GDT: UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor

Who wins?


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MaxV

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Nov 6, 2006
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Khabib-Conor is getting all the headlines, but how about Pettis-Ferguson?

While the main event is all about contrasting styles, the co-main event is strength vs strength.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a much better fight.
 
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Avs_19

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Jun 28, 2007
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Khabib-Conor is getting all the headlines, but how about Pettis-Ferguson?

While the main event is all about contrasting styles, the co-main event is strength vs strength.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a much better fight.

Yeah, it looks like a really good match up on paper. Both guys are great strikers and good on the ground as well. Ferguson was a decent sized favourite the last time I checked but am I crazy to think Pettis has a really good chance here? Ferguson often fights recklessly and can get hit quite often. He's also 34 years old and coming off of a long layoff due to an injury.
 

YNWA14

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Dec 29, 2010
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That people think it's going to be a close fight makes me feel like the promotion is doing its job.

Khabib is going to smother Conor and break him in a worse way than Diaz did. He will always have a puncher's chance, but that's all he has. In no way will he keep this on the feet for any prolonged period, and he'll be absolutely dominated on the ground.

Also I used to be a fan of Conor but he's honestly the biggest tool MMA has ever produced. That him and Jones are as popular as they are is a poor reflection on the sport and what it takes to become popular today.
 

La Masse

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That people think it's going to be a close fight makes me feel like the promotion is doing its job.

Khabib is going to smother Conor and break him in a worse way than Diaz did. He will always have a puncher's chance, but that's all he has. In no way will he keep this on the feet for any prolonged period, and he'll be absolutely dominated on the ground.

Also I used to be a fan of Conor but he's honestly the biggest tool MMA has ever produced. That him and Jones are as popular as they are is a poor reflection on the sport and what it takes to become popular today.

Personally I dont give a shit about what they do outside the octagon. What happens inside is what intrigues me and both of those fighters are excellent
 
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MaxV

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A lot of what you see from Conor is either a self-promotion or a mind game.

When cameras are rolling, he turns into a pro wrestler.

Personality sells. Even if it’s of a douche.

This is exactly why Crosby’s marketability is so limited. Great guy, but just sooo vanilla.
 

pistolpete11

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Apr 27, 2013
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That people think it's going to be a close fight makes me feel like the promotion is doing its job.

Khabib is going to smother Conor and break him in a worse way than Diaz did. He will always have a puncher's chance, but that's all he has. In no way will he keep this on the feet for any prolonged period, and he'll be absolutely dominated on the ground.

Also I used to be a fan of Conor but he's honestly the biggest tool MMA has ever produced. That him and Jones are as popular as they are is a poor reflection on the sport and what it takes to become popular today.
I think most people are expecting some level of dominance in this fight. The question most people are having is by who? Some people, like you, think Khabib is just going to drag him to the ground time and time again and beat him up. I wouldn't say you're wrong. Others think that Khabib leaves himself open to get hit at times and that if Conor lands, he's going to knock Khabib out. I wouldn't say they are wrong either.

That's the thing, Conor doesn't need to keep it on the feet for a prolonged period of the time. He just needs to land that one punch. Not many can take Conor's power. I also think you're underselling Conor as a mixed martial artist. Of course he's at a massive disadvantage on the ground, but he's very smart and has takedown defense. This isn't Francis. Khabib is either going to have to a) eat some shots to get him down or b) use his stand up to setup the takedowns. a) is not a good idea and b) he has a lot of holes in his standup game which leaves the door for Conor to land that shot.
 
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pistolpete11

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Apr 27, 2013
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Khabib-Conor is getting all the headlines, but how about Pettis-Ferguson?

While the main event is all about contrasting styles, the co-main event is strength vs strength.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a much better fight.
I'm excited to see Tony back. He's so f***ing weird. It's a completely different type of personality for the UFC. It's a unique fighting style, too.

