Frankie Edgar says that the UFC hired Olympic gold medalist Jordan Borroughs to help prepare McGregor for Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196.
Conor McGregor has passed every test with flying colors in the UFC so far. However, “The Notorious” looked far from invincible in his back-and-forth scrap with Chad Mendes at UFC 189.
Mendes, the powerhouse wrestler of the featherweight division, took McGregor down at several points throughout the fight and looked to have the upper hand in the grappling exchanges. However, the Irishman weathered the storm and overwhelmed “Money” with a catalog of strikes, eventually TKO’ing Mendes in the dying stages of the 2nd round.
After earning the interim title, McGregor went on to capture the official 145 lbs. strap in just thirteen seconds at UFC 194. The Dubliner caught Jose Aldo with a counter left hand in the opening exchange and cemented himself as one of the greatest pound for pound fighters in the world.
McGregor will challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight championship at UFC 196 and Frankie Edgar says the UFC hired an Olympic wrestler to help prepare the 27-year-old for dos Anjos’ takedowns.
“I’m sure he’s working on it, Edgar said, per Elite Daily. “He better be. The UFC hired [Olympic gold medalist] Jordan Burroughs to be his wrestling coach. He knows that’s his weakness. It’s not something you learn overnight, especially wrestling. It’s a feel-type of sport, takes time.”
Edgar, 34, is hoping to face McGregor at UFC 200 and take the featherweight title back to New Jersey.
“I see it happening… As long as his fight [with Rafael dos Anjos] goes well. As long as he comes out of the fight uninjured, we’ll be the headline fight at UFC 200. I believe I earned it, I got a good feeling I’m gonna get it. But nothing solid to say that it’s definitely gonna be me.”
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Conor McGregor will headline the UFC 196 PPV at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 5th.
For what it’s worth, Borrough’s wife has since spoken about inaccurate reports on social media:
Twice now today I have read or listened to completely false or inaccurate “news” reports regarding my husband’s career.
— Lauren Burroughs (@Lolo_Nicole) January 29, 2016