The MMA thread

[ZupZup]

That was an amazing performance by Khabib. Gaethje did look like he was gassing earlier... but I think that was maybe the emotional energy and the intense pressure Khabib was putting on him. He was really forcing a relentless pace and had Justin backing up and circling almost the entire fight whilst they were standing. It was very different to when Khabib fought Conor and he seemed a bit more worried about the threat from Conor’s striking and fought a more patient fight.

It would have been amazing to see Khabib go for number 30 against GSP. I can understand not being interested in Conor or Dustin again as it’s hard to imagine those fights going any different and he has nothing to gain from it in terms of his legacy.

 

[Tel074]

Agree. Conor did however negate and neutralise him for periods. Certainly had the skill level to cause Khabib big problems. But really he looked shook when entering the ring, which was a first. Mental doubt coming from lack of true preparation. I truly believe that he knew he wasnt ready for Khabib. And he wasn't.

Yeah I think most fighter's deep down know they have a punchers chance against Khabib and when that isn't working they know what's coming .
Gaethje v McGregor would be a war

 

[Mailo]

Any links with the full fight?

 

[Mailo]

Phenomenon. Greatest of all time for me. As the poster above said its the fact that he makes great fighters look like they don't even belong in there with him. More than that, he even seems to make his opponents believe themselves that they don't belong there. That separates him from other greats.

On the one hand sad to see him retire young, but on the other I like to see legends go out on top of the game. Respect.

You can visibly see when the opponent's realise this during the fight and break.

 

[Paxi]

The why is in not having a choice because the stand up is so good it exposes the weaknesses in his own game and the shoot follow-ups are much, much harder to come by because these guys have exit points a mile away from where they struck from, which is not the same as what he encounters currently - he scrambles and trades and then he's grappling and the opponent falls to pieces and is subsequently terrified for the rest of the bout, understable as that is from their perspective.

Before his loss, Ferguson was 'the one' custom-built to match Khabib and not be intimidated whilst providing volume and aggression by the bucketload.

I don't think a new level is set for Khabib - he's at a level where everything is scrutinised because there's discussion of greatest of all-time etc. at which point these guys get broken down to the minutiae. Thing is, though, strikers of the level I'm talking about are so few and far between that hoping one emerges in Khabib's division whilst he's still at his peak is like waiting on a unicorn - Khabib can only beat what's in front of him, but you can't sweep his flaws under the carpet. He's vulnerable to certain things and it would have been great to see a truly masterful standup exponent go at it with him just see how it would turn out for the both of them.

Well I meant that currently there isn't anyone currently that good, therefore there isn't a chink in his armour. Of course his weakness is his stand up but he's more than proficient on his feet to negate another fighter superior stand up as we've seen in his past few fights when the level went up dramatically.

Before Tony's loss to Gaethje where Gaethje was forcing pressure on Ferguson. Is it not reasonable to come to conclusion that after last night's showing, Tony would have maybe a submission in him against Khabib and that's it. To be honest, I'm not sure Tony could even do it. BJJ black belts fought Khabib before and none did anything except for Dustin Poirier.

Khabib for me, will go down as a fighter that's never been taken to deep waters in MMA and that's really something. It would have been great to see him at 170 though but Usman becoming the champ when he did made it pointless as he said he'd never fight him.

 

[Paxi]

In GSP's case, it would be because he was a complete fighter. Probably one of the few who were masterful at every aspect of MMA.

I also thought, winning the middleweight title against Bisping in the manner and the circumstances was awesome.

I'd say.

Jon Jones
GSP
Khabib
Nunes
Mighty Mouse

Hard to really put them into order but I'd be inclined to say that Jonny Bones is #1.

 

[Shane88]

People are still arguing Mcgregor could trouble Khabib? Big lols

People forget just how blatant McGregor's cheating was in that fight and it was all unpunished. Glove grabbing, shorts grabbing, cage holding and the flush knee to Khabib's face while he was on the ground. He was utterly desperate and tried every dirty trick and it still made no difference.

 

[Icemav]

Yeah I think most fighter's deep down know they have a punchers chance against Khabib and when that isn't working they know what's coming .
Gaethje v McGregor would be a war

Conor has more than a punchers chance. The best version of Conor who was sharp knife and constantly improving is the challenge Khabib needed. Instead Conor chased money and partying and the rest is history.

