Conor McGregor, Is He More Than a Mouth??
How many fighters do we see talk a big game and never back it up? Chael Sonnen, Phil Davis and Michael Bisping. Have all been left embarrassed when they went above and beyond in the pre-fight build-up and then dropped the fight. Fans might ask is there any difference with Conor McGregor and the answer is simply YES.
Conor has talked big games against his first three opponents and looked like a superstar. The line thrown out for every new fight is, he`s not fought anybody on this level yet! After Brimage, it was “Holloway is too big a step” and then the same with Brandao, and low and behold it is the same with Poirier. In all fairness this time they might have a point, Poirier has wins over Holloway and Brandao.
Regardless Conor`s talking and fights to-date have left a lasting impression on me and the MMA world and I can`t see the Dubliner losing. It seems to me that unless McGregor defeats José Aldo via “Whisper in the Wind”, (sorry for the wrestling reference). There is a large portion of MMA fans that won`t take him seriously because of his persona.
On To This Weekends Card
UFC 178…say what you will about the main event sucking, the rest of the card is where the real magic is. Loads of all-action fights, intriguing match-ups and must-see fighters..
There are very few must-see fighters in the UFC, guys that don`t ask that you tune in the command you too. McGregor is one these rare fighters that make people stand up and notice. For f**k sake look how far he`s come in three fights! Dustin has 10 fights and without trying to sound mean, he`s not in the same atmosphere of Conor when it comes to star power.
McGregor talks a huge game, this can be a negative thing. Look at Chael Sonnen, talked a huge game but never backed it up with a title. The difference with Conor and Chael is that McGregor has had three fights, 2 first-round finishes and one three-round beat down with a wonky leg. Whether you hate the guy or love him, his incage action is impressive!
It`s hard to come across as unbiased when discussing Conor Mcgregor. I’ve followed him for years so when I say I think he`ll win this weekend people might say its all bias! It`s not, and here`s why he will win.
Facing Dustin Poirier
Dustin is tough and as a fight fan I like him, Fightville is a great documentary. And in all fairness to Dustin he`s in the top 5 of the division, but has he something special? I don’t think he does! Research takes me back to his finish of Brandao and it looked sloppy more of Brandao wilting than Dustin destroying him. Would he land the same shots on Conor?…… No!
This fight with Dustin will be really really close, I think Dustin has the edge on the ground for one reason. We’ve seen Dustin`s BJJ, it looked sharp. That fight with the Korean Zombie was legendary, and I haven`t seen as much of Conor`s. That is not saying his ground game isn’t awesome. As fighters training with Gunni and under John Kavanagh tend to be slick motherfunkers on the ground.
One thing I have seen with Conor is his ability to dictate where the fight happens. Whether moving his opponent with footwork and using his jab to back fighters up. The ability of Conor to fight the fight exactly where he wants to is a thing of beauty.
Conor`s timing is something to behold, it again is very rare that you face a fighter that can touch your face repeatedly without taking damage himself. This is McGregor’s biggest strength as far as I`m concerned, his timing and speed are so on point. He can hurt you and be back in the dressing room fixing up his trademark dickie-bow before you realise you’ve been hit!
Here`s what UFC commentator Joe Rogan had to say on Conor McGregors movement video.
However the fights go this weekend, the whole country will be talking about Conor McGregor, just let that sink in. MMA has gone mainstream in Ireland all thanks to the fighting and talking of one Dubliner, which is incredible. So even if things don`t go as planned for McGregor this Saturday night, in some regard, he`s already won.
Image courtesy of Zimbio.com
