UFC 229 Nurmagomedov vs McGregor - Sat Oct 6th **Warning in first post!**

evolving tipperary

Gamb!t wrote: »

Cormier reckons Mcgregor did ok against Khabbib but doubts he could do any better.

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2018/10/16/17981400/ufc-daniel-cormier-conor-mcgregor-did-as-good-as-he-could-do-khabib-nurmagomedov-ufc-229-mma-news

If there is one fighter who is greatly familiar with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s skill set, it is long-time teammate Daniel Cormier. The UFC double-champion has been helping “The Eagle” hone his skills further at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, alongside other champion caliber fighters like Cain Velasquez and Luke Rockhold.

Cormier went on The MMA Hour on Monday to discuss Khabib’s performance against Conor McGregor at UFC 229 a week ago, and how he thought the Irishman handled himself during the fight.

“Honestly man, that first takedown, I was like wow, he really made [Nurmagomedov] work for this takedown,” Cormier said (via MMA Fighting). “Because this is what we say at AKA — we try to get you lost in the sauce. We want to get you lost in the sauce, right? Like, when we’re on a leg, we want to give you one [takedown attempt]; okay, you’ll defend; two, you’ll defend; three, then you start going, ‘okay, wait a minute,’ then you start to get lost.”

“You get lost in all the different transitions, from to move to move to move, and eventually we get you down. And once we get you down, obviously it’s very difficult to get back up.”

“[McGregor] didn’t get lost in it. Like, Khabib had to go to level four to get that first takedown. He went high crotch, he went crackdown, he went ‘try to get the angle,’ he tried to run the pipe, then he actually had to go to his knees, look across the back to get to a double just to get Conor down the first time. Conor didn’t get lost. He really did a good job, and that’s why if you’re Team McGregor, there’s cause for concern, because I don’t know if he could do that any better and he still got beat in the way that he got beat.”

While he was complimentary towards McGregor’s performance, “DC” says it is likely the best effort that “The Notorious” can give.

“That’s why, I think if you’re Team McGregor, you’d be concerned about a fight with Nurmagomedov, because I don’t think he could defend any better,” he said. “I thought that was as good as [he could do], because he did a good job and I don’t know if he could do it any better … because then [Khabib] is going to go to level five, and he going to go to level six, and he’s going to just keep putting different things behind each other until eventually you kinda can’t keep up. That’s what Henry Cejudo does. That’s what he did to DJ a couple times to get those takedowns.”

From their end, Team McGregor is determined to even the score. In fact, SBG Dublin head coach John Kavanagh is already planning a “Rocky 3” style training camp to prepare for the possible rematch.

I think Coonr and SGB are just disappointed that they gave way to contending with Khabib and defending rather than staying true to Conor's methods.

I think you'll see in a rematch - caution thrown to the wind in terms of not worrying about being taken down as much. They'll head hunt hard and fast from the get go - that way if you get beat at least you really gave it a rattle.

Wheeliebin30

evolving tipperary wrote: »

I think Coonr and SGB are just disappointed that they gave way to contending with Khabib and defending rather than staying true to Conor's methods.

I think you'll see in a rematch - caution thrown to the wind in terms of not worrying about being taken down as much. They'll head hunt hard and fast from the get go - that way if you get beat at least you really gave it a rattle.

Exactly.

I think they thought sure conors striking is fine so let’s just work on defence.

In the process neglected the striking and it showed.

Bad game plan.

Fall_Guy

Wheeliebin30 wrote: »

Exactly.

I think they thought sure conors striking is fine so let’s just work on defence.

In the process neglected the striking and it showed.

Bad game plan.

Maybe....but I'm sure there are plenty of people who McGregor fought who would like to have another shot at him thinking "I shouldn't have played his game for so long".... Sometimes when a fighter is so good at a particular aspect of the game its hard to stop them from dictating where the fight takes place.

How many people looked like rabbits in the headlights standing up against McGregor as he manoeuvred them round the cage and onto shots he was setting up?

Conor looked out of sorts mainly because Khabib made McGregor fear his grappling in the first round and McGregor didn't make him fear his striking. If McGregor hadn't spent the first round working his arse off just to stay relatively safe, maybe he wouldn't have bit on Khabibs setup for the overhand in the second round....but he did.

I'm sure his game plan wasn't to get taken down and controlled for the entire first round, but when another fighter imposes their will, the auld game plan goes out the window....just like it did for Alvarez against McGregor.

