Coach Owen Roddy Says Conor McGregor is Prepared to Fight Khabib Nurmagamedov or Tony Ferguson, With the Irishman Ready and Waiting…
It’s the biggest question in MMA today. Who will Conor McGregor fight next? Logic would say the new lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagamedov. However, logic doesn’t apply to the UFC or the MMA world in general. The one thing we do know is that the ‘Notorious’ is ready to make his comeback. It’s just a matter of who and when.
McGregor hasn’t fought in the UFC since way back in November 2016, when he defeated Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight title. Since then he’s fought twice: against Floyd Mayweather in 2017, and against a UFC press bus a couple of weeks ago.
The ‘Notorious’s’ striking coach Owen Roddy believes that McGregor’s team has him prepared for action against whoever he faces. In an interview with Express Sport, he gave his thoughts on his friend and student’s potential match-ups and their preparation.
Khabib Time
Khabib Nurmagamedov is without a doubt the most exciting opponent McGregor could face right now. It’s perfectly set up. The Irishman and the Russian have an ongoing feud which culminated with McGregor, as well as 20 goons, attacking a bus carrying Khabib from the Barclay Center to the fighters’ hotel.
The UFC wants it, the fans want it, and, if Roddy is to be believed, McGregor wants it too. It would be an unbelievable fight with two totally different fighting styles facing off. Nurmagamedov the grappler vs McGregor the striker. Yes please and thank you.
However, Nurmagamedov hasn’t always been the most reliable opponent. Next in line behind McGregor, is Tony Ferguson, the former interim champion. Ferguson would be a worthy replacement for ‘the Eagle’ if for some reason he got another tiramisu craving and couldn’t make weight.
Ready Now
Roddy insists that the opponent doesn’t matter. McGregor is ready for whoever crosses his path. He’s been hitting the gym hard and his team has plans in place for both Nurmagamedov and Ferguson.
“We look at the whole division and see potential match-ups,” Roddy said. “And for me, I try to break everybody down. I’d look at Khabib, and I have looked at Khabib and kind of worked out how I’d like to see Conor approach the fight. And the same with Ferguson, I have my thoughts on how he should approach that.”
Roddy is one of the most important members of McGregor’s camp. He’s been with him throughout the entirety of his career and took the lead in organizing his emphatic defeat to Floyd Mayweather.
Pragmatic
When it comes to preparing for a fight it is all about a pragmatic approach and being adaptable. Nurmagamedov and Ferguson are very different opponents so it’s very interesting to see how McGregor prepares for opposing styles of combat. Roddy continued:
“That’s the way we work. We all put out cards on the table and see what we think is going to work and what we think will help us get the victory. And then put them into practice and we leave what works and take away what doesn’t work.”
At the end of the day, the fight game is a learning curve. With every victory and defeat comes a new learning curve. McGregor has experienced the ups and downs of MMA. It’s up to him to prove that he still has the hunger to win. Or at least survive prison.
