As Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor draws nearer, the anticipation for this fight reaches extraordinary levels. On Saturday night, The T-Mobile Arena will be filled with the roars and screams of Irish and Russian fans attempting to assist their countrymen. Conor McGregor has been involved in countless super fights, but this fight has a different aura around it, and the hatred between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov is clear for everyone to see.
The factors that are involved in this bout make it an extremely difficult fight to predict, but UFC fighters gave their predictions on the upcoming super fight during their interviews with MMAFighting.
Anthony Pettis: “Honestly, before I came here, I wasn’t making a pick. Then I was like, you know what, f*ck it, I’ll make a pick: Conor. I gotta say Conor by knockout. If Khabib gets hit — Conor, if he hits you, you get put to sleep. But I like knockouts, so that’s why I’m going Conor.”
Michelle Waterson: “It’s funny because I really enjoy how entertaining Conor is, both inside and outside of the Octagon. Conor is a master at range and distance and accuracy, and it only takes one punch to end a fight. Sometimes Khabib can be reckless coming in for his shots, but once he gets ahold of you, there’s no turning back. It’s a five-round fight, and I suspect that Khabib is going to come out ahead in the fight and win.”
Ovince Saint Preux: “Man, I don’t know. Conor’s got a good left hand. Khabib’s wrestling is next to none. He probably has some of the best wrestling in MMA. But at the end of the day, Conor’s mental game is totally different. I don’t think Khabib has been fazed by it, just as far as from what I’ve seen he hasn’t been fazed by it at all. So, I don’t know. The only reason I’d probably give a slight advantage to Conor is because of his mental game. The way he mentally gets prepared for stuff, it’s next to none, so it’s a slight advantage. But if Khabib won the fight, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.”
Ryan LaFlare: “It’s really hard to say, because you don’t know if Khabib is gonna be able to close the distance and take him down. I’d like to see Khabib win. I also like what Conor does for the sport, almost don’t want to see him down. It’s just interesting. If I have to put money on it, I’m going Khabib, though.”
Tony Ferguson: “Double knockout. I’m gonna keep saying it the whole entire time: I hope these bitches knock each other out. They talk enough shit. F*ck it, man. I hope they deal with what they gotta deal with and squash that shit. This is a man’s sport.”
This is a legacy fight.
The pressure on each fighter is extremely difficult to fathom, but The Notorious Conor McGregor has a vast amount of experience in similar situations and he has reigned victorious more often than not. Khabib Nurmagomedov has not experienced this level of pressure before and it’s impossible to know how he will perform when the spotlight shines on him.
These questions will be answered when Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov come face to face in the UFC Octagon, but be prepared for the unexpected.
What is your prediction?
