Former duel-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor fancies himself as the most formidable ground and pound artist in professional mixed martial arts right now, claiming the majority of his finishes come from that method.
McGregor, who is still currently sidelined amid a fractured left tibia suffered last July, is widely expected to return to the Octagon this summer, however, is yet to return to mixed martial arts training.
The Dubliner most recently headlined UFC 264 in July of last year against former interim lightweight titleholder, Dustin Poirier, dropping the pair’s trilogy rubber match courtesy of a first round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss after he fractured his left tibia at the end of the frame.
The 33-year-old suffered his second straight loss for the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career, following a January 2021 knockout loss to Poirier in the pair’s rematch, also suffering his first professional blemish via strikes.
Conor McGregor holds 19 knockout victories from 22 total career wins
McGregor, who is winless since January 2020, stopped one-time lightweight title challenger and future Hall of Fame inductee, Donald Cerrone with a flurry of ground strikes following a high-kick in just 40-seconds in a welterweight pairing. And now touts himself as the best ground striker currently competing in mixed martial arts today.
“I’ve the best ground and pound in the game,” Conor McGregor posted on Instagram. “My higher % (percentage) of finishes does not actually come from my standing horizontal back hand, like most assume. My highest % of finishing wins actually come from the accuracy of my vertical punching (you ae all novices vertical striking. Arm hitters, Ask ref to stop it hitters. Fall o er on yourself hitters). I don’t miss g’n’p (ground and pound). I do not hit arms. I do not fall in. I hit soft face, head and skull.”
Conor McGregor talks up his ground and pound
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— Jordan Ellis (@JordanEllisUK) February 16, 2022
“It’s how you’ve seen people vs. me absolutely cut up,” Conor McGregor continued. “Looking like they’ve just got a bang of a few golf balls off the tee of a driving range. Skin fully opened. Yet me, skin like butter. Many times I’ve not even messed up my hair. That’s why a lot of these rat bags like to hate. I’m smooth like butter with it. The richest, the baddest, the most unscathed. Anyways rat bags, it’s almost yacht season, or as I like to call it, caramel butter skin season.”