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Conor McGregor, despite all of the bravado pre-fight, is typically humble in defeat. He has provided honest assessments on where he came up short in a fight as quickly as he will boast of his prowess following a win. When Conor loses, the common thread is he got tired, and that’s what happened when he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
In an Instagram post early Tuesday morning, McGregor went into detail over how he saw the fight play out round by round. Let’s take a look at Conor’s take on the fight two weeks later and compare it with the coverage we provided in the moment here at MMATorch.
Round 1
What Conor said: “I believe from a sport standpoint, round 1 was his. Top position against the fence. Zero position advancement or damage inflicted. But top position. From a fight standpoint the first round is mine. Actual shots landed and a willingness to engage. Straight left early. Knee to the head on the low shot. Elbows in any and all tie up scenarios. Opponent just holding the legs against the fence for almost the entire round.”
What we said: McGregor with a left hand early. Khabib shot for a takedown soon after and Conor defended pretty well. Khabib didn’t give it up though. He finally got him down. Conor was on his butt with his back against the cage. Crowd hated this. Khabib worked to pass, and Conor appeared calm but also unable to do anything do get up. You can see the pressure that Khabib was applying when Conor would push off the mat to get up and would get nowhere. For what it’s worth, Khabib hasn’t thrown much, if any, strikes, while Conor at least was punching from the bottom. 10-9 Khabib.
Verdict: Conor was largely accurate in his assessment. Conor outstruck Khabib 39-18 according to Fightmetric, but Khabib landed 7 significant strikes to Conor’s 6. It is a bit of a stretch to suggest that Conor won the round from a “sport” or “fight” standpoint. Khabib had the better of them even though Conor was busy from the bottom.
Round 2
What Conor said: “He is running away around the cage before being blessed with a right hand that changed the course of the round, and the fight. It was a nice shot. After the shot I bounced back up to engage instantly, but again he dipped under to disengage. That is the sport and it was a smart move that led to a dominant round, so no issue. Well played.”
What we said: Conor came out with his hands down and threw a front kick. He tried a flying knee. Khabib rocked Conor hard with a right hand that sent him reeling. Khabib took him down against the cage and mounted him. Not a good spot for Conor. Conor scrambled and got full guard but Khabib was mixing body shots with big elbows. Khabib landed a big left elbow from guard. Khabib stood up and just began to tee off on Conor while he turtled on the ground. If that was anyone else but Conor it might have been stopped. Dominick Cruz: “Why isn’t he trying to get up?” Joe Rogan: “Because he’s exhausted and getting his face punched in.” 10-8 Khabib
Verdict: Conor again was honest in that this was a dominant round for Khabib. He doesn’t give full credit, calling Khabib’s big right hand a “blessing” and he goes on in the post to say that he did not train enough stand-up and went into the fight not respecting Khabib’s striking game.
Round 3
What Conor said: “After the worst round of my fighting career, I come back and win this round. Again walking forward, walking him down, and willing to engage.”
What we said: Conor landed a right hand but may not have his power. Khabib sitting back and taking some of Conor’s shots. Conor stuffed a takedown, that’s pretty huge. Khabib landed a nice right hand. Another right then a takedown attempt against the cage. Conor escaped and landed an uppercut. Khabib responded with a right. Conor with a left. They’re just trading in the center of the cage. Conor landed more. 10-9 McGregor
Verdict: Surprisingly, Conor had the least to say about the round he actually won. Conor could actually give himself more credit for stuffing takedown attempts. He also outstruck Khabib 44-17 in and 34-15 in significant strikes. It appeared the momentum was in Conor’s favor. But then came round four…
Round 4
What Conor said: “My recovery was not where it could have been here. That is my fault. Although winning the early exchanges in 4, he dips under again and I end up in a bad position with over 3 on the clock. I work to regain position and end up upright, with my back to the fence. A stable position. Here however, I made a critical error of abandoning my over hook at this crucial time, exposing the back, and I end up beaten fair and square.”
What we said: Both men traded shots and Khabib got a takedown a minute in. Conor worked hard to get up but Khabib held on. He had Conor on his side and worked for an arm triangle. Khabib landed some punches and then took his back. He got a choke across Conor’s chin and Conor tapped.
Verdict: Conor again was very honest in that he just got tired. That really is the story of the fight, as it usually is whenever he loses. Khabib, of course, showcased superior grappling and more than competent striking that Conor admittedly wasn’t prepared for.
Conor goes on to say that it’s “no problem” if an immediate rematch isn’t next that he would fight who is “next in line.” He does want to get this one back, and something tells me he’ll get his chance one day.
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