If This Doesn’t Get You Pumped Then Nothing Will…
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagamedov are set to go head to head in less than a month. The pair will finally fight on October 7 in the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. This is set to be the biggest MMA event of the year and very possibly the largest ever, as McGregor’s return will be watched by mainstream fans from all over the world.
Russian fighter Nurmagamedov is a Sambo specialist and is the current lightweight champion. He is currently riding a spectacular record of 26 wins and 0 losses. Many people believe that he could remain unbeaten throughout his entire career.
McGregor needs no introduction. The return of ‘The Notorious’ is being awaited with bated breath. His incredible rise seized its momentum from 2014 onwards, and now he is without a doubt, the biggest active star in all combat sports today – sorry Floyd Mayweather. There has been a noticeable lack of production in the build-up to this one, so here are the three promotional videos to whet your appetite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTNQ8MIAcNg
Here We Go
This is the long-awaited result of a grudge that has been slowing simmering for the past two years. McGregor and Khabib have slowly developed a toxic rivalry. It reached a boiling point when the Russian tried to intimidate McGregor’s teammate Artem Lobov and overflowed when McGregor and his team invaded Brooklyn’s Barclay Center and attacked the bus carrying Khabib.
There has been a noticeable lack of production compared to other fights involving McGregor. He had a five-country world tour with Jose Aldo to hype up their fight and similarly went on a tour with Floyd Mayweather. UFC President Dana White said:
“There’s gonna be a couple press conferences, we are gonna get through this [UFC 228] then we will announce all the stuff that’s going on with Conor and Khabib.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYp3hJKMFBg
The World is Watching
When Dana White was pressed about whether or not there would be a world tour, he was quick to explain why it wasn’t going to happen. Basically, time was of the essence and neither fighter was particularly enthusiastic about giving up precious training time to talk to the media.
“No, nothing like that. We should have, but there wasn’t enough time. This is the toughest fight in both of their careers, and these guys need time to train and get ready for this fight.”
Considering the fact that McGregor’s comeback alone basically promotes itself, there’s no need to go overboard. He did confirm that there will be a couple of press conferences before the event took place so we’ll have that to look forward to at least.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNRUgy7ydgE
Clash of Styles
It’s a monumental clash of styles. Khabib is renowned for his high-pressure wrestling. He drags his opponent to the ground and gives them five rounds of misery. While his finishing record isn’t particularly dramatic – he does have TKO wins over the likes of Michael Johnson – it’s the way he dominates fights that makes him so exceptional.
Meanwhile, McGregor is a southpaw striker. He has one of the most effective left hands in the business, and only Nate Diaz and Max Holloway have survived to fight him without being knocked out. After training for a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, his hands will be on another level.
The big question is who can capitalize on the other’s vulnerability. McGregor’s takedown defense and general ju-jitsu remain an unknown quantity. We don’t really know how much it has developed over the last two years. Furthermore, Khabib’s tendency to hold his chin high as he rushes in could be his downfall against an elite striker like McGregor, whose style is based off counter-attacking. It’s so exciting.
