Will neglecting a basic boxing guard cost McGregor the rematch?

[Brando]

In his first fight with Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor's defense relied on head movement and parries. Though he's very skillful, and has excellent timing, these techniques are relatively energy-intensive.

Using a basic boxing guard while taking small steps away from Diaz would be much more energy efficient - something he stressed during his post-fight interview at UFC 196. With this becoming the "base" of his defense, he could conserve energy, then execute those slip and parry counters he likes more judiciously. It would stop him from starting every exchange with a committed shift to the left or right, which forces him to either throw something, or recover his stance.

In my experience, it's better to cover potential openings and be opportunistic about slips and parries than it is to rely on them exclusively. McGregor shouldn't only block, but he'd benefit from doing it more. Check out his recent sparring video:



As you'll see in most of his fights, he really doesn't sit behind a guard too often. He does play with a low-lead "shoulder shell" position - the shoulder roll position without the actual technique; Mayweather style or whatever we're calling it - but I'd say 70+% of his defense is active. Extending hands to trap and control, slipping, parries, etc. It's a very busy style of defense that is very tiring against a volume puncher.

Look how differently Diaz and McGregor enter punching range:

I love the contrast in styles. But I really think McGregor should work out of a basic boxing guard more often. Thoughts?

Also, I go more into Conor's stylistic weaknesses vs Diaz here.

 

[Brendon Katz]

Mcgregor's boxing going forward is shit. He tends to stand still and swing, which is why Siver and Mendes were both able to crack him with multiple overhand rights. He sets up his offence with his kicks, alternating between kicking and punching confuse and create openings. His primary defence is distance.

Against Diaz, he tried to outbox him going forward. He's never been able to do that against anyone, so I don't know why he'd try it with a bigger, stronger, better boxer.

That said, his punching moving backward is excellent.

 

[n.diazismylife1999]

For all his talk about people being stuck in the mud, he was very stuck in the mud himself when boxing, especially when going forward, as Brendon pointed out.

 

[AndyMaBobs]

Mcgregor's boxing going forward is shit. He tends to stand still and swing, which is why Siver and Mendes were both able to crack him with multiple overhand rights. He sets up his offence with his kicks, alternating between kicking and punching confuse and create openings. His primary defence is distance.

Against Diaz, he tried to outbox him going forward. He's never been able to do that against anyone, so I don't know why he'd try it with a bigger, stronger, better boxer.

That said, his punching moving backward is excellent.

This, I think he's a great boxer, but he's not a good offensive boxer. Which is why he kicks so much, like you said. I think the trouble is that as Discipulus said in one of his articles on Bloody Elbow, Conor McGregor has fallen in love with his power. Despite his talk of timing and precision, which he certainly has, the guy still hits like a truck and he knows it... and they do say the worst things that can happen to a fighter is discovering they've got monster power/chin

 

[WillW]

Good post Brando. I always liked your seeing your thoughts and there has been a lack of good mma/boxing analysis lately.(in article form anyways)

Do you have an archive where I can find all your work?

 

[Brando]

Mcgregor's boxing going forward is shit. He tends to stand still and swing, which is why Siver and Mendes were both able to crack him with multiple overhand rights.

Great post, thanks Brendon. I agree about his use of distance for defense.

That said, he was definitely hunting for counters off of the slip and parry against Diaz. That lines up with your point (and n.diazismylife1999's!) about him being more dangerous while moving backwards, though there's no reason why a counter puncher shouldn't be able to move forward effectively. In fact, applying pressure is one of the best ways to open up counter opportunities, whether you decide to punch first or not. Feints, probing shots, or just advancing into range behind a fundamentally sound guard are all great ways to goad your opponent into punching when they shouldn't.

Kind of unrelated, but to your point about him being a little predictable with his boxing, Luke Thomas observed how Conor spamming the same entries for his rear uppercut and overhand on an episode of the Monday Morning Analyst. If Conor tilted to his right, he was setting up the overhand; if he tilted left, he was setting up the rear uppercut. If you go back and watch the fight, it's shocking how often he goes to that well.

