Conor McGregor’s loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 was an unexpected defeat for the Irish fighter, who had been riding a wave of success and confidence in the lead up to the fight. Conor mcgregor and khabib nurmagomedov was one of two great MMA players.
Despite being the overwhelming favorite to win, McGregor ended up on the losing side of a submission in the fourth round. So what went wrong? In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the factors that contributed to McGregor’s loss, and discuss how he can bounce back in the future.
The Mindset Shift
The biggest factor in Conor McGregor’s loss at UFC 229 was his mindset. Going into the fight, he was not as focused as he could have been and did not have the same level of motivation as usual. After not competing for nearly two years, McGregor was out of his element and it showed in his performance. He did not seem to have the same mental edge that had made him a champion in the past.
His pre-fight trash talk and antics were also a far cry from the focused and confident attitude he had going into fights in previous years. McGregor’s lack of focus and intensity may have been the result of too much confidence or simply not taking the fight seriously enough. Whatever the cause, it was clear that his mindset was not in the right place, leading to an eventual loss.
The Training Regimen
The most critical aspect of any fighter’s preparation for a big fight is their training regimen. Many pundits and fans alike have questioned the training regimen Conor McGregor used for his UFC 229 bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
There are a few major changes that we noticed in McGregor’s training leading up to the fight, which could explain why he struggled so much in the octagon.
First, the media noticed that McGregor had shifted his focus away from traditional martial arts and boxing techniques, and instead focused on strength and conditioning exercises. While many fighters have begun to use this method as part of their preparation for a fight, it appears that McGregor relied too heavily on it for this particular match-up.
By eschewing traditional techniques in favor of strength and conditioning, McGregor may have been putting himself at a disadvantage against the more experienced and well-rounded Nurmagomedov.
Second, McGregor’s training sessions seemed to lack the intensity they usually do prior to a fight. The media reported that McGregor was seen laughing and joking around during training, which could indicate he wasn’t taking his preparation as seriously as he has in the past.
We don’t know how this affected his performance in the octagon, but it certainly could not have helped him prepare properly.
Finally, McGregor appeared to be underweight when he stepped into the octagon on fight night. While this isn’t necessarily surprising considering McGregor’s tendency to cut weight, it is a red flag for some. It’s possible that McGregor’s intense weight cutting regimen sapped his energy and strength for the bout, leaving him at a disadvantage against Nurmagomedov.
Overall, it appears that Conor McGregor’s training regimen for UFC 229 was not up to par with what we’ve come to expect from him.
Whether it was an incorrect focus on strength and conditioning, a lack of intensity during training, or severe weight cutting, something went wrong leading up to the fight. Hopefully, McGregor will take this loss as a learning experience and improve his approach in future bouts.
Prior to his loss at UFC 229, Conor McGregor had a game plan in place. According to his coach, John Kavanagh, the game plan was to have McGregor use movement and speed to avoid Khabib’s takedowns while using strikes to keep the fight standing.
McGregor had trained hard for the fight, working on his boxing skills as well as improving his ground game, in order to be able to defend himself should Khabib get him to the mat. On top of this, McGregor had a strong mental focus and was determined to win the match.
In the end, however, the game plan failed to play out as McGregor had hoped. Khabib was able to take McGregor down multiple times during the fight, and each time McGregor was unable to escape from the hold. McGregor also struggled to land any strikes against Khabib and his defensive strategies were largely ineffective.
Ultimately, it was clear that the game plan that McGregor had put in place did not work against Khabib’s strength and skill level. Despite training hard and having a strong mental focus, McGregor was unable to execute his strategy and suffered a painful loss.
Khabib’s Domination
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 229 was a dominant display of both skill and strategy. Khabib utilized a number of techniques to wear down and ultimately submit McGregor, proving himself the superior fighter.
The most visible aspect of Khabib’s domination of the fight was his relentless pressure. From the very beginning, Khabib moved forward relentlessly with powerful strikes and takedowns that kept McGregor from establishing any offense of his own.
Khabib’s take downs: –
Khabib’s aggression forced McGregor onto the defensive and eventually, he was unable to stay upright under the onslaught of punches and grapples.Khabib also had great success in his takedowns.After the fight till he retired he maintined 29-0 this khabib nurmagomedov record still can’t beaten by any other fighter.
He successfully executed five takedowns over the course of the fight, something no other fighter has been able to do against McGregor in the UFC.
Khabib’s takedowns were not only powerful, but were timed perfectly to keep McGregor off balance and unable to mount any sort of significant offense.
Finally, Khabib’s ground game proved too much for McGregor to handle.
Khabib took him down repeatedly and then utilized superior grappling technique to maintain control. He also demonstrated amazing strength as he held McGregor down with relative ease. In the end, Khabib was able to sink in a rear-naked choke that forced McGregor to tap out in submission.
Khabib’s domination of Conor McGregor at UFC 229 was clear to see. With superior striking, takedowns, and grappling, Khabib was able to dominate and defeat the biggest star in the sport. His performance stands as one of the greatest displays of MMA technique in recent memory and will certainly cement his legacy in the sport.
