Khabib!

[Ton]

That was awesome display. I think big john should have ended it in the second. Khabibi was tired of hitting him in the third and just decided to finish it. I have great respect for BJM, but he was letting Johnson take to much damage. If they are there to protect the fighters he needs to stop it in the second. It was a brutal beat down.

I disagree. I think reffing was on point the whole card. It was brutal, yes, but the sport as a whole is brutal. Khabib had great placement too, he clocked him right on the ear/behind the ear consistently. The thing is, the dude was defending himself and showed no sign of being wobbled when he got up and walked to his corner between rounds. I was amazed he lasted that long though, this kind of ability to withstand punishment is usually associated with prime horsemeat consumption... You could use the same argument for stopping the Wonderboy fight (granted I still think Woodley won that one), and as we know now, stoppage was not needed.

Aside from that rant... Khabib is a wizard and is very very fun to watch.

 

[Uchi Mata]

No maia is, then Jacare and then is khabib.

For MMA, I think Khabib is a better grappler than Jacare. Jacare has fallen a little too in love with his hands. Maia is still above all.

 

[Ton]

For MMA, I think Khabib is a better grappler than Jacare. Jacare has fallen a little too in love with his hands. Maia is still above all.

One of these guys has zero MMA losses, just sayin. =P

 

[Uchi Mata]

One of these guys has zero MMA losses, just sayin. =P

Khabib is a brutal killer and I think he'll beat Conor, but let's be fair here, he has two top 10 wins: RDA and Johnson. Maia has lost, but he also has more higher quality wins than Khabib. Especially after he rejected the false gospel of striking and went back to just mauling dudes on the ground.

 

[mataleaos]

Yes, they want to protect Conor because he is making a lot of money for UFC. It's clear that Khabib would wipe the floor with him. They can't afford that. UFC is not about who is the best.

I love your posts so this is with all due respect but i don't think that's so clear anymore.

I thought the same as you a year ago. I'm not saying that Conor has the best takedown defense in all of 155 but I think the time to capitalize on his wrestling deficiencies was 12-18 months ago and I think Conor is only improving it. Khabib can certainly get him to the floor but it's not going to be as easy as it was and Khabib eats more shots than he should.

Conor is also able to avoid having to throw kicks at all which improves his takedown defense and his takedown defense against the cage keeps improving. He has dynamite in his hands and Luke Thomas who is one of the biggest Khabib fanboys there is is saying some of these same thing.

And you could be right but after this weekend i think it's just a bad assumption to say that anyone wipes the floor with Conor. People keep doubting him and he keeps getting better and better and the spotlight and enormous crowds only make him perform better.

Ferguson lost to a ''grappling-less journeyman'' Michael Johnson...

That was almost half a decade ago. Just saying. It's hard to deny Tony's 9 fight win streak. 6 finishes and 3 decisions and incredibly active. Tony is great and I would be shocked if he lost to Michael Johnson right now.

the same former champ khabib beat first?

Khabib beat RDA before RDA became the RDA we know now. To be clear I would pick Khabib to beat RDA 2.0 also.

It's a tough conversation. Tony and Khabib both have legitimate arguments to be the #1 contender.

 

[Uchi Mata]

I love your posts so this is with all due respect but i don't think that's so clear anymore.

I thought the same as you a year ago. I'm not saying that Conor has the best takedown defense in all of 155 but I think the time to capitalize on his wrestling deficiencies was 12-18 months ago and I think Conor is only improving it. Khabib can certainly get him to the floor but it's not going to be as easy as it was and Khabib eats more shots than he should.

Conor is also able to avoid having to throw kicks at all which improves his takedown defense and his takedown defense against the cage keeps improving. He has dynamite in his hands and Luke Thomas who is one of the biggest Khabib fanboys there is is saying some of these same thing.

And you could be right but after this weekend i think it's just a bad assumption to say that anyone wipes the floor with Conor. People keep doubting him and he keeps getting better and better and the spotlight and enormous crowds only make him perform better.

I tend to agree with this line of thinking, though I do think Khabib still probably wins (he certainly has a better shot than Tony, who I think Conor destroys with a quickness). Khabib took a couple stiff shots from Johnson, those same shots from Conor could easily be fight ending. Conor also has better TDD and general overall balance than anyone Khabib has fought, he's not an easy man to get and keep down. I do think however that if he's going to win it would have to be early, because if Khabib can get even one round of the sort of TD + tight waist riding he did against Johnson (though the Trujillo fight is the best to watch for this method) Conor's probably not coming back.

 

[Rod1]

Khabib vs Mcgregor is a nice match up but Khabib vs Maia at 170 is even better.

Hypothetically, how do you guys see that fight going?

Maia would be too big for Khabib i would assume, otherwise i give it to Khabib

 

[mataleaos]

I tend to agree with this line of thinking, though I do think Khabib still probably wins (he certainly has a better shot than Tony, who I think Conor destroys with a quickness). Khabib took a couple stiff shots from Johnson, those same shots from Conor could easily be fight ending. Conor also has better TDD and general overall balance than anyone Khabib has fought, he's not an easy man to get and keep down. I do think however that if he's going to win it would have to be early, because if Khabib can get even one round of the sort of TD + tight waist riding he did against Johnson (though the Trujillo fight is the best to watch for this method) Conor's probably not coming back.

Good post, and I would just personally extend the bolded to a couple rounds instead of 1. I think Conor's concrete chin and Dillon Danis helping his defensive grappling would be enough to get him through a round or two. Conor keeps improving and the longer the fight doesn't happen the lower the chances I give to Khabib.

I just feel stupid doubting Conor in 2017 because he's proven me wrong at every turn.

 

[Rod1]

For MMA, I think Khabib is a better grappler than Jacare. Jacare has fallen a little too in love with his hands. Maia is still above all.

Jacare has far more submissions wins than Khabib though and he has faced far better wrestlers than Khabib too.

How do you think Khabib would fare against a beast like Yoel Romero? Not to say that Khabib is a worse grappler, just that he has not been properly tested.

If Khabib outgrapples Ferguson, then yeah, Khabib P4P best grappler in MMA.

 

[Uchi Mata]

Good post, and I would just personally extend the bolded to a couple rounds instead of 1. I think Conor's concrete chin and Dillon Danis helping his defensive grappling would be enough to get him through a round or two. Conor keeps improving and the longer the fight doesn't happen the lower the chances I give to Khabib.

I just feel stupid doubting Conor in 2017 because he's proven me wrong at every turn.

I'm not actually worried about Conor getting KOed by Khabib. I don't really think that happens, Khabib's GNP is only so-so in terms of finishing people. I think the nightmare scenario for Conor is more that he gets taken down early, ridden for the better part of a round, and then his cardio and movement aren't there to stop the TDs in the next round. And Khabib is a cardio + takedown machine, he just never lets up. One big reason his GNP isn't that devastating in terms of finishing is that he's constantly got an eye on keeping you down, which limits his strike output but does serve to prevent you from getting back in the round. Referencing the Trujillo fight again, Khabib didn't really hurt him that bad, but he kept that tight waist 100% of the time on the ground all three rounds and he'd just work in a few shots and throw Abel every time he got to his feet. Abel was totally frustrated by the end, because he just couldn't do shit. I could definitely see a similar thing happen with Conor, especially given how emotional he can be. There's enormous risk for Khabib in closing the distance, but if he can get to a clinch he's going to get the TD and Mac would not get up for the rest of the round while carrying Khabib's weight and taking lots of little shots. That'll drain your stamina bar fast, and Conor just isn't the same when he's not fresh.

 

[Stun Gun]

Yes, they want to protect Conor because he is making a lot of money for UFC. It's clear that Khabib would wipe the floor with him. They can't afford that. UFC is not about who is the best.

That's why dana don't want a rematch against aldo. Dana might give conor a title shot against woodley and im not gonna be surprised if that happens

 

[mataleaos]

That's why dana don't want a rematch against aldo. Dana might give conor a title shot against woodley and im not gonna be surprised if that happens

I think the Aldo rematch not happening is (sadly) because most casual fans have zero interest in seeing it and on top of that Aldo has never been a company man or a team player for the ufc. I don't now why the ufc would be worried about Conor against a guy that Conor put to sleep so fast.

So besides the fact that Aldo has earned the rematch with his performances and dominance over the years, Dana White doesn't care to give it to him. He and Aldo have never had the best relationship. Aldo and Johnson are the lowest drawing guys to hold the belt in ufc history. To casual fans they saw Aldo get ko'd in less than 15 seconds. The only people that want to see the Conor and Aldo rematch are Aldo and Aldo fans (like me). After the Frankie Edgar beatdown I wanted to see the remtach badly.

I'm not sure Conor makes that 145 cut again though

 

[rmongler]

Technically speaking, when you crown an interim champ, the very next action has to be a unification; either by a fight, or if the champ cant fight, by stripping.

Speaking technically.

 

[Rico]

I love your posts so this is with all due respect but i don't think that's so clear anymore.

I thought the same as you a year ago. I'm not saying that Conor has the best takedown defense in all of 155 but I think the time to capitalize on his wrestling deficiencies was 12-18 months ago and I think Conor is only improving it. Khabib can certainly get him to the floor but it's not going to be as easy as it was and Khabib eats more shots than he should.

Conor is also able to avoid having to throw kicks at all which improves his takedown defense and his takedown defense against the cage keeps improving. He has dynamite in his hands and Luke Thomas who is one of the biggest Khabib fanboys there is is saying some of these same thing.

And you could be right but after this weekend i think it's just a bad assumption to say that anyone wipes the floor with Conor. People keep doubting him and he keeps getting better and better and the spotlight and enormous crowds only make him perform better.



That was almost half a decade ago. Just saying. It's hard to deny Tony's 9 fight win streak. 6 finishes and 3 decisions and incredibly active. Tony is great and I would be shocked if he lost to Michael Johnson right now.



Khabib beat RDA before RDA became the RDA we know now. To be clear I would pick Khabib to beat RDA 2.0 also.

It's a tough conversation. Tony and Khabib both have legitimate arguments to be the #1 contender.

Luke Thomas, is that you?

 

[Queen B]

No maia is, then Jacare and then is khabib.

Maia and Souza have better BJJ but Khabib has better wrestling and Sambo which is more effective in MMA

 

[BJJ_Rage]

Maia and Souza have better BJJ but Khabib has better wrestling and Sambo which is more effective in MMA

maia is a better grappler, not bjjer. Khabib has amazing wrestling and in an oustanding grappler, but when he faces someone like gunner nelson and makes him look like a white belt, then we will talk.

 

[ngarauru]

Devils nitpicking advocate here...but uhhhh......seeing as we're talking about a list of the best mma grapplers that include heavier guys like jacare can we also put werdum in there somewhere? roger gracie? where do you think kabhir is on the list now? dare I say honda housey is in there somewhere? cormier? aoki?

 

[BJJChess]

I love your posts so this is with all due respect but i don't think that's so clear anymore.

I thought the same as you a year ago. I'm not saying that Conor has the best takedown defense in all of 155 but I think the time to capitalize on his wrestling deficiencies was 12-18 months ago and I think Conor is only improving it. Khabib can certainly get him to the floor but it's not going to be as easy as it was and Khabib eats more shots than he should.

Conor is also able to avoid having to throw kicks at all which improves his takedown defense and his takedown defense against the cage keeps improving. He has dynamite in his hands and Luke Thomas who is one of the biggest Khabib fanboys there is is saying some of these same thing.

And you could be right but after this weekend i think it's just a bad assumption to say that anyone wipes the floor with Conor. People keep doubting him and he keeps getting better and better and the spotlight and enormous crowds only make him perform better.



That was almost half a decade ago. Just saying. It's hard to deny Tony's 9 fight win streak. 6 finishes and 3 decisions and incredibly active. Tony is great and I would be shocked if he lost to Michael Johnson right now.



Khabib beat RDA before RDA became the RDA we know now. To be clear I would pick Khabib to beat RDA 2.0 also.

It's a tough conversation. Tony and Khabib both have legitimate arguments to be the #1 contender.

My friend, me thinking that Khabib would beat McGregor or you thinking it wouldn't happen are more opinions than anything else. Conor improved his ground game, no doubt about it, but can't we assume that Khabib improved his standup game for all this time as well? Or we gonna judge his standup skills just because he took a shot against Johnson? Fedor was the best standup fighter and yet he was almost KOed by Maldonado recently. Exchanging punches and kicks is a risky business, TKO can happen to anyone, although the punch Khabib received was not even close to that power.
I think we should concentrate more on the fact and not opinions though, and the FACT is that both you and I never gonna know what would happen in that match because of UFC money politics and Conor now clearly avoiding Khabib. Some guy is running around with 2 belts and others can't even get a shot. Ferguson is of course great and deserves his chance but still... man... 24:0 should be given a priority.

 

[n.diazismylife1999]

My friend, me thinking that Khabib would beat McGregor or you thinking it wouldn't happen are more opinions than anything else. Conor improved his ground game, no doubt about it, but can't we assume that Khabib improved his standup game for all this time as well? Or we gonna judge his standup skills just because he took a shot against Johnson? Fedor was the best standup fighter and yet he was almost KOed by Maldonado recently. Exchanging punches and kicks is a risky business, TKO can happen to anyone, although the punch Khabib received was not even close to that power.
I think we should concentrate more on the fact and not opinions though, and the FACT is that both you and I never gonna know what would happen in that match because of UFC money politics and Conor now clearly avoiding Khabib. Some guy is running around with 2 belts and others can't even get a shot. Ferguson is of course great and deserves his chance but still... man... 24:0 should be given a priority.

Padding your record with cans doesn't mean you deserve a title shot. Only their UFC records matter, and Ferguson's is more impressive than Khabib's.

 

[BJJChess]

Just as I thought... McChicken is going for Nate again. After Nate it's gonna be some pro wrestler.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/11/...nurmagomedov-conor-mcgregor-opponent-ufc-news
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/11/...nurmagomedov-conor-mcgregor-opponent-ufc-news