There are not many people giving UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor a chance when he steps inside the ring to face Floyd Mayweather in a boxing super fight on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Make no mistake, this is a boxing match.
McGregor will be contractually forbidden from “going rogue” and resorting to MMA tactics. This means that no kicks, no elbows and certainly no takedowns will be allowed. In the event that McGregor does any of those things then he will be risking a significant portion of his massive payday.
However, MMA coach Firas Zahabi, longtime trainer of former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, believes that McGregor should use his MMA instincts. He explained why during a pre-fight analysis in a video posted to the Tristar Gym YouTube page (transcript courtesy of MMA Junkie).
“You’re not allowed to clinch, but clinching happens. … ” Zahabi said. “(McGregor) has that grinding gear that Mayweather doesn’t need to develop so much in his sport. So, if I were Conor McGregor’s coach, I would tell him to tie up Mayweather as much as possible, pull on his head, step on his toes, bump knee to knee, get physical, push him up against the rope with your forearms, tie him up as much as you can. Be physical with him.
“Mayweather is a lot smaller than Conor McGregor, and when (McGregor) comes forward, if you try to punch (Mayweather), he’s just going to slip, slide, defend, counter. Of course, you’re going to have to punch him. It’s a boxing match, absolutely. But I would spend a lot of my time dirty boxing Mayweather – grabbing the back of his head, throwing uppercuts, doing things that are borderline illegal. They’re not illegal, (but) the referee is going to have to come in a break you up. The referee is going to have to come in and save Mayweather.”
It’s pretty clear that most would think it would be pointless for McGregor to think he can outbox Mayweather due to him having no professional boxing experience. Although clinching and other MMA tactics could prove smart in making Mayweather uncomfortable
“Grab him, throw him, drop him on the floor, do borderline illegal stuff,” Zahabi said. “Get him thinking, ‘What is this? I don’t know how to grapple with this guy. I don’t know what an overlook is. I don’t know what an under hook is. I don’t know what this type of clinching is.’
“And he’s going to get tired. He will get tired from clinching. If you haven’t done a lot of clinching in your life, it’s extremely exhausting. …
“After a certain period of clinching, you build up that lactic acid. Your muscles have less pop; they’re less explosive. And all of a sudden, you’re trying to punch, but it doesn’t feel right. Do a hundred push-ups, then go hit the heavy bag. You’re going to see that your muscles aren’t feeling right.”
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