Good post Brando. I always liked your seeing your thoughts and there has been a lack of good mma/boxing analysis lately.(in article form anyways)

Do you have an archive where I can find all your work?

Thanks Will! I don't really have an archive. I'm putting together a website that will compile everything, but until then I'm just hoarding links. Feel free to PM me for those. Appreciate you reading!

 

[Brando]

This, I think he's a great boxer, but he's not a good offensive boxer. Which is why he kicks so much, like you said. I think the trouble is that as Discipulus said in one of his articles on Bloody Elbow, Conor McGregor has fallen in love with his power. Despite his talk of timing and precision, which he certainly has, the guy still hits like a truck and he knows it... and they do say the worst things that can happen to a fighter is discovering they've got monster power/chin

I think it's a great point. This is from the article I was hocking in the original post:

"Though the debates rages on in the martial arts world, it’s generally believed that power is God-given, and in this regard McGregor is truly blessed. McGregor knows this, and makes the same mistakes as so many other natural born punchers.

It’s very common for people who’ve fallen in love with their power to over-commit to their punches. They want to make the most of their natural gifts, so they train to punch through their target every time. They hurl their hips and shoulders into every shot, sacrificing their balance, combination punching, and energy-efficiency to generate maximum power."

 

[NVSemin]

he will make another tattoo and it will cost him the fight. Money spoiled the guy

 

[TheNightmanCometh]

In his first fight with Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor's defense relied on head movement and parries. Though he's very skillful, and has excellent timing, these techniques are relatively energy-intensive.

Using a basic boxing guard while taking small steps away from Diaz would be much more energy efficient - something he stressed during his post-fight interview at UFC 196. With this becoming the "base" of his defense, he could conserve energy, then execute those slip and parry counters he likes more judiciously. It would stop him from starting every exchange with a committed shift to the left or right, which forces him to either throw something, or recover his stance.

In my experience, it's better to cover potential openings and be opportunistic about slips and parries than it is to rely on them exclusively. McGregor shouldn't only block, but he'd benefit from doing it more. Check out his recent sparring video:



As you'll see in most of his fights, he really doesn't sit behind a guard too often. He does play with a low-lead "shoulder shell" position - the shoulder roll position without the actual technique; Mayweather style or whatever we're calling it - but I'd say 70+% of his defense is active. Extending hands to trap and control, slipping, parries, etc. It's a very busy style of defense that is very tiring against a volume puncher.

Look how differently Diaz and McGregor enter punching range:

I love the contrast in styles. But I really think McGregor should work out of a basic boxing guard more often. Thoughts?

Also, I go more into Conor's stylistic weaknesses vs Diaz here.

Wrong. Evasion is the least energy intensive defensive maneuver, and parrying is the second. Blocking is one of the last forms of defense. If at all possible you want to evade all strikes and block none. Conor doesn't need a boxing defense to beat Diaz. What he needs like all people before him who beat Diaz is to relentlessly attack the legs/calves, stop throwing energy intensive spinning kicks, stop loading up on punches, and dig shots to the legs and body.

 

[Brando]

Wrong. Evasion is the least energy intensive defensive maneuver, and parrying is the second. Blocking is one of the last forms of defense. If at all possible you want to evade all strikes and block none. Conor doesn't need a boxing defense to beat Diaz. What he needs like all people before him who beat Diaz is to relentlessly attack the legs/calves, stop throwing energy intensive spinning kicks, stop loading up on punches, and dig shots to the legs and body.

Thanks for the reply. But let me ask you this: how often do you see guys default to slipping punches when they gas out? Why is it that tired fighters throw up their guard instead of being evasive?