Don't agree about Conor vs Gaethje. Conor is closer to Khabib's level and would wreck Gaethje, I am talking about a dedicated Conor of course. That is truly the definition of a punchers chance.

 

[sullydnl]

At this point I've given up on thinking any actual fighter will beat Khabib (before Father Time beats him, at least) and am more wondering what type of style would cause him most trouble.

Maybe a dangerous Karate-style point fighter? Someone with the capacity to land potentially fight-changing single shots from a well-managed distance while keeping the hell away from the scary bear-man. They'd still need to have some ridiculous defence, mind.

 

[Paxi]

People forget just how blatant McGregor's cheating was in that fight and it was all unpunished. Glove grabbing, shorts grabbing, cage holding and the flush knee to Khabib's face while he was on the ground. He was utterly desperate and tried every dirty trick and it still made no difference.

Also thought he layed a few 12-6 elbows on Khabib. He had the temerity to argue that the illegal knee should be allowed. Funny how stuff should be allowed in he's not factoring in that would allow Khabib to absolutely brutalise him while he was on top of him.

 

[Icemav]

People are still arguing Mcgregor could trouble Khabib? Big lols

Of course he could. Brilliant take down defense and one of the best most lethal strikers in history. In a parallel universe where Mayweather doesn't gift him feck you coke and whisky money we would have seen a better performance from Conor and also a rematch. And just less of cnut in general. Conor walked into that ring looking weirdly deflated not just because Khabib is real deal savage, but because he knew he talked a lot of shit and unusually couldn't back it up. We saw a much softer version of Conor than usual.

 

[Desert Eagle]

I also thought, winning the middleweight title against Bisping in the manner and the circumstances was awesome.

I'd say.

Jon Jones
GSP
Khabib
Nunes
Mighty Mouse

Hard to really put them into order but I'd be inclined to say that Jonny Bones is #1.

good list.Throw DC and Fedor in there too.

 

[Raoul]

Conor has more than a punchers chance. The best version of Conor who was sharp knife and constantly improving is the challenge Khabib needed. Instead Conor chased money and partying and the rest is history.

Don't agree about Conor vs Gaethje. Conor is closer to Khabib's level and would wreck Gaethje, I am talking about a dedicated Conor of course. That is truly the definition of a punchers chance.

Not a chance. Gaethje and Conor would be a good fight since their styles match up well. Conor clearly has no ground game to deal with anything of Khabib’s caliber, so once it goes to the ground it’s over. Gaethje , Poirier, and Ferguson are much more multi dimensional than Conor.

 

[sammsky1]

 

[Raoul]

At this point I've given up on thinking any actual fighter will beat Khabib (before Father Time beats him, at least) and am more wondering what type of style would cause him most trouble.

Maybe a dangerous Karate-style point fighter? Someone with the capacity to land potentially fight-changing single shots from a well-managed distance while keeping the hell away from the scary bear-man. They'd still need to have some ridiculous defence, mind.

This is how you beat him imo. You just have to be slightly better than what Poirier did.




Also, Gaethje could’ve won last night if he ruined Khabib’s legs with a few more kicks. The strategy was good, as was Khabib’s counter strategy of constant pressure to finish the fight earlier and avoid more leg kicks.

 

[Paxi]

good list.Throw DC and Fedor in there too.

There's lots mate. I feel like putting in an exhaustive list is doing disservice to lots of other great fighters. I agree about DC and Fedor. You could put Valentina there too. We can all agree that Khabib is one of the best to ever do it and that's good enough.

 

[El-Manos]

Not a chance. Gaethje and Conor would be a good fight since their styles match up well. Conor clearly has no ground game to deal with anything of Khabib’s caliber, so once it goes to the ground it’s over. Gaethje , Poirier, and Ferguson are much more multi dimensional than Conor.

I actually thought his takedown defence in his fight vs khabib was quite good. Much better than Gaethje’s last night anyway.

 

[sammsky1]

Came cross the great and crazy channel the other day

 

[Dirty Schwein]

So I tend to wait a while before I post following a big fight night as the discussions in here just become too heated.

The fight
I predicted Khabib to win but I also thought it would be much more competitive. I don't think any of us (including Justin) expected Khabib to have leveled up to Super Saiyan mode. I doubt Justin prepped for that. With that said, Justin did win round 1 on the judges scorecard (I didn't agree with that) and his leg kicks were doing damage. Had the fight gone on longer, that could have come into play. I think if Justin fight Khabib before the passing of his father, it might have been more competitive.

