fight) = grappling - what's Khabib best at = Grappling

just saying but Mendes is much bigger than Edgar who was the 155 champ.. calling someones supposed natural weight is also very stupid.

 

[bigconan]

RDA is tough as hell, very strong and very good on the mat (3rd degree black belt) - don't be surprised that Khabib couldn't do much more then hold when they were on the ground. Conor does not have that level of a ground game - hell he couldn't even get a natural 135 pounder off of him. Whats Mcgregor's weakness? As with many European fighters (and we saw it in the Mendes fight) = grappling - what's Khabib best at = Grappling

I seem to remember conor getting up and ko'ing mendes.

 

[h0lydiver]

He lost to Tibau.

naa, very little success from either fighter but khabib at least was aggressive with attempts, either way def not anything clear about it but i felt khabib edged him

 

[Mixedfights]

While I agree with most of your analysis, you kinda kill it with your last line.

Would you like to elaborate on that?

Not saying Conor would or wouldn't beat either of them, but what skill set has he shown to make you believe that??

Based on what I've seen from the 3 of them so far, I'd say Conor's got a puncher's chance against the other 2 and that's about it.

Have you seen something I haven't?

LOL...I knew the last line would for some ppl.

Conor's countering ability and KO power would catch Khabibs sloppy entrances into the TD. Countering. Conor would catch Khabib pretty easily.

With RDA, its much harder but I dont think he can stand with Conor. He will be at risk the entire time standing. I also dont think he can take those punches so...eventually he will get rocked and finished even if he gets him down a few times. I think RDA will get clipped and hurt even getting him down which will effect him. I also think Conor is a pretty strong and squirrely dude and can scramble out.

 

[TheLuckiest]

Funny how most said the same about Cruz going into the Dillashaw fight. Nurmagomedov is an absolute beast at LW.

Khabib is not comparable to Cruz. Cruz is a complete fighter.

 

[Bradillac]

naa, very little success from either fighter but khabib at least was aggressive with attempts, either way def not anything clear about it but i felt khabib edged him

Tibau outstruck him and got the only takedown. Tibau won the fight.

 

[Ceez]

I just rewatched the same fight and Khabib got the better of the striking exchanges in the 1st round and his wrestling was outstanding. In the 2nd round RDA got the better of the striking but Khabib put him on his back again and controlled him. At the end of the round Khabib got the better of the striking and landed a couple nice shots to end the round while they were standing. In the 3rd rinse wash repeat. Khabib outworked him on the ground and towards the end of the round landed a few nice shots on the ground.

You say he held him but I see it different. He was trying to advance position to be able to work for something better but RDA was working hard to keep him from advancing. Much credit to RDA honestly because of his efforts Khabib was unable to get much done in round 1, 2 and most of round 3 on the ground. You can't just launch shots when you're not in position to do so and RDA worked to keep it that way. Yes Khabib was on top in control and wasn't able to get off but it wasn't because he just wanted to lay and pray RDA prevented him from getting off which is exactly what hes supposed to do.

Overall RDA lost and it wasn't close but he was never in trouble and he did a great job of avoiding anything significant and keeping Khabib at bay. I didn't see the same fight as you at all, maybe you should rewatch it

 

[Spycho]

Yet the UFC is keeping him away from Conor.

He mainly keeps himself away from fighting.

 

[Username Bob]

It's hilarious to watch people invent threats to dethrone Mcgregor. The only two things that can beat Conor is a KO punch or a submission. You will not dry hump him for 5 rounds. At some point Conor will catch them or break there will in my opinion. I'm not a huge fan of Conors persona but his biggest strength is his self belief. You won't break him mentally. Khahib would get brutally KO'd imo.

Let's see how he looks against Ferguson, then we'll see. Khabib would toss McGregor around like a ragdoll a couple of years ago. But Conor has improved steadily the past couple of years, and the eagle was grounded. I don't like Conor's chances against most of the LW division elite. I don't know how he beats RDA. Dos Anjos has been on another level the past 5 fights. People that compare RDA to Aldo are idiots. The Aldo fight is a bad example anyway. We could just as easily have seen a Dos Santos-Velasquez 1 situation. Quick knockouts are nice, and that one was beautiful, but the rematch could be a completely different fight. I think Cerrone is a dangerous fight, and I think Ferguson if he fights like he has been takes Conor out too. He could beat Alvarez, and Johnson. I'm pretty sure he takes Diaz apart by a one sided decision. Pettis is the worst possible matchup for him. I don't see anyway Conor beats Anthony.