I don't agree that slipping is inherently better than blocking. Slipping leaves your hands free and keep you from absorbing impact, but different situations call for different tools. If I want to enter range and maintain my position to set something up, a block is very useful. I also stand by the idea that a static, structurally sound guard is less energy intensive than active evasion, but it sounds like we disagree on this.

In any case, I'm not arguing that he block instead of using active, evasive techniques. I'm just saying he should do both.

 

[TheNightmanCometh]

Thanks for the reply. But let me ask you this: how often do you see guys default to slipping punches when they gas out? Why is it that tired fighters throw up their guard instead of being evasive?

I don't agree that slipping is inherently better than blocking. Slipping leaves your hands free and keep you from absorbing impact, but different situations call for different tools. If I want to enter range and maintain my position to set something up, a block is very useful. I also stand by the idea that a static, structurally sound guard is less energy intensive than active evasion, but it sounds like we disagree on this.

In any case, I'm not arguing that he block instead of using active, evasive techniques. I'm just saying he should do both.

Slipping is and always will be better than blocking. A tired fighter puts up their guard because evading becomes riskier as the amount of space to work lessens. Engaging with a high guard in MMA is a bad idea without slipping. You say that a "static, structurally sound guard is less energy intensive" until you absorb a hard shot. Sure, standing in one spot doesn't use much energy until you absorb a shot that hurts you. An impenetrable defense is impossible, and absorbing shots is unnecessary. All shots should be evaded if possible, parried second, and blocked third. The last line of defense is simply absorbing punishment. This is my particular philosophy and it is possible we are in an agree/disagree situation.

 

[Brando]

Engaging with a high guard in MMA is a bad idea without slipping. ... All shots should be evaded if possible, parried second, and blocked third. The last line of defense is simply absorbing punishment. This is my particular philosophy and it is possible we are in an agree/disagree situation.

To reiterate, I'm not saying blocking is better than slipping. I'm saying that entering range in a defensively responsible way AND slipping is better than relying entirely on your reflexes on the way in. I agree that evasion > parrying > blocking, but you need to enter range with responsible hand positioning if that third line of defense (blocking) is going to be viable.

McGregor works in range with very open hand positioning, which gives him some advantages - namely the ability to feint, extend his hands for control/parries, and throw from odd angles - but it forces him to be perfect with his parries and slips, or else absorb unnecessary punishment. Why not work those same slips and parries with a "safety net" in place?

I may have shot myself in the foot a bit by calling the guard "static." My idea of a guard is fluid, rolling with shots and changing head/shoulder/hand positions, but it all boils down to entering range with your hands in an effective start position, which Conor neglects.

 

[NVSemin]

McGregor is a clown, but he is not an idiot. When he is feeling the opponent he is way more defensive. After that - loose hands is style, putting guards high may actually play a bad trick on him. He needs several tun up fights to make this adjustment work. He already knows Diaz, no need to reinvent the wheel. From what I understood, McGregor believes lack of proper conditioning costed him the previous fight

 

[TheNightmanCometh]

To reiterate, I'm not saying blocking is better than slipping. I'm saying that entering range in a defensively responsible way AND slipping is better than relying entirely on your reflexes on the way in. I agree that evasion > parrying > blocking, but you need to enter range with responsible hand positioning if that third line of defense (blocking) is going to be viable.

McGregor works in range with very open hand positioning, which gives him some advantages - namely the ability to feint, extend his hands for control/parries, and throw from odd angles - but it forces him to be perfect with his parries and slips, or else absorb unnecessary punishment. Why not work those same slips and parries with a "safety net" in place?

I may have shot myself in the foot a bit by calling the guard "static." My idea of a guard is fluid, rolling with shots and changing head/shoulder/hand positions, but it all boils down to entering range with your hands in an effective start position, which Conor neglects.