GOAT
This is generally a pointless conversation as it's so subjective but if I had to talk about it, I would put it into two tiers:

Tier 1
GSP (bloody amazing but lost a couple of fights), Khabib (levels above anyone in lightweight but never moved up and got that second belt) and Nunes (after a patchy start, she went on an absolute tear).

Tier 2
Jones (drug cheat questions will always be there), Mighty Mouse (mainly fought cans, not his fault), Shevchenko (officially lost twice to Nunes), Cejudo (not a sustained period of dominance), Spider (drug cheat questions), Cyborg (mainly fought cans and never got her loss back from Nunes) and Fedor (not tested at the highest level)

Those are my top 10. Probably forgot a few but I think that's a good list.

Khabib retiring
I don't think this was a heat of the moment retirement. It seemed thought out. I know retirements in combat sports mean little but this is a man that seems to stick to his words. Maybe he'll come back for a legacy fight with someone like GSP but doubt he'll come back for money. If he was money motivated, he would have given McGregor a rematch already. It's a shame we'll never get that Ferguson fight...

McGregor
That fight was not the mauling that Barboza was, I think people are remembering it wrong. With that said, it was hugely one-sided and Khabib was never for a second in danger. Whether McGregor was in the best mental shape is irrelevant. That's up to him to control. No point whining about that. Poirier (and lord brimage) was the closest to beating Khabib with that guillotine but even then, Khabib looked unbeatable.

The fact that people are talking about rounds he's lost or times when he seemed in trouble just shows HOW dominant this guy was.

Overall I think Khabib is in the conversation for the best ever, I'm glad I saw most of his career and hope he can now grieve and find peace doing whatever he feels like doing.

I reckon he'll take his father's spot and start training Dagestani fighters and mentoring them.

As for the lightweight division, it's very interesting now...

 

[Icemav]

Not a chance. Gaethje and Conor would be a good fight since their styles match up well. Conor clearly has no ground game to deal with anything of Khabib’s caliber, so once it goes to the ground it’s over. Gaethje , Poirier, and Ferguson are much more multi dimensional than Conor.

Jesus. Conor has already smashed smashed Poirier. And Khabib just ran through Gaethje far easier than a pretty pale version of Conor. Conor has already annihilated fighters that have beaten Gaethje though its clear he has improved. It would be fun to watch Gaethje try and stand with Conor, not for Gaethje. Conor also appears to have better tdd and ground defense. And it was not over once it hit the ground for Conor, he defended well and kept it standing for a round stuffing a few td attempts. Gaethje was the one who was fecked once it hit the deck.

Tony? His best chance is doing a Nate Diaz and hope Conor blows his gas tank caving his face in. It would be a massacre but that would be his only opportunity.

Now anyway I have flirted with MMA maths which is a bit silly. The truth is that Conor is not really fully committed to the game anymore. But if he didnt have his cash induced spaz out hiatus he was levels above these guys, no matter how well rounded they might seem to be. So are Chaz Mendes and Alvarez etc etc.

 

[Paxi]

Anyone else excited for LW with Khabib retiring?

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Jesus. Conor has already smashed smashed Poirier. And Khabib just ran through Gaethje far easier than a pretty pale version of Conor. Conor has already annihilated fighters that have beaten Gaethje. It would be fun to watch Gaethje try and stand with Conor, not for Gaethje. Conor also appears to have better tdd and ground defense. And it was not over once it hit the ground for Conor, he defended well and kept it standing for a round stuffing a few td attempts. Gaethje was the one who was fecked once it hit the deck.

Tony? His best chance is doing a Nate Diaz and hope Conor blows his gas tank caving his face in. It would be a massacre but that would be his only opportunity.

Now anyway I have flirted with MMA maths which is a bit silly. The truth is that Conor is not really fully committed to the game anymore. But if he didnt have his cash induced spaz out hiatus he was levels above these guys, no matter how well rounded they might seem to be. So are Chaz Mendes and Alvarez etc etc.

With that said, has McGregor looked amazing beyond fighting guys a weight class below lightweight, who cannot handle the power?

