Conor McGregor vs Khabib: Coach reveals how Notorious can end UFC 229 bout in first round
CONOR MCGREGOR could very well end Khabib Nurmagomedov’s reign atop of the lightweight division in less than five minutes, his striking coach Owen Roddy has claimed.
McGregor will come face-to-face with the undefeated Dagestan native early on Sunday morning in the main event of UFC 229.
The contest is in every sense the traditional striker versus grappler match-up and has split opinion in the mixed martial arts world.
Many MMA fans believe Nurmagomedov will overwhelm McGregor with his relentless grappling and crushing top game, which a staggering 26 men have tried and failed to nullify.
But for as many observers who hold that belief, there's an equal amount who reckon McGregor will be able to capitalise on Nurmagomedov’s tendency to leave his chin in the air when trying to secure takedowns.
Roddy, unsurprisingly, is part of that group and believes McGregor could close the show in the first round if he lands his left hand early in the stanza.
“Conor lands on the chin and puts him to sleep," the former UFC lightweight champion said. "I always give his opponent the benefit of the doubt because some people are tough and can take more shots than others, but it's only a matter of time.
"If Conor lands in the first, really, it could be done in the first. Once he lands on the chin, you'll all see it in Khabib's face.
"Once he lands, it will be lights out either immediately or shortly after."
If Conor lands in the first, really, it could be done in the first
Roddy is confident Nurmagomedov will be rendered unconscious and believes the Russian has yet to taste the type of power McGregor possess.
He added: "I'm expecting a KO. Most definitely. Whether it's in the first or the second, I don't know.
"But, I would predict that he's going to flatten him... I definitely think Conor's going to land quick enough.
"It's just how he deals with being here and how he copes. I've seen it many times before. Not many people can take the shots. Very, very few. I don't think Khabib can take them either."
UFC 229 Fight Card
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor (lightweight title fight)
Tony Ferguson vs Anthony Pettis (lightweight bout)
Ovince Saint Preux vs Dominick Reyes (light-heavyweight bout)
Derrick Lewis vs Alexander Volkov (heavyweight bout)
Michelle Waterson vs Felice Herring (women’s strawweight bout)
Prelims
Sergio Pettis vs Jussier Formica (men’s flyweight bout)
Scott Holtzman vs Alan Patrick (lightweight bout)
Ryan LaFlare vs Tony Martin (welterweight bout)
Lina Lansberg vs Yana Kunitskaya (women’s bantamweight bout)
Gray Maynard vs Nik Lentz (lightweight bout)
Aspen Ladd vs Tonya Evinger (women's bantamweight bout)