I'm just not sold on Pettis being the Pettis of old just because he beat Chiesa. I do sympathize with Pettis. He has fought a lot of killers. It's just, he loses to them all. His most recent wins are Chiesa (who has Chiesa beat exactly?), Miller (gatekeeper), and Oliveira (where's he now?). I just don't think he's a top 5 fighter anymore.

You're right, though. It could be an exciting fight. Both guys are usually pretty exciting and both are dangerous on the ground and on the feet. I guess I expect Tony to win easily, though, so I'm no as excited. Whereas Conor vs. Khabib, I keep going back and fourth in my head on who's going to win that fight.
 
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Say Hey Kid

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Dec 10, 2007
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That people think it's going to be a close fight makes me feel like the promotion is doing its job. Khabib is going to smother Conor and break him in a worse way than Diaz did. He will always have a puncher's chance, but that's all he has. In no way will he keep this on the feet for any prolonged period, and he'll be absolutely dominated on the ground.

Also I used to be a fan of Conor but he's honestly the biggest tool MMA has ever produced. That him and Jones are as popular as they are is a poor reflection on the sport and what it takes to become popular today.
Agreed. A 5' 11" 158 pound childhood friend of mine who was a sophomore in college was attacked by 2 260 pound University football players at the same time. I was there. He was a grappler and whipped both of them in less than 1 minute.
 

KapG

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Dec 2, 2008
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Connor is so unlikable, wow.

I’ve honestly never wanted to see someone choked out so bad
 

1specter

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Sep 27, 2016
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That people think it's going to be a close fight makes me feel like the promotion is doing its job.

Khabib is going to smother Conor and break him in a worse way than Diaz did. He will always have a puncher's chance, but that's all he has. In no way will he keep this on the feet for any prolonged period, and he'll be absolutely dominated on the ground.

Also I used to be a fan of Conor but he's honestly the biggest tool MMA has ever produced. That him and Jones are as popular as they are is a poor reflection on the sport and what it takes to become popular today.
I don't know man, I think you're selling Conor a bit short here. He's a pretty smart fighter.



Ultimately though what I could see happening is Conor getting gassed by round 3 and that's when Khabib may capitalize with takedowns.
 

zombie kopitar

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Ultimately though what I could see happening is Conor getting gassed by round 3 and that's when Khabib may capitalize with takedowns.
Stuffing Mendes and Alvarez is not even in the same ballpark as Khabib, whom he won't have a size advantage on.
Conor is good at surprising people so I'm not saying it won't happen.
But I just hope the odds go toward Conor because I will definitely be playing Khabib.

Honestly just from a training perspective idk why the **** he's getting hammered a couple weeks before the fight. Not a good look imo.
Also side note, it was cute watching Khabib attempt to trash talk 'I send you back to box'
 

pistolpete11

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Apr 27, 2013
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I don't know man, I think you're selling Conor a bit short here. He's a pretty smart fighter.



Ultimately though what I could see happening is Conor getting gassed by round 3 and that's when Khabib may capitalize with takedowns.

100%. I think Conor is an underrated fighter. I think his talk overshadows how good, and smart, he really is.

I don't think Khabib will survive until round 3 unless he gets some takedowns earlier than that, though. As far as Conor is behind on the wrestling, I think Khabib is equally far behind in the striking. If Conor is able to keep it standing for 2-3 rounds, I think he lights Khabib up and eventually finds that knock out blow.

BUT...what the hell do I know? That's what makes this fight so interesting. There's so many ways it could go down and anyone that says they know for sure are either a fanboy, a hater, or don't follow MMA. For all I know, it could be Khabib by headkick KO.

....OK. Probably not by headkick.
 

1specter

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Stuffing Mendes and Alvarez is not even in the same ballpark as Khabib, whom he won't have a size advantage on.
Never said that was the case. However, Alvarez has much better boxing fundamentals and a half decent understanding about defensive positioning and head movement vs Khabib, and Conor dribbled his head like a basketball. I think Khabib has a better chin than Eddie though and is obviously better at shooting for the TD. I do think Khabib is more likely to win but I'm not sure it's gonna be a mauling where he just takes down Conor at will like a la Barboza or Johnson.
 

pistolpete11

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Apr 27, 2013
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Stuffing Mendes and Alvarez is not even in the same ballpark as Khabib, whom he won't have a size advantage on.
Conor is good at surprising people so I'm not saying it won't happen.
But I just hope the odds go toward Conor because I will definitely be playing Khabib.