Dominick Cruz is my perfect example of a fighter who gets away with a low guard due to his footwork, timing, and ability to evade shots. There really are no set rules in fighting. You don't have to keep a high guard while engaging if you have good enough footwork, timing, and defensive capabilities. Hmmm, so you're saying if you want to hang in the pocket then a high guard is a must with slipping? Then I definitely agree. You're right about Conor, but the reason he doesn't have to be perfect with his slipping is because his stance and style allows him to easily disengage. The mistake he made with Diaz is he wouldn't disengage. He thought Diaz was hurt and he could put him away so he kept pressing and kept getting caught walking in when he should have been disengaging and eating up Diaz's legs. So unless Conor wants to sit in the pocket, square up, and unload some hooks I don't feel he will require a high guard too often.

Well I just don't believe in any set rules with hand positions. Conor like most fighters idolized Bruce Lee. Who had a very loose stance and loose hand position. I think it all depends on the style of the fighter because if you look at someone like Pearson who loves the high guard combined with slipping to pressure fighters it is much different than Conor's kind of pressure.

 

[n.diazismylife1999]

It was painful to watch Conor sit in the pocket with Nate, completely exhausted, and adamantly refusing to raise his hands. No idea what he was thinking at that point. He kept getting tagged, didn't move, and his hands stayed at waist level.

 

[aries]

Good post by the TS, I do tend to agree that slipping is more tiresome than using a guard position. I think a lot of problems Conor had with Diaz in this fight was that he wasn't able to adjust for the height and reach deficit like he thought he would. He even alluded to that after the fight. He was not prepared for fighting someone with height and reach and that is why a lot of his work was falling short or had him over extending to land fully on Diaz. That meant he was putting in a lot of effort to land on Diaz at all as well as the power he was trying to land with so he gassed out. He needed to get his range set first before he was committing to trying to take out his opponent but he didn't so wasted a lot of energy.

For the rematch he better have been sparring with taller bigger guys if he wants to beat Diaz. And I do agree that using a bit more blocking when he comes into range would help him save energy. He needs some way to bridge the danger zone where Diaz can hit him but he can't hit him back and head movement can help him do that but it can't be his only tactic.

 

[Brando]

I think a lot of problems Conor had with Diaz in this fight was that he wasn't able to adjust for the height and reach deficit like he thought he would. He even alluded to that after the fight. He was not prepared for fighting someone with height and reach and that is why a lot of his work was falling short or had him over extending to land fully on Diaz. That meant he was putting in a lot of effort to land on Diaz at all as well as the power he was trying to land with so he gassed out. He needed to get his range set first before he was committing to trying to take out his opponent but he didn't so wasted a lot of energy.

Thanks for your comment. I agree with you about his lack of preparedness for Diaz's body type. Conor was fixated on landing his rear uppercut, too. He was drilling it a lot in the media workout, and bragged after the fight about having landed it on Nate a few times. Seems like one of the last punches he should be trying to land.

 

[Brando]

You're right about Conor, but the reason he doesn't have to be perfect with his slipping is because his stance and style allows him to easily disengage. The mistake he made with Diaz is he wouldn't disengage. He thought Diaz was hurt and he could put him away so he kept pressing and kept getting caught walking in when he should have been disengaging and eating up Diaz's legs.

Another great point. Conor spends nearly every second of that fight either advancing or using an energy-intensive move, whether that be a slip or a power punch. He doesn't really create opportunities to recover.

 

[TheNightmanCometh]

Another great point. Conor spends nearly every second of that fight either advancing or using an energy-intensive move, whether that be a slip or a power punch. He doesn't really create opportunities to recover.

Exactly, whereas the entire time Diaz is doing as little as possible that first round. He is slipping, blocking, evading, rolling, eating shots and getting his own timing down. Second round comes and Diaz has the distance and timing down and McGregor is starting to lose steam.

 

[n.diazismylife1999]

The first two minutes of round 2 were Conor's best. Then he slowed down, the sharp head movement was gone, and he just stood in the pocket with hands down until Diaz rocked him.