GSP's coach reveals why Conor McGregor did better than Justin Gaethje on the ground against Khabib Nurmagomedov
Conor McGregor is known for his swashbuckling demeanor and his flashy, spectacular knockouts inside the Octagon. When it comes to the former two-division champion's skills inside the Octagon, fans only talk about his prolific striking skills, however, the Irishman's ground game is often overlooked.
Firas Zahabi praises Conor McGregor's ground game
Georges St-Pierre's trainer Firas Zahabi has claimed that Conor McGregor has a more well-rounded ground game compared to Justin Gaethje and that showed during their respective encounters against the undefeated and undisputed UFC Lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Zahabi said that McGregor's jiu-jitsu is often overlooked since he likes to stay on his feet in most of his fights.
While answering a question about who did a better job of defending Khabib's takedowns between McGregor and Gaethje, Zahabi said that the Irishman displayed a much well-rounded ground game and managed to last longer with the undefeated champion inside the Octagon.
Zahabi acknowledged the fact that Conor McGregor has 4 submission losses in his career but said that he has still displayed a good ground game in most of his fights.
Zahabi also said that Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje comes from a wrestling background but his jiu-jitsu is not up to the mark against fighters like Khabib. Zahabi said that Gaethje was unable to fight off his back against Khabib because his jiu-jitsu is not well equipped to handle an opponent like Nurmagomedov inside the cage.
Zahabi was also asked whether he thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov will ever step out of retirement to rematch Conor McGregor if the latter manages to win the vacant Lightweight title in the future.
Zahabi believes that there is no way Nurmagomedov would want to run it back with Conor McGregor. Zahabi believes that Khabib knows that the loss stings McGregor to date and wants it to remain that way.