Wheeliebin30

Fall_Guy wrote: »

Maybe....but I'm sure there are plenty of people who McGregor fought who would like to have another shot at him thinking "I shouldn't have played his game for so long".... Sometimes when a fighter is so good at a particular aspect of the game its hard to stop them from dictating where the fight takes place.

How many people looked like rabbits in the headlights standing up against McGregor as he manoeuvred them round the cage and onto shots he was setting up?

Conor looked out of sorts mainly because Khabib made McGregor fear his grappling in the first round and McGregor didn't make him fear his striking. If McGregor hadn't spent the first round working his arse off just to stay relatively safe, maybe he wouldn't have bit on Khabibs setup for the overhand in the second round....but he did.

I'm sure his game plan wasn't to get taken down and controlled for the entire first round, but when another fighter imposes their will, the auld game plan goes out the window....just like it did for Alvarez against McGregor.

Mendes?

Fromvert

I thought McGregor would beat Khabib and was wrong but saying he couldn't come in with a different game plan and be more effective and possibly win is wrong. Ask DC if he can beat Jones when they've had 8 rounds together and he's won 2 of them and was brutally KO'd. He'll tell you he can even though he didn't have a lot of success in either fight and there's no where he can point to where he's much better than Jones.

Conor won a round, it's the positive you have to take from the fight and his grappling was ok early but he got worn down/knocked down and faded. I was hoping he'd come in with the plan to not engage Khabib head on, be on the back foot, pick his shots, move and even run (Diaz fight) if you have to and if you end up in a grappling situation get away at the first chance you get. I havn't watched it back (so could be wrong) but at the time there was a moment or two in the first round were I thought he could have gotten out of the grappling exchange but didn't as he may have thought he was doing ok, he was, but Khabib will just keep changing the take down (as DC said and many talked about before the fight) and he'll eventually get it which he did.

Now I don't want to see a rematch yet, let Tony get his shot (please don't fall through again!), go face a Pettis, Lee or Barbosa, rematch Poirier, Diaz or even Max if he ends up coming up. Go get two wins and come into the rematch sharp and give it a go. Hell Tony could beat Khabib or he could get injured again and he ends up fighting Tony. He likely won't do this but it's what I'd like to see happen.

Completely off track but if there is a fight I hope Khabib has in the future, it's Ortega, if he beats Max and comes up and I'd give Ortega a shot at pulling off a win against Khabib.

Fall_Guy

Wheeliebin30 wrote: »

Mendes?

I mean Alvarez's game plan to take McGregor down and grind him down went out the window after McGregor made him pay for his wreckless entries into punching range.

Just like Khabib made McGregor pay the first time he got within clinch range, which saw McGregor revert to plan B immediately (take as little damage as possible on the bottom and expend as little energy as possible in the process). I'm sure plan A was different, but it was out the window fairly sharpish.

Wheeliebin30

Just rewatching the end of it again did Khabib manage to get back into the octagon after jumping into the crowd????????

Seriously something fishy going on if he did.

Cazale

Wheeliebin30 wrote:

Just rewatching the end of it again did Khabib manage to get back into the octagon after jumping into the crowd????????

He did.

JJayoo

Nurmagomedov by Sub

Wheeliebin30 wrote: »

Just rewatching the end of it again did Khabib manage to get back into the octagon after jumping into the crowd????????

Seriously something fishy going on if he did.

Why would that be fishy? You think he should have edited through the crowd? Maybe with Jim Ross screaming "OH MY GOD".

They would have brought him back in to calm stuff down and then get him out safely through the main exit once McG and his guys had exited.

Wheeliebin30

JJayoo wrote: »

Why would that be fishy? You think he should have edited through the crowd? Maybe with Jim Ross screaming "OH MY GOD".

They would have brought him back in to calm stuff down and then get him out safely through the main exit once McG and his guys had exited.

Brought him back into the octagon to calm him down where Mcgregor is who was trying to jump out of the octagon get at him??

Bringing him back in would just add fuel to the fire, there was police and all holding him back outside the octagon yet he managed to get back in??

Surely getting him out of there as quick as possible was the best option.

Obviously the ufc wanted the added drama.

JJayoo

Nurmagomedov by Sub

Wheeliebin30 wrote: »

Brought him back into the octagon to calm him down where Mcgregor is who was trying to jump out of the octagon get at him??

