Everything MMA! Come Join us!
Khabib vs Conor
Just trying to generate some discussion. What do you guys think, who takes it? How?
Personally I'd say Khabib has a slight advantage. Conor is better by leaps and bounds in terms of striking, but I don't think Khabib has any trouble taking him down.




Khabib has a really good advantage. Here's the problem though, Khabib usually takes one or two shots before he decides it time to wrestle. Can he really take one or two shots from McGregor....that's the problem Alvarez ran into as well.
Takedowns, Khabib can get McGregor down with an ankle pick. That'd be the mystery of the fight there.
Super Lurker here! Khabib turns McGregor into mat paste from the 1st second of the fight, they have got to know better, that if Johnson can put Khabib in trouble, McGregor can do worse.
I'd pick Khabib versus anyone at 155, and even many Welterweights...Hell I'd pick him over the current JOKE (champion) we've got at 185
Khabib is definitely a beast 185 might be his problem division though. 145/155/170 he'd wreck.
Every guy he fights comes in and says, Conor has always picked good match ups. They come in and say they have the wrestling to beat him. Then they go in and throw punches. I think it'll take a really unorthodox fighter (wish I could see someone like a Stephen Thompson going at him with stand up striking) or someone who would go in and commit to taking him down and forcing him to play a grappling match. I would like to see Khabib go in and take him down for sure.
Seriously, I don't even know what's wrong with these fighters who have wrestling and decide not to use it. It's like they know they're striking style doesn't match up or is decent enough, but yet they have to somehow prove they are the striking prophet sent down from the heavens to stop the McGregor train. Like WTF.
Orthodox boxing isn't going to work (Alvarez, poirier, maybe Holloway) Non Pro kickboxing/Muay wont work (Siver, Aldo) Brawling won't work (Brandao, Brimage) Wrestling might work (Mendes) BJJ works (Diaz)
So yeah an unorth type of striker seems like the best option here to even make it seem closer of a fight than anything if they aren't going to give him a elite wrestler or someone like Diaz who can take the punishment to get to the point to do some BJJ.
I'm with you on all points here. We need someone with a style that will mess with Conor, because he's too good at straight up boxing or muay thai. Someone who has similar movement, someone who can give him a run with both timing and power, and also won't leave their heads out for punching.
But I would like someone who would commit to forcing him into an ugly ugly grappling match. Imagine getting him in there with like a Ryan Hall who might just find a way to tie him down onto the ground.
Weirdest thing ever is I've seen somone who fights like McGregor in my old hometown and him and his team called it handjitsu (lol). Where they only focused on controlling the hands of the opponent by moving them out of the way, holding a hand out to stop any cross trajectory + keep distance, and forcing them to try to close the distance, miss then counter with the cross without loading up. Really hard to train for, but even easier to use. Ryan Hall or worse, "Funky".
Ben Askren? huh. I would want to see that. handjistu huh? that's funny. but yeah i think McGregor's use of distance and timing was perfect. It's just really smart, so even if I am annoyed by all the smack he talks, I respect his game and love seeing the stuff he comes out with in the octagon.
The only problem with askren is we don't know if he can take a hit from the likes of McGregor. Even Mark Henry (Alvarez trainer and esteemed striking trainer) says McGregor is a once in a lifetime striker. Insanity.
Here it goes here's a small example : Handjitsu