Paddy Pimblett shares brief plan of how he would defeat Conor McGregor
At this point, Conor McGregor has been a sought-after fight for countless UFC fighters, despite the Irishman's inactivity. This is no different with Paddy Pimblett, who recently outlined how he would defeat 'The Notorious' were the two to ever cross swords inside the octagon.
During a YouTube interview with Rob Moore, 'The Baddy' was asked about the dynamics of a hypothetical bout with McGregor. In response, Pimblett offered a short glimpse of his gameplan:
"Wouldn't want to give too much away. No, obviously he's a striker. Put him on his back, try and submit him."
Check out Paddy Pimblett talk about how he'd beat Conor McGregor (23:09):
The blueprint that Pimblett touched on is one that many have touted as the key to success against McGregor. This was first used to perfection against the Irishman by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who outwrestled and submitted him back at UFC 229. Meanwhile, McGregor's other losses have been largely due to issues in striking.
His first-ever UFC loss, which came against Nate Diaz at UFC 196, stemmed from his foe constantly leaning away and moving with his punches. This caused McGregor, who already has a bad habit of leaning his upper-body far forward to add extra inches of reach to his punches, to overextend even more.
As Diaz pulled back, taking the sting away from the Irishman's punches by moving with them, he countered with his own blows. McGregor tired quickly and was stunned before shooting for an ill-advised takedown that Diaz stuffed, ultimately ending in a submission loss.
His losses to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 and UFC 264 were also due to striking issues. Poirier similarly punished him for leaning too far forward, cracking him with check hooks, while also hacking at his legs with calf kicks since McGregor's wide stance exposes the back of his lead leg whenever he faces other southpaws.
Dana White turns down Conor McGregor's proposed UFC 306 fight against Nate Diaz
Conor McGregor will fight Michael Chandler in 2024, at least, if the UFC is to be believed.
The Irishman himself called for a bout with Chandler at UFC 303 and another matchup with Nate Diaz at UFC 306. Unfortunately for him, UFC CEO Dana White is less than interested in the latter.
At the UFC 299 post-fight press conference, he dismissed the idea, leaving many wondering exactly what the hold-up with McGregor is regarding his octagon return. But neither side has spoken openly about the negotiations, so fans can only wait and hope.