UFC News: Conor McGregor breaks down his UFC 229 fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov

What's the story?

Following his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, former two-division UFC Champion Conor McGregor has provided an in-depth breakdown on Instagram of his submission defeat to The Eagle, earlier this month.

In case you didn't know...

At UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov marked his first successful Lightweight Championship defense after winning the title at UFC 223 by beating Al Iaquinta, against former division champion Conor McGregor, who made his return to Octagon competition for the first time in almost two and a half years.

Khabib, who pretty much dominated the fight from the get-go, had control of McGregor on the ground and didn't allow the Irishman to create any particular opening, as The Eagle eventually won via submission when McGregor tapped out in the fourth round of the fight.

Following the fight, however, a wild brawl between Khabib and McGregor's team erupted, as the champion first climbed out of the cage and attacked Bellator Welterweight and McGregor's teammate, Dillion Danis.

The heart of the matter

In Conor McGregor's latest Instagram post, the Irishman decided to break down his entire Lightweight Title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, providing round-by-round analysis. As per McGregor's claims, here's what he had to say regarding the fourth and final round of his loss to Khabib:

"My recovery was not where it could have been here. That is my fault. ... I work to regain position and end up upright, with my back to the fence. A stable position. Here however, I made a critical error of abandoning my over hook at this crucial time, exposing the back, and I end up beaten fair and square. What can I say? It was a great fight and it was my pleasure."

In addition, McGregor also stated that the second round of the fight was quite possibly the worst round of his fighting career, as he claimed that he did not give respect to Khabib's upright fighting.

Here's what McGregor had to say regarding the entire UFC 229 fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov and also seemingly called for a rematch against the Dagestani as well.

View this post on Instagram

Thoughts on my last fight. Round 1. I believe from a sport standpoint, round 1 was his. Top position against the fence. Zero position advancement or damage inflicted. But top position. From a fight standpoint the first round is mine. Actual shots landed and a willingness to engage. Straight left early. Knee to the head on the low shot. Elbows in any and all tie up scenarios. Opponent just holding the legs against the fence for almost the entire round. Round 2 he is running away around the cage before being blessed with a right hand that changed the course of the round, and the fight. It was a nice shot. After the shot I bounced back up to engage instantly, but again he dipped under to disengage. That is the sport and it was a smart move that led to a dominant round, so no issue. Well played. If I stay switched on and give his stand up even a little more respect, that right hand never gets close and we are talking completely different now. I gave his upright fighting no respect in preparation. No specific stand up spars whatsoever. Attacking grapplers/wrestlers only. That won’t happen again. I also gave my attacking grappling no respect. To defense minded. Lessons. Listen to nobody but yourself on your skill set. You are the master of your own universe. I am the master of this. I must take my own advice. Round 3. After the worst round of my fighting career, I come back and win this round. Again walking forward, walking him down, and willing to engage. Round 4. My recovery was not where it could have been here. That is my fault. Although winning the early exchanges in 4, he dips under again and I end up in a bad position with over 3 on the clock. I work to regain position and end up upright, with my back to the fence. A stable position. Here however, I made a critical error of abandoning my over hook at this crucial time, exposing the back, and I end up beaten fair and square. What can I say? It was a great fight and it was my pleasure. I will be back with my confidence high. Fully prepared. If it is not the rematch right away, no problem. I will face the next in line. It’s all me always, anyway. See you soon my fighting fans I love you all ❤

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on Oct 22, 2018 at 9:11pm PDT

What's next?

As aforementioned, McGregor is seemingly looking forward to the rematch against Khabib but if that isn't the case, then The Notorious One will face-off against the next challenger who steps up his way in the Octagon.

Either way, expect Conor McGregor to stick around for a while!