4. Conor Was Running Away
Probably the most common excuse Nate fans give for the result of UFC 202, is that Conor spent the fight running away.
There can be no doubt that there are several spots in the fight where Conor avoids engaging to try and get a breather. But this was because Conor was afraid of gassing, not that he was afraid of getting hit by Nate.
The reason Conor had to do this is that Nate’s cardio is unreal, allowing him to push the pace of a fight past where his opponents might be able to go. A good strategy for Nate moving forward might be to push the pace early and gas out his opponents, then take over in the later rounds.
Should Conor have received a point deduction for stalling? It would be unprecedented if he did, normally a fighter needs not only a warning but a complete dressing down by the ref, as John McCarthy did to Anderson Silva in his title defence against Damian Maia.