Honestly just from a training perspective idk why the **** he's getting hammered a couple weeks before the fight. Not a good look imo.
Also side note, it was cute watching Khabib attempt to trash talk 'I send you back to box'
I 100% agree that Khabib is a different level wrestler than Eddie and Mendes. If you listen to DC, Rockhold, etc., Khabib is a different level wrestler than anyone in the UFC. So if he gets Conor down, especially earlier, Conor is in trouble.

But I rewatched the Conor-Mendes fight recently and a couple of things stuck out to me. 1) Conor was kind of wild with his striking which gave Chad some opportunities to shoot. I think he probably learned from that. Against Eddie and even Nate, he was much more reserved and accurate with his punches. Nate was able to eat the shots, though. Can Khabib? 2) Chad's got way better boxing than I've seen from Khabib and is quicker with better footwork. He was able to hit Conor and at least make Conor respect his striking. He was also able to use all of that to setup some of the takedowns. Khabib's striking is not good, he's slower, and he's got worse footwork than Conor or Mendes. So the question for me is how does he get it to the ground? If he can continually do that, he wins easily. I'm just not sure how many times he can do that with getting caught by Conor's left hand.

When you say that Conor is out there getting hammered, are you referring to the press conference? If so, I think that was all an act. Get everyone thinking he's some sort of madman and then come out calm and composed on fight night.
 

zombie kopitar

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Never said that was the case. However, Alvarez has much better boxing fundamentals and a half decent understanding about defensive positioning and head movement vs Khabib, and Conor dribbled his head like a basketball. I think Khabib has a better chin than Eddie though and is obviously better at shooting for the TD. I do think Khabib is more likely to win but I'm not sure it's gonna be a mauling where he just takes down Conor at will like a la Barboza or Johnson.
That is true. Very bad head movement, and not super used to getting hit hard. If he fights like he did against Iquenta he could be in some trouble....but honestly I don't really think he was trying all that hard, especially the last few rounds.
If Conor can stuff takedowns we will know early, and then it becomes crazy interesting. Just don't think it will happen.


When you say that Conor is out there getting hammered, are you referring to the press conference? If so, I think that was all an act. Get everyone thinking he's some sort of madman and then come out calm and composed on fight night.
Some of it was an act of course. But he was drunk AF and often couldn't form coherent sentences to the press.
 

pistolpete11

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Apr 27, 2013
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Some of it was an act of course. But he was drunk AF and often couldn't form coherent sentences to the press.
Neither could Khabib! :laugh:

I dunno. I'm not really buying it. Even if he was, that doesn't mean he's out there every night getting drunk and 1 time isn't going to be that big of a deal in the long run.
 

BGDDYKWL

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Jul 16, 2007
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100%. If Conor is able to keep it standing for 2-3 rounds, I think he lights Khabib up and eventually finds that knock out blow.
Mendes has a better double leg than Khabib, but he has essentially a 50% TD rate and he pretty much took Conor down at will. I don't see Khabib having any issue whatsoever getting Conor to the ground. Sure there's always the chance Conor catches him, but Khabib is absolutely relentless and has a gas tank for days. I'd be surprised if this isn't very one-sided with Khabib subbing him later in the fight.
 

WingsMJN2965

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Oct 13, 2017
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Connor is so unlikable, wow.

I’ve honestly never wanted to see someone choked out so bad

Hence why he may be the greatest promoter of his generation. He didn't become the fighter he did with the attitude he portrays when the cameras are on. It's an act, and the fact that he has 4 of the top 5 UFC buyrates is evidence of that.
 

