Conor McGregor’s coach makes big Khabib fight claim: I see holes in his game
CONOR MCGREGOR’s striking coach Owen Roddy is confident ‘The Notorious’ has what it takes to KO Khabib Nurmagomedov, who he believes is far from being a complete mixed martial artist.
Conor McGregor (L) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (R)
A mega-fight between McGregor and Nurmagomedov moved closer to coming fruition earlier this month when the latter claimed the lightweight title in the main event of UFC 223.
Mixed martial arts fans have been eager to see the pair face one another due to Nurmagomedov’s grappling-heavy style, which many believe is McGregor’s weakness.
Roddy respects Nurmagomedov’s skill set and the dominant performances he’s put on in his recent outings inside the Octagon.
However, he believes he’s seen multiple holes in the Dagestan native’s game that McGregor can exploit.
“At the end of the day, Khabib hasn’t finished many fights lately,” Roddy told The BBC MMA Show. “Now he always says he does that on purpose, but I don’t think so.
“If you’re going to go in and finish somebody, you go in and finish somebody. He says, ‘I like punish people for five rounds’, I always say, ‘If you’re going to give Conor McGregor five attempts to land a shot on you..’.
So even if he went in and didn’t land the first round, or the second, or the third, or the fourth, he still has five attempts to land one shot.
UFC's Khabib Nurmagomedov wrestles a BEAR
I see holes in his game
“I’ve seen Conor McGregor go in and land within the first thirty seconds of the first round.”
Immediately after claiming the lightweight crown, Nurmagomedov made it clear that he’s more than willing to welcome McGregor back to the Octagon, which he hasn’t raced in 17 months.
Roddy, like many others, believes Nurmagomedov vs McGregor is the fight which makes the most sense for the lightweight division.
Owen Roddy believes Khabib Nurmagomedov has multiple holes which Conor McGregor can capitalise on
Khabib Nurmagomedov celebrates becoming the UFC's lightweight champion
“There’s been a lot of talk about this Khabib fight,” the SBG Charlestown coach said. “And it seems to be brewing towards this one.
“Khabib is doing very well fighting-wise — I see holes in his game — but he’s building a big ruckus.
“He’s calling [McGregor] now, and people are getting behind him and it’s starting to build to that tipping point. I’m sure we’ll see that fight.”