Bringing him back in would just add fuel to the fire, there was police and all holding him back outside the octagon yet he managed to get back in??

Surely getting him out of there as quick as possible was the best option.

Obviously the ufc wanted the added drama.

Outside the Octogon = thousands of drunk fans
Inside the Octagon = about 30 security personal and cops.

Dana said he didn't give Khabib the belt in the Octogon because he thought the crowd would explode and start throwing stuff.

When Khabib was eventually led out he was surrounded by about 20 people and Irish fans where throwing crap at him.How would leading him straight out make sense?

But like you said you didn't actually watch what happened, maybe you should watch it instead of making up your own scenero.

dulux99

The UFC didn't have a lot of time to act and make a decision. I was up high but there was commotion everywhere below. It was the right call they made.

Brief_Lives

I presume you guys have seen the news about this possible upcoming borefest...

http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/25008117/floyd-mayweather-says-fight-khabib-nurmagomedov-happening

weldoninhio

Nurmagomedov by Sub

Brief_Lives wrote: »

I presume you guys have seen the news about this possible upcoming borefest...

http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/25008117/floyd-mayweather-says-fight-khabib-nurmagomedov-happening

Two undefeated champions from the world of combat sports. Someone 0 has got to go. Fair play to Khabib. Goes to show you don't need to be a mouthy scummer to make money, as we have previously been told.

spix

weldoninhio wrote: »

Two undefeated champions from the world of combat sports. Someone 0 has got to go. Fair play to Khabib. Goes to show you don't need to be a mouthy scummer to make money, as we have previously been told.

You're talking like the fight is made? I highly doubt that will ever happen, it wont sell at all in us market and I'd say both khabibs management + mayweathers management know that. Most of khabibs fans are not in America, not many people in America will buy khabib vs anyone but mcgregor in the ufc, let alone boxing. The mcgregor fight happened because there was no way it wouldn't sell. If floyd is serious about it he must be really desperate for a pay day but is too scared to go into the ufc as that would sell much more.

flatty

I personally wouldn't get up early or stay up late to watch any fight, but the big money fight here is a mcgregor khabib rematch. The ufc followers will know all the other contenders, but the 2million ppv buyers largely know conor mcgregor. Now they know khabib as well. As someone vaguely in that bracket, mcgregor fighting anyone else would sort of seem a step down from the main event. Mcgregor vs khabib is relevant now. I'd imagine the ufc will be trying to plan a rematch whilst this is still hot. It's not really the ufc fans they are after, it's the event junkies.
You have to admire may weather. He could never have enough money. He knows khabib is first and foremost a wrestler. Taking him on in a strict Queensbury rules boxing match, just as he did with mcgregor, but even more so, pretty much completely neuters khabib. May weather is notable in not going after a top end boxer. Its a bit demeaning for the ufc fighter, but, like anyone, I'd take a fair bit of demeaning for that kind of money. The premise is farcical, akin to making the Scottish shinty lot play against limerick at croke Park at hurling.

flatty

spix wrote: »

weldoninhio wrote: »

Two undefeated champions from the world of combat sports. Someone 0 has got to go. Fair play to Khabib. Goes to show you don't need to be a mouthy scummer to make money, as we have previously been told.

You're talking like the fight is made? I highly doubt that will ever happen, it wont sell at all in us market and I'd say both khabibs management + mayweathers management know that. Most of khabibs fans are not in America, not many people in America will buy khabib vs anyone but mcgregor in the ufc, let alone boxing. The mcgregor fight happened because there was no way it wouldn't sell. If floyd is serious about it he must be really desperate for a pay day but is too scared to go into the ufc as that would sell much more.

Mcgregor vs mayweather at ufc would last about as long as it took mcgregor to cross the octagon and get hold of him.

weldoninhio

Nurmagomedov by Sub

spix wrote: »

You're talking like the fight is made? I highly doubt that will ever happen, it wont sell at all in us market and I'd say both khabibs management + mayweathers management know that. Most of khabibs fans are not in America, not many people in America will buy khabib vs anyone but mcgregor in the ufc, let alone boxing. The mcgregor fight happened because there was no way it wouldn't sell. If floyd is serious about it he must be really desperate for a pay day but is too scared to go into the ufc as that would sell much more.