Alvarez - fair enough this was a great win.
Nate - a journeyman who McGregor made to look like some kind of Goliath.
Khabib - beat McGregor very easily.
Cowboy - we all know how he performs under the spotlight

McGregor has looked nothing special outside of featherweight.

So here's had two good wins (Alvarez and cowboy) two defeats (Khabib and Nate) and another close victory (Nate rematch).

Not exactly elite level stuff.

I'm no McGregor hater, I love it when he signs on for a fight, it's always fun (except the Khabib pre-fight racism) but let's not present McGregor as some kind of monster above featherweight. He never was.

 

[Paxi]

Chael P's thoughts.

 

[Raoul]

Jesus. Conor has already smashed smashed Poirier.

This doesn't really mean anything in the present, just as it didn't when it happened over 6 years ago. The fighters were still up and coming and developing their skill sets at the time and don't even fight in the same division anymore.

And Khabib just ran through Gaethje far easier than a pretty pale version of Conor.

Also somewhat meaningless since styles make fights. Just because McGregor lasted 4 rounds against Gaethje's two is in no way informative of how a McGregor v Gaethje fight would go down.

Conor has already annihilated fighters that have beaten Gaethje though its clear he has improved.

He's also been choked out in two of his past two fights. Anyone who gets him to the ground is likely to beat him, which speaks to how one dimensional a fighter he is (despite some of his fans attempting to suggest he's got a "great takedown defense"). He's still terrible on the ground, bad at jiu-jitsu, bad at wrestling, and every other form of grappling.

It would be fun to watch Gaethje try and stand with Conor, not for Gaethje. Conor also appears to have better tdd and ground defense. And it was not over once it hit the ground for Conor, he defended well and kept it standing for a round stuffing a few td attempts. Gaethje was the one who was fecked once it hit the deck.

It would be a good fight - very even given Conor's rubbishness at anything other than punching.

Tony? His best chance is doing a Nate Diaz and hope Conor blows his gas tank caving his face in. It would be a massacre but that would be his only opportunity.

Ferguson has far more tools in his arsenal than Conor, so it would (again) be a great fight. Conor would be a better boxer. Tony would be better at everything else, especially cardio.

Now anyway I have flirted with MMA maths which is a bit silly. The truth is that Conor is not really fully committed to the game anymore. But if he didn't have his cash induced spaz out hiatus he was levels above these guys, no matter how well rounded they might seem to be. So are Chaz Mendes and Alvarez etc etc.

He's a good fighter who never really invested in becoming a complete fighter, which when combined with money and fame, tells you a lot about his character. Especially when contrasted against a proper champ like Khabib.

 

[Icemav]

With that said, has McGregor looked amazing beyond fighting guys a weight class below lightweight, who cannot handle the power?

Alvarez - fair enough this was a great win.
Nate - a journeyman who McGregor made to look like some kind of Goliath.
Khabib - beat McGregor very easily.
Cowboy - we all know how he performs under the spotlight

McGregor has looked nothing special outside of featherweight.

So here's had two good wins (Alvarez and cowboy) two defeats (Khabib and Nate) and another close victory (Nate rematch).

Not exactly elite level stuff.

I'm no McGregor hater, I love it when he signs on for a fight, it's always fun (except the Khabib pre-fight racism) but let's not present McGregor as some kind of monster above featherweight. He never was.

Nate was not at 155. These 2 fights were anomalys.

He has 3 fights at Lightweight winning 2 easily, and the loss to Khabib.

No he is not a monster at Lightweight because he has done hardly any work there. Doesnt mean I would pick any of the contenders to win against a prime Conor. I remember the build up to Alvarez clearly with many giving Alravez a good chance, even picking the underground king, and be a tough fight for Conor. Instead it was a majestic decimation. Often the case for Conor. Overhyped by many but underrated in equal measure.

 

[Paxi]

Yeah Poirier is a different animal to what he was at 145. He's gotten much better. I doubt he folds like a deck chair this time.

 

[Raoul]

Came cross the great and crazy channel the other day

Not sure if its still on Netflix, but Dawg Fight is well worth a watch.

 

[sammsky1]

Dagestani's watching Khabib Gaethje fight

 

[Raoul]

That's awesome. Although sad that this sort of thing could end up a COVID super spreader event in the area.

 

[Icemav]

This doesn't really mean anything in the present, just as it didn't when it happened over 6 years ago. The fighters were still up and coming and developing their skill sets at the time and don't even fight in the same division anymore.


