With a solid left hand early, Conor McGregor could be toast against Floyd Mayweather, says Brandon Gibson.
Gibson is a well-respected coach over at Jackson-Wink MMA. He helps fighters fine tune their stand-up game before their next bout. Speaking with Flo Combat, Gibson said he believes Mayweather will dictate the pace against McGregor on Aug. 26:
“Conor is a natural counter puncher. In MMA, he has excelled finding that precision power shot against overly aggressive opponents like [Jose] Aldo, [Diego] Brandao, and [Dustin] Poirier. Floyd has always done very well against counter punchers. I think Floyd is going to force Conor to be the aggressive fighter, and if Conor doesn’t find that left hand early on, he is going to wear himself out looking for Floyd.”
He then went on to provide a breakdown of the differences between striking in mixed martial arts and boxing.
“They are two very different sports. The elements that make a successful striker in MMA are much different than in boxing. Boxing relies so much on speed, punching power, rapid combinations, tight-angle footwork, knowing how to use the ropes, and the ability to clinch and hold. While MMA shares some of these elements, they don’t necessarily make the best MMA striker.”
