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Khabib vs Conor GIF breakdown bc I’ve absolutely nothing to do.
Actually not a bad defense. Pushing on the head, grabbing the back of the thigh, and wrapping the ankle around the knee is textbook there. He pushed his hips in which left him on top. Khabib has absolutely incredible balance and is relentless enough to work through it.
Excellent job of keeping balance and pushing Khabib down, but he needs to slip the hip to the outside of Khabib’s shoulder to get up. Without it, Khabib can finish. You give the double leg when your hip stays inside the shoulder.
This is a super uncharacteristic GNP attack for Khabib at the end of round 1. He’s using a crossface, and uses light strikes to gas Conor out. Usually he’s standing to pass or balancing to GnP. Here, he’s sitting in the guard. Conor did do an OK job of keeping an overhook.
Here’s a microcosm of Conor’s night on the feet. Pressure, forgot Khabib’s allowed to move, throw punches and kicks with no set up. He needed to feint, draw out reactions, attack with body work and kicks to dissuade lateral movement, and force Khabib to shoot from outside!
This is a mechanically bad overhand, would be drilled out by any half-decent striking coach, but it works for Khabib and that’s what’s important. The feint brings Conor’s downblock down (to sprawl) and it nails him square on the jaw. Great job by Khabib
Here Conor snags a whizzer, but unexplainably pushes off of the head instead of A) gripfighting B) Collar Tie then angle run C) Underhook and tie up. McGregor has good TDD but lacks the urgency to gripfight as say a Whittaker or Aldo
This is some absolutely incredible balance by Khabib and is a testament to his grappling game as a whole. He’s got the GnP of GSP, the riding ability of Askren, and the passing ability of Maia, or as BJJScout puts it, the “3 headed monster”
This is actually a correct move from Conor. Wait for Khabib to create space, shrimp, go to knees, get up, fight grips w/ Khabib on the back is unironically the best way to get up. Khabib does an EXCELLENT job of snagging the head and working out of front headlock.
There’s little merit to the idea that Conor is hopeless on the ground. He’s quite good and he’s smart, he has good TDD, etc. but he reeks of someone who flow rolls but never really goes 100% in grappling. He can’t deal with an unrelenting attack.
These next two gifs detail why McG had success in R3. First, he started to dictate the pace and forced Khabib back. he feinted, leaving Khabib reaching and flinchy. Then he attacks based on Khabib’s circling. Lead side circle, Jab,lead hook. Power side, straight down the pipe.
Also this, he needs to have active defensive responsibility, taking steps to negate a open space attack. He then feints high and goes low, as Khabib’s reaching leaves his body wide open, similar to his counterpart, DC. This is the gameplan he (and anyone) needs to beat Khabib
These next two gifs also show why he did good in R3. He stopped trying to counter the takedown and instead defending. He pressured, forced the shot out of him, and down blocked, got his hips out, and controlled the head perfectly.
After he stopped the takedown, he has an open space clinch. He frames off of Khabib’s arm, elbows him, grabs his wrist, and knees him. Conor is a really good clinch fighter, he did the same to Nate. He can’t extend these though or Khabib will be on him.
He started having really solid TDD as well. Using a whizzer to control the level, digging an underhook NOT to tie up (that would get you taken down) but to use the leverage to push Khabib off and grab his wrist. From the wrist, he could do a multitude of things but was gassed
This is a testament to Khabib’s gameplan. Conor draws out the 1-2 with pressure and feints and looks to counter with his famed 2. But Khabib shifts into a clinch attack, smothering Conor’s left. Conor again shows some clinch skill, but ultimately grabs the shorts egregiously.
I was looking all fight for proof of Conor’s boxing training paying out and couldn’t really find it, he looked worse than ever (credit to Khabib!). Yet, he was trying this half-hearted, hands down, version of a philly shell all night.
This type of TDD really shouldn’t work, as it gives Khabib both the single leg and the free hand to strike to Khabib was reserving energy here. Conor did a good job of splicing the legs and not letting Khabib trip the leg.
This type of TDD lacked energy and urgency, guys like Whittaker and Aldo treat hands locked like a death sentence, but McG is willing to accept it here. He falls terrible, giving Khabib the ability to toss a leg ride on, and attack the post hand.
And the finish. Conor lacked the urgency and energy to keep fighting the grips. If anyone tells you this tap was premature, they’ve never be in a neck crank.
Takeaways!
- Khabib is beatable, but it requires a pace and gameplan that is hard to replicate!
- I think Conor and Gaethje have the best chance to beat Khabib w/ feints, pressure, and body work.
- I think Tony is too focused on grappling to win, as Khabib has an answer for all
- Khabib is beatable, but it requires a pace and gameplan that is hard to replicate!
- I think Conor and Gaethje have the best chance to beat Khabib w/ feints, pressure, and body work.
- I think Tony is too focused on grappling to win, as Khabib has an answer for all
Plan on doing another one soon, probably within the next week. Here’s a poll to decide which one!
