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The fight that numerous MMA fans have been wanting has come to life as the former two-division champion Conor “The Notorious” McGregor is back in action to stand toe to toe with Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in Las Vegas on October 6. The present light-weight champ, Khabib, is the -170 preferred with the previous titleholder coming back at +140.
McGregor has closed as the preferred in all of his battles except for his featherweight title fight versus then-champ Jose Aldo– all of us know how that worked out. Meanwhile, Khabib has actually closed as a -200 favorite or better in each of his last eight battles. The fighters have a combined 19-1 record inside the UFC and a 47-3 combined record overall.
Quick Facts
Conor McGregor averages 5.82 strikes per minute.
Conor McGregor has actually only been taken down 6 times in his UFC career.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is riding a 26-fight winning streak.
Breaking down McGregor
McGregor (+140) has won a number of his scraps prior to he even stepped into the Octagon with his unrelenting spoken jousting and an “I can conquer anything” mindset. “The Notorious” brings the fight to his challengers and seeks an opening for his lethal left hand for the knockout. The Ireland local has actually ended up 6 of his 10 UFC battles by T/KO and 18 of his 21 success overall have actually been by knockout. The southpaw tries to push a suffocating rate, averaging 5.82 strikes per minute while taking in 4.55 significant strikes per minute.
McGregor’s three losses have actually all come by submission, primarily due to his suspect cardio letting him down as in the first Nate Diaz fight. Conor’s wrestling defense has remained in concern also, as he was removed 4 times in his Chad Mendes fight at UFC 189, although he had a torn ACL going into that fight. The previous champ is coming off a two-year layoff from the cage. Obviously, he had his massive boxing match with Floyd Mayweather last year, but ring rust is a thing and his cardio has actually currently been questioned.
Breaking down Khabib
Nurmagomedov (-170) has cardio for days and he puts unrelenting pressure on his opponents that they ultimately simply cavern to, and he has his way for the duration of the bout. “The Eagle” has freakish strength for the light-weight department which is seen in the eyes of his enemies when he gets his hands on them. The Dagestan local has outstruck his challengers by a typical 116.75 strikes over his last 4 scraps. That’s not a typo; I repeat: outstruck his opponents by over 100 strikes. The orthodox fighter has a tremendous 70 percent considerable strike defense, soaking up simply 1.55 substantial strikes per minute while dispensing approximately 4.34 strikes per minute. Much of these strikes came through a swarming ground and pound.
His main attack is his elite-level wrestling. He averages 5.44 takedowns per 15 minutes and is continuously backing his opponent down looking for getting his hands on them. This was on full display when he took on Abel Trujillo at UFC 160 when Trujillo was dragged to the ground 21 times through their three-round bout. Khabib did reveal a perchant for getting hit in his last fight against Al Iaquinta at UFC 223, as he was tagged 43 times in the bout, the most strikes he ‘d taken in considering that 2013.
How will McGregor and Khabib play out?
Designs make fights and this is a best example as you have the hard-hitting Conor McGregor clashing with the all-out fumbling attack from Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Ireland native will try to find the early strike to recover his UFC lightweight belt that he never formally lost, however if this fight goes long, the momentum quickly swings in Khabib’s favor. McGregor has incredible footwork and will have to play the matador function as the charging bull of Khabib looks for to take him down. Khabib’s chin will be checked but he is also going to be the bigger guy in the bout and if he recognizes early in the fight he can manage McGregor’s power, this will be a long return to the Octagon for “The Notorious.”
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