Conor McGregor hand size: Does the Irish superstar have unnaturally long arms?
Conor McGregor is undoubtedly one of the most incredible fighters the UFC has ever seen. Although he fell short against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, Conor McGregor has put his incredible striking prowess on display on numerous occasions to enthral the audience.
Surely, a great component of Conor McGregor's striking is his exceptional reach. Standing at 5' 8", 'The Notorious One' has an impressive 74-inch reach. While there is nothing unnatural in his reach, it does provide Conor McGregor, an advantage over his opponents.
A reach advantage in MMA always comes in handy, especially when it is used correctly, something Conor McGregor does more often than not to beat his opponents.
A fighter's reach is determined by measuring the distance between the tip of the middle finger of one hand to that of the other. This is done while the arms of the fighter are parallel to the ground on either side.
Measuring reach is traditionally employed in the sport of boxing, and it has carried over to the MMA as well. The reach-measure in MMA, therefore, does not account for other methods of striking like kicks and elbows.
One of the unique aspects of Conor McGregor's fighting style is his erratic stance, which is usually wide. McGregor keeps his opponents far enough for him to be able to throw his devastating counter-attacks. Furthermore, his punches are extremely precise, which is something Conor McGregor prides himself on.
A recent instance of Conor McGregor's striking prowess came in his Lightweight title bout against Eddie Alvarez.
In the highlight-reel 3-punch combo that knocked Eddie Alvarez to the ground, all three of Conor McGregor's punches were devastating and precise, which made for a pretty lethal attack. He landed his first punch while maintaining his distance from a leaning Eddie Alvarez.
The fact that McGregor's gameplan consists of distance-based footwork, striking, and his patented leaning-in suggests that the Irishman does use his reach to his advantage whenever he can.
How does Conor McGregor's reach compare to that of his opponents?
Conor McGregor has a reach advantage on most of his opponents in the top five of the UFC's Lightweight division.
When compared to that of #1-ranked Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor has a 2-inch reach advantage, as 'The Diamond''s reach measures 72 inches. Of course, his reach advantage did not bear him any fruit in his rematch with Poirier, but that's a topic for another day.
#2-ranked Justin Gaethje's reach is 70 inches, which is four inches less than Conor McGregor's. Similarly, Conor McGregor holds a 3.5-inch reach advantage over #3-ranked Michael Chandler.
On the other hand, #4-ranked Charles Oliveira's reach is at par with Conor McGregor at 74 inches. Now, for the most interesting comparison, #5-ranked Tony 'El Cucuy' Ferguson, who has a 'history' with McGregor, holds a 2.5-inch reach advantage over the Irishman.