Also somewhat meaningless since styles make fights. Just because McGregor lasted 4 rounds against Gaethje's two is in no way informative of how a McGregor v Gaethje fight would go down.


He's also been choked out in two of his past two fights. Anyone who gets him to the ground is likely to beat him, which speaks to how one dimensional a fighter he is (despite some of his fans attempting to suggest he's got a "great takedown defense"). He's still terrible on the ground, bad at jiu-jitsu, bad at wrestling, and every other form of grappling.


It would be a good fight - very even given Conor's rubbishness at anything other than punching.


Ferguson has far more tools in his arsenal than Conor, so it would (again) be a great fight. Conor would be a better boxer. Tony would be better at everything else, especially cardio.


He's a good fighter who never really invested in becoming a complete fighter, which when combined with money and fame, tells you a lot about his character. Especially when contrasted against a proper champ like Khabib.

Sadly you don't understand Conor as a fighter if you think he is only standup. Its where he is vastly superior to everyone else but he wouldnt survive in the cage if it was only that, such as in the 2nd Diaz fight which went to ground or his excellent tdd against multiple fighters and defensive jiu jitsu. So no he doesnt automatically lose everytime it goes to ground. That has never happened apart from very early on when he was a Jiu Jitsu white belt.

Sorry can you also explain how Conor has been choked out in his last two fights? Think you have your wires crossed here.

I dont disagree about his character relative to Khabib especially post Mayweather. Until then he worked his ass off to climb that ladder. Sadly his progress stopped and possibly even regressed.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

I loved Khabib mentality yesterday "screw your wrestling background, here's some jiu jitsu"

 

[Icemav]

Yeah Poirier is a different animal to what he was at 145. He's gotten much better. I doubt he folds like a deck chair this time.

Who knows. Conor is a part time fighter. The version of Conor who fought Alvarez was also a better version than what Poirier faced. As is pointed out by many this game is too fluid. Poirier has a better chance now than at any other time versus Conor. But what does that mean exactly? The Alvarez version of Conor folds him up again. But that was then and this is now.

 

[Raoul]

Sadly you don't understand Conor as a fighter if you think he is only standup. Its where he is vastly superior to everyone else but he wouldnt survive in the cage if it was only that, such as in the 2nd Diaz fight which went to ground or his excellent tdd against multiple fighters and defensive jiu jitsu. So no he doesnt automatically lose everytime it goes to ground. That has never happened.

Sorry can you also explain how Conor has been choked out in his last two fights? Think you have your wires crossed here.

I dont disagree about his character relative to Khabib especially post Mayweather. Until then he worked his ass off to climb that ladder. Sadly his progress stopped and possibly even regressed.

Not last two fights - meant to say two of his last 5 fights.

Also, Chad Mini Mendes, who took his fight with Conor on a couple of weeks notice, took him down within seconds and nearly beat him. Then a couple of years later Nate chokes him out, then a couple of years later Khabib chokes him out. The common thread being that Conor is poor on the ground and generally a tap machine.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Nate was not at 155. These 2 fights were anomalys.

He has 3 fights at Lightweight winning 2 easily, and the loss to Khabib.

No he is not a monster at Lightweight because he has done hardly any work there. Doesnt mean I would pick any of the contenders to win against a prime Conor. I remember the build up to Alvarez clearly with many giving Alravez a good chance, even picking the underground king, and be a tough fight for Conor. Instead it was a majestic decimation. Often the case for Conor. Overhyped by many but underrated in equal measure.

Firstly, I'd genuinely be interested to see who picked Eddie in that fight? He was lucky to even be champion. He lost to cowboy and then grinded out a bunch of close decisions before catching RDA.

Since losing to McGregor he went back to 50/50s. That's what he is. It's his level now.

I was talking about fights above featherweight. Nate and McGregor both moved up to WW so it was equal. But let's scratch that then.

That leaves McGregor beating Eddie and Cowboy and losing to Khabib.

2-1 in lightweight doesn't say much other than he needs more fights before people start making claims like "motivated McGregor can have best chance against Khabib".

 

[Paxi]

That's awesome. Although sad that this sort of thing could end up a COVID super spreader event in the area.

Russia is an absolute mess in terms of Covid. My relatives tell me things are dire. People dying in significant numbers in my home town in Bashkortostan.