I am no Conor hater. I think he is a talented striker whose self-promotion is better than everyone not named Chael Sonnen. He got the UFC hype push, but unlike the others, he has lived up to it. He has the worst fan base this side of Ronda though, and they don't see things objectively. Conor has some business to attend to at BW still. Edgar is by no means a sure victory, in fact I like Frankie in that fight. If anyone is going to take Conor into deep waters, it's him. Frankie is a warrior, and we've seen him come back from the brink to win fight. Aldo is a must as well. If nothing else, he proves it wasn't a fluke. I believe he has Aldo's number. I would also love to see Mendes fight him with a full camp. I'm not saying he beats Conor, but he looked good before he gassed. McGregor has set himself up to go in a lot of different directions. The thing is, it is all uphill from here.

 

[Jesus Freak]

He won't just hold guys down..he will also punch them now

Whoa! Like in the face!?

 

[Dionysian]

A guy with Conor in his AV rationalizing why Khabib is not that good



GEE I wonder what motivation is behind this...

 

[dc007]

Just watched it too. RDA did well but lost. Khabib is def a beast of smother and prob beats RDA again but gets hit and Conor could KO him.

 

[Bad Karate]

Its all speculation at this point. Until we see Khabib fight we don't know what he has. With modern medicine it wouldn't suprize me if he came back better then ever.

That being said Id pick Conor to beat anybody at LW at this point... he seems to be on another level.

 

[Mixedfights]

A guy with Conor in his AV rationalizing why Khabib is not that good



GEE I wonder what motivation is behind this...

I judged the fight fairly.. RDA wins a rematch and Khabibs stand up entrances are pretty bad.


I clearly stated that I think Conor beats both and why.

I also want Khabibs style out of the UFC and hope Ferguson starches him. NO more hold on "control" BS. Thats not winning anything. Thats just stalling/hugging/avoiding. Do something with it or move on.

And that not a "just bleed" opinion, thats a have more than 1 skill opinion.

 

[One MMA Fan]

Mendes is a natural 145. Just because he could cut to 135, doesn't make that his natural weight class.

McGregor is a natural 155.

I don't agree with that statement at all.

I think that from his height, to his reach, to the way he even moves (with the extra weight on him), to his overall frame and those extra lbs of muscles he carries.

He cuts less and comes in lighter then Conor at 145 lbs.

Just him losing a couple of lbs of muscle not even that much and doing just a bigger cut I think he can be the champ at 135 lbs.

His around 5' 6" with a 65 or 66 reach that frame isn't that big the only thing he has going for him its that his heavy on the muscles in the 145 division but if you look closer and take away just those extra lbs then his smaller then most of his opponents.

Note* - and with all that he still was all over Conor because of his grappling.. I think people will be in total shock when Conor fights a legit LW grappler or God forbid if he ever gets a WW grappler then we will look at each other and be reminded again of how silly we can get with hype.. a total Ronda moment.

 

[Username Bob]

Its all speculation at this point. Until we see Khabib fight we don't know what he has. With modern medicine it wouldn't suprize me if he came back better then ever.

That being said Id pick Conor to beat anybody at LW at this point... he seems to be on another level.

You think he beats Anthony Pettis? Really? How? I'm curious, because I think Pettis is a matchup nightmare of epic proportions. He is a faster, far more dynamic striker, with a completely untrainable skillset, and off the charts athleticism. His creativity matched with his diverse striking arsenal, and his movement makes him the best pure striker in MMA. He is also a world class submission specialist. He has a solid chin too. The book is out on how to beat the current version of Pettis: Crowd him and hold him down at all costs. Conor isn't a grappler. Pettis KO Rd 1.

 

[pjswmkj]

The wild punches are just a distraction. Khabib swings wildly, but it is effective because he does it so fast and explosively and switches positions quickly, which makes his opponents react and have to fight back on the tail end.

 

[Mixedfights]

"The wild punches are just a distraction. Khabib swings wildly, but it is effective because he does it so fast and explosively"

LOL... I bet he loses to Ferguson. Hes a wrestler with crap stand up.

"and with all that he still was all over Conor because of his grappling" (I dont wanna quote that whole thing.)

Chad landed 4 of 7 TD's. Conor defended 3 and landed 74 of 120 total strikes where Chad landed 36 of 53. Conor also beat him by more than 10 on significant strikes. "Short camp Chad" looked "tired" 1/4 through the first.

Weak ass excuse. Dude didnt even last 2 rounds. He landed his big shots and got his GnP. What happened is he got hurt and beat.

Either way this constant hate on Conor because his opponents get hurt is BS. Dude wanted RDA.