A Theory on McGregors Cardio issue

[hasar]

Iv been thinking about McGregors ongoing Cardio issues or should I say recent Cardio issue

It appears McGregor has about 10-12 minutes then fades. 4 good paced rounds (12 minutes) against Mayweather, 2 solid rounds (10 mins) against Diaz, before alternating the final 3 rounds with a very tough 3rd (10th - 15th minutes) with Diaz

So why does someone who trains so hard have a difficulty with such prolonged cardio into the deeper rounds?

Well iv watched all behind the scenes access, embedded shows, all access and MacLife for all recent fights and thought of something...

All of McGregors cardio training is off his feet. I mean literally he does no road work or at least none evident, not even a treadmill for running.

We see him rowing, aerodyne, out cycling, pad and bag work but no running, no miles not ever - why?
In fact the only time we ever saw him 'running' was at the UFC performance institute in a specialised underwater treadmill to avoid impact and very slow paced which leads me to my point.

As someone who has cycled internationally and ran for my county I can tell you now the cardio for one movement doesnt transfer to the next. You will get a base level of fitness that will give you something to build upon when changing disciplines but I can tell you from experience just because I could comfortably do a 60 - 80 miles cycle didnt transfer to fitness for running a 10k for example and vice versa even though they both use 'legs'

Why? Impact! The impact of being on your feet and bounding and dealing with the gravity of carrying your own weight around is a very different type of fitness than non weight bearing cardio (the examples of which he prefers as outlined above)

Conor does not run and there must be a reason for this as to why he stays in his comfort zone as his 'legs going' as the boxing pundits would describe it or jelly legs if you've ever felt it is what McGregor concedes to when fights go into that 15 minute + time frame.

Keep in mind boxers or stand up fighters are notorious (no pun intended) for their road work, the early morning runs, the 5 miles a day (35 - 40 minutes = to fight duration of 12 round fight) the getting up at 5am or in Mayweathers case the 2am night time runs in the cooler Vegas weather - but they all put the miles in except McGregor?

So what is the reason?

Well his first and last 3 rounder was against Holloway this was a very fast paced fight and while McGregor hurt his knee he did not drop the pace or did not appear affected by Cardio in this fight at all

Therefore there are 2 reasons why McGregor doesnt do the road work required to have the 'on feet' impact level fitness required to compete 15 - 30 minutes

1) He is lazy, soft and doesnt want to work out of his comfort zone as he doesnt enjoy running

2) He has joint issues (knee, hip, ankle) or potentially his reconstructed knee following Holloway fