Well, there's many layers to It and sherdog hasn't really scratched the surface yet.
I don't suspect anyone will for some time out of a select few either, Max's performance Is still fresh In people's minds and that's what people tend to remember most. The Intense hatred for Conor prevents many from actually having an honest / objective discussion regarding his skillset as well.
For the most part, It's fairly pointless discussing anything Conor related here.
That said, It's an intriguing matchup. Not the best stylistic opponent for Max but really depends on which Conor shows up. We don't know If Conor still has the fire to compete at his full potential anymore. If he does though, Max's style falls right Into Conor's hands at least Initially. He would need to drag the fight Into deep waters and hope to drown him with his pressure and pace. Not unlike a strategy that might be employed by Nate.
What makes Max Dangerous Is his ability to drag fights Into these wars of attrition where his heart, chin, pace, pressure and volume triumph. Problem is, this strength Is flawed In that when he adopts this strategy..he abandons a significant portion of his defense and head movement. Conor at his best Is a guy who moves better than most in MMA, has excellent reflexes and counters, he fights very well on the backfoot and his technical boxing for MMA is among the best If not the best. If Max employed this style against Conor, he'd get countered all day. Fighting a more technical, chess match style against Conor probably wouldn't do him any favors either.
On paper, skill for skill It's hard to see that going well for max. Styles make fights. Maybe if he had the defense to back up his offense, It'd be a different story. But, if he's capable of riding out the storm, tiring out Conor, dragging the fight Into the later rounds and THEN put it on him, he's got a shot. You could definitely argue they both counter each other In different ways.
Nate has similar attributes, gets stronger as the fight goes on, iron chin, excellent boxing, endless cardio, pressure, Turns It up as he senses you begin to slow down. He wasn't able to get it done at 170 pounds with likely around a 15 pound weight advantage, you will feel that weight In there too..even If the fight Is on the feet. Competing against a bigger opponent will tire you out more.
All that said, while the strategy of taking Conor into deeper water seems like an obvious one..It's not as simple as people tend to believe.
