"Wake up, it ain’t gonna work" - When coach honestly disclosed Khabib Nurmagomedov's biggest weakness against Conor McGregor
The highly anticipated clash between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov on Oct. 6, 2018, remains one of the biggest fights in UFC history. A fierce rivalry and the individual star power of both fighters fueled immense pre-fight hype.
McGregor, fresh off a TKO victory over Eddie Alvarez, aimed to reclaim his lightweight title by defeating the undefeated champion Nurmagomedov. However, the Irishman's two-year hiatus proved costly, as Nurmagomedov dominated the fight, emerging victorious in the fourth round.
Nurmagomedov's wrestling prowess proved too much for McGregor to handle. In the fourth round of the fight, the Russian grappler took the seemingly exhausted Irishman down and transitioned to a dominant position, ultimately securing the submission.
Interestingly, in an interview with Eurobash podcast before the fight, Nurmagomedov's coach, Javier Mendez, acknowledged McGregor's striking ability.
He said:
“To me [Conor McGregor] is the best standup guy in the whole UFC, in my opinion. He’s got incredible relaxation, he approaches it like a scientist, he knows exactly how to read you, he knows how to bait you. He’s a master, in my opinion, on the fighting arts, and he’s also got a ground game — he’s good everywhere. I’m not sleeping on how great he is. So I’m prepared for everything but he is a great fighter.”
However, Mendez emphasized the futility of focusing on improving Nurmagomedov's striking to match McGregor:
“So, I’m not gonna say, ‘Oh yeah, we’re gonna get him ready’. Come on, wake up, it ain’t gonna work. We have to fight our strengths, we have to find ways of opening the doors to where his weaknesses are and likewise ” [H/t: The Mac Life]
Mendez's strategy revolved around capitalizing on Nurmagomedov's superior grappling skills and exploiting McGregor's weaknesses on the ground. This approach proved successful, as Nurmagomedov ultimately dominated the fight through wrestling and ground and pound.
Conor McGregor claimed he won the first and third rounds against Khabib Nurmagomedov
Taking to social media, Conor McGregor asserted that he was winning the fight before getting submitted in the fourth round.
According to him, he decisively won both the first and third rounds, with Khabib Nurmagomedov only taking the second. McGregor acknowledged being taken down in the fourth but insists he was still in control before that.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), McGregor wrote
"On the mula! Round 1’s mine. Out struck 3-1. Elbow,knees,clatters! He held on. 2s his but I land multiple knees. One from standing after the overhand, and one from bottom into the eye socket at kimura attempt. Not a scratch end of round also. I won round 3, and 4 until the trip."
Check out Conor McGregor's post below:
‘The Notorious’ then went on to detail why he believes he won the first round, highlighting specific strikes he landed. He downplayed the damage he received and emphasized Nurmagomedov's defensive posture throughout the round.