As Mayweather has said, Khabib has called him out same as Mcgregor did, not the other way around so why would Mayweather want to have a UFC bout?? Of course it would be in boxing. Of course Mayweather wins, but I could see Khabib lasting the distance.

Also with a fight against Mayweather, it would massively boost Khabibs visibility in the USA.

spix

weldoninhio wrote: »

As Mayweather has said, Khabib has called him out same as Mcgregor did, not the other way around so why would Mayweather want to have a UFC bout?? Of course it would be in boxing. Of course Mayweather wins, but I could see Khabib lasting the distance.

Also with a fight against Mayweather, it would massively boost Khabibs visibility in the USA.

Khabib ran into leonard ellerbe and then leonard posted the video, its completely different. Same way 50 cent was using khabib. Khabib played along for a bit until 50 took it too far, khabib basically shut the whole thing down and 50 deleted all the posts. Its just people trying to grab attention off the hot topic. Mayweather saying he'll make more money than against mcgregor is proof enough that he doesn't actually think it will ever happen, unless he's that stupid.

Fall_Guy

weldoninhio wrote: »

Two undefeated champions from the world of combat sports. Someone 0 has got to go. Fair play to Khabib. Goes to show you don't need to be a mouthy scummer to make money, as we have previously been told.

No, you just need to fight a "mouthy scummer" as you call them and let them make all the money for you.

Lukker-

weldoninhio wrote: »

Two undefeated champions from the world of combat sports. Someone 0 has got to go. Fair play to Khabib. Goes to show you don't need to be a mouthy scummer to make money, as we have previously been told.

You can just make deals with Warlords instead

froog

McGregor by Sub

not sure that fight could even get licenced. Conor at least was an amateur boxer.

evolving tipperary

froog wrote: »

not sure that fight could even get licenced. Conor at least was an amateur boxer.

If Vegas and the Nevada commission thought a tag-team match between two sets of limbless crocodiles would make a lot of money, it would be on faster than a lid on a woman's drink around Bill Cosby.

Effects

dulux99 wrote: »

I reckon all that work will be done for him. He's the face of the company, he's there for the instagram posts. He probably has some serious industry knowledge behind him doing the actual work. Look at the tour he's on now, texas, LA and so on visiting distributors. The crowd he's in with obviously know the whiskey game quite well already.

Yeah, but he still needs to keep his reputation up to build the brand as it's still at it's early stages. It's not being sold based on it's quality!

Effects

spix wrote: »

If floyd is serious about it he must be really desperate for a pay day but is too scared to go into the ufc as that would sell much more.

He's too smart to go into the UFC.

walshb

McGregor by Sub

Effects wrote: »

He's too smart to go into the UFC.

Smart scared.....

Scared because he knows he'd get fooked up and hurt. Dominated.....

That tip tap stuff he's been doing the past few years would see him having next to no chance in a cage.

spix

Effects wrote: »

He's too smart to go into the UFC.

He said he would do it several times and backtracked. Floyd fighting in the UFC against Conor or Khabib would be the biggest fight of all time, people want to see him get taken down, leg kicked etc. It wouldn't damage his boxing record at all so it just comes down to fear, in my opinion. The minimum 6 months usada testing probably puts him off as well, he got away with only 1 month of testing for the mcgregor fight, UFC is 6 months minimum.

evolving tipperary

spix wrote: »

He said he would do it several times and backtracked. Floyd fighting in the UFC against Conor or Khabib would be the biggest fight of all time, people want to see him get taken down, leg kicked etc. It wouldn't damage his boxing record at all so it just comes down to fear, in my opinion. The minimum 6 months usada testing probably puts him off as well, he got away with only 1 month of testing for the mcgregor fight, UFC is 6 months minimum.

He controls everything in boxing through Mayweather Productions - won't happen in UFC.

Paully D

McGregor by Sub

Floyd is far too smart to fight MMA rules.

He knows that one leg kick will have him writhing around on the ground in agony. Literally one leg kick connecting flush and he’s not going to be able to continue (or walk).

No matter how much money is on offer, it’s not worth it for him to lose his unbeaten tag considering he’s hardly struggling, and people would see it as a defeat when all is said and done. It won’t be Floyd Mayweather 50-0 boxer, it’ll be Floyd Mayweather who got embarrassed in the octagon.

I genuinely think you could offer Floyd $1bn and he still wouldn’t take it.

evolving tipperary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBfS5OHuTVM

Boys are laughing down the Mayweather way