Longtime MMA coach Javier Mendez believes that Conor McGregor wouldn’t be able to do much damage to former Lightweight champion Charles Oliveira if they were to fight now.
The former two division champion McGregor has been floated around as a possible matchup against Oliveira for the vacant Lightweight title. Oliveira was stripped of the belt after missing weight by a half pound before his fight with Justin Gaethje. He beat Gaethje, but the title was stripped from him. In many fight fans eyes, he is still considered the Lightweight title holder.
‘Do Bronx’ has been as dominant as any Lightweight ever, in his most recent run as a title contender and champion. He has come back from devastating circumstances in every title fight he has had. His mix of elite striking and grappling, makes him a nightmare matchup for anyone in the octagon.
Conor McGregor on the other hand, has been struggling in his most recent fights since returning to the sport
McGregor famously left the sport at the height of his reign to box legendary boxer, Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather back in 2017. He was inactive for 23 months from MMA, but then decided to come back and take on Khabib Nurmagomedov, who he would end up losing too. He was then inactive for another two years after that fight. He came back and beat Donal Cerrone, but as he was ready to fight full time again, COVID struck the world, putting his plans to a halt.
Longtime MMA coach Javier Mendez believes that the old Conor would give Oliveira some problems, but this version would have a tough time.
“I think the old Conor gives anybody challenges,” Mendez told Submission Radio. “The new Conor, that I’ve seen within the last three fights, no, I don’t see him doing very much to Charles. The new guy, not the old guy. The old guy, 100 percent [would do something].” (H/T Mirror.co)
McGregor seems to be taking his training serious, but the problem lies with him coming back after long layoffs, and fighting the best of the best. A good blueprint for McGregor would be to fight some guys that he could truly beat, leading up to the elite. He is the biggest draw in the UFC and won’t be wasted on guys that have no sellable value. Thus why he didn’t fight during the pandemic.
McGregor continues to rehab from his broken leg he suffered in the third fight against Dustin Poirier. Time will only tell who he will fight next, but a fight against Nate Diaz or Jorge Masvidal would be the most ideal.