La Masse

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May 5, 2016
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It really comes down to who imposes their gameplan first. Its that simple. Khabib’s gameplan is to maul Conor and get him down. Conor’s takedown defense is pretty decent but on the bottom he cant do much so Khabib would probably tire him out pretty quick. With that said, Khabib’s striking and movement is horrendous and Conor is probably the best at hitting you from the right angle.

Anyways can’t wait
 

Egg

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Sep 3, 2007
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Conor is probably the best at hitting you from the right angle.

Connor will have a much better chance at landing that countering left, than he ever would have against say, Mayweather.

You have to remember, Connor is a counter puncher, and doesn't miss. Khabib isn't hard to hit, as his movement isn't as good as Connor's standing up.

I think Connor will realize that Khabib's got a very strong chin. You may wobble him, but it will take quite the effort to knock him out, and he will have to be very careful of opening himself up for an easy take down by being far too aggressive.

Whoever gets overzealous in this fight, will likely pay for it.

Fighters this good, and you have to play it like a game of chess.

This will be an insanely good fight, as both fighters think their way through their fights and adapt/strategize accordingly.

I just don't see Connor winning this fight, unless he can hurt Khabib early, and make him tentative of making a takedown, and pressuring the fight to remain on foot.
 

La Masse

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Connor will have a much better chance at landing that countering left, than he ever would have against say, Mayweather.

You have to remember, Connor is a counter puncher, and doesn't miss. Khabib isn't hard to hit, as his movement isn't as good as Connor's standing up.

I think Connor will realize that Khabib's got a very strong chin. You may wobble him, but it will take quite the effort to knock him out, and he will have to be very careful of opening himself up for an easy take down by being far too aggressive.

Whoever gets overzealous in this fight, will likely pay for it.

Fighters this good, and you have to play it like a game of chess.

This will be an insanely good fight, as both fighters think their way through their fights and adapt/strategize accordingly.

I just don't see Connor winning this fight, unless he can hurt Khabib early, and make him tentative of making a takedown, and pressuring the fight to remain on foot.

Khabib hasnt been hit enough to judge if he has a good chin or not IMO. Hopefully Conor’s get to at least test it out a little bit
 

SuperScript29

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Nov 17, 2017
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That people think it's going to be a close fight makes me feel like the promotion is doing its job.

Khabib is going to smother Conor and break him in a worse way than Diaz did. He will always have a puncher's chance, but that's all he has. In no way will he keep this on the feet for any prolonged period, and he'll be absolutely dominated on the ground.

Also I used to be a fan of Conor but he's honestly the biggest tool MMA has ever produced. That him and Jones are as popular as they are is a poor reflection on the sport and what it takes to become popular today.

Honestly, I've underestimated Connor before and was wrong multiple times. While I do think Khabib will likely win this matchup, he's facing the most dynamic striker in the division. Everyone talks about Connor's left hand and how he can KO ppl, but don't forget that his striking arsenal is much more than that, and most importantly, his reach game is phenomenal.

Khabib is gonna have to chase him and not get caught as he's running in, with Connor's quickness, accuracy, and power, it's risky business.
 

BGDDYKWL

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Jul 16, 2007
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Khabib is gonna have to chase him and not get caught as he's running in, with Connor's quickness, accuracy, and power, it's risky business.
This is the one scenario I can envision that results in Khabib losing. If he chases too much and as Conor is backing up he lands even a medium left right on the button. We've seen it dozens of times when a guy's charging in swinging wildly with his chin up it doesn't take a big shot at all to put him down.
 

Marcobruin

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Oct 30, 2016
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Connor will be fighting tentatively imo in trying not to be brought to the ground and khabib will be keeping his distance in keeping away from Connor's power .
Hard to bet on this one ....some moments I think khabib will take other moments I think it's Connor.
Imo theoretically khabib should take it but that's just in theory. I am not a fan of Connor cocky mannerisms.....im a fan of humble athletes however I've underestimated Connor in the past
If khabib wins how much will Connor's stock drop? Well I guess it all depends on who wins the rematch...
 

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