 

[Paxi]

Not last two fights - meant to say two of his last 5 fights.

Also, Chad Mini Mendes, who took his fight with Conor on a couple of weeks notice, took him down within seconds and nearly beat him. Then a couple of years later Nate chokes him out, then a couple of years later Khabib chokes him out. The common thread being that Conor is poor on the ground and generally a tap machine.

Has been submitted early on in his career as well. His take down defence was good against Khabib and generally I thought he did better than Gaethje. Gaethje let khabib take his back with ease like I've rarely seen.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Has been submitted early on in his career as well. His take down defence was good against Khabib and generally I thought he did better than Gaethje. Gaethje let khabib take his back with ease like I've rarely seen.

But at the same time Gaethje leg kicks probability did more damage to Khabib than anything Connor did in their fight.

It's ridiculous how far ahead Khabib is to the chasing pack (apart from lord Brimage).

 

[Icemav]

Not last two fights - meant to say two of his last 5 fights.

Also, Chad Mini Mendes, who took his fight with Conor on a couple of weeks notice, took him down within seconds and nearly beat him. Then a couple of years later Nate chokes him out, then a couple of years later Khabib chokes him out. The common thread being that Conor is poor on the ground and generally a tap machine.

Umm Conor was due to face Aldo and took Mendes as a very late replacement. He could have scrapped the bout espcially as it ws against a totally different style. Also late replacements when you have a guaranteed title fight are high risk and very low reward, but he saved the card and thats one of the reasons Dana loved him. Anyway he was inexperienced to top level MMA wrestling at the time and definitely hadnt been focusing on it in the Aldo camp.... and we saw what he did to Aldo once he faced him. Anyway he got taken down by Mendes several times, miraculously stood back up every time and tko'd him.

Nate was also a crazy fight to take. Late replacement with a guaranteed title fight and jumping from 145 to 170 so losing that advantage. And he was not simply taken down and choked out. He blew his gas tank, was stunned with punches and retreated to the ground where Nate (legit jiu jitsu black belt) did a beautiful sub of Conor who bitched out a little.

Khabib. Greatest MMA grappler ever. Defended on the ground and stuffed a few take downs for 3 and a bit rounds. Then got submitted like most of Khabib's opponents. Not sure what your point is quite frankly. Though if I were to hazard a gues it would be you don't rate Conor very highly

 

[Paxi]

But at the same time Gaethje leg kicks probability did more damage to Khabib than anything Connor did in their fight.

It's ridiculous how far ahead Khabib is to the chasing pack (apart from lord Brimage).

Well yeah I agree with the leg kicks but I feel like Khabib wanted to stand up with Gaethje to maybe a prove a point, otherwise I've no idea why he didn't just shoot. I feel like if his leg was compromised he'd still have his grappling to fall back on.

But yeah he's way ahead of the chasing pack. That's the same guy who just dismantled Tony Ferguson - he literally given him a beating of a life time.

 

[Raoul]

Umm Conor was due to face Aldo and took Mendes as a very late replacement. He could have scrapped the bout espcially as it ws against a totally different style. Also late replacements when you have a guaranteed title fight are high risk and very low reward, but he saved the card and thats one of the reasons Dana loved him. Anyway he was inexperienced to top level MMA wrestling at the time and definitely hadnt been focusing on it in the Aldo camp.... and we saw what he did to Aldo once he faced him. Anyway he got taken down by Mendes several times, miraculously stood back up every time and tko'd him.

Nate was also a crazy fight to take. Late replacement with a guaranteed title fight and jumping from 145 to 170 so losing that advantage. And he was not simply taken down and choked out. He blew his gas tank, was stunned with punches and retreated to the ground where Nate (legit jiu jitsu black belt) did a beautiful sub of Conor who bitched out a little.

Khabib. Greatest MMA grappler ever. Defended on the ground and stuffed a few take downs for 3 and a bit rounds. Then got submitted like most of Khabib's opponents. Not sure what your point is quite frankly. Though if I were to hazard a gues it would be you don't rate Conor very highly

I rate Conor’s standup striking as some of best in UFC. Likewise, I rate every other aspect of his MMA game as poor to average. So what you get at the end of the day is exactly what we’ve seen with Conor - a great striker, the GOAT of self-promotion and punching old men in pubs, and a highly flawed mixed martial artist who still hasn’t taken the time and effort to develop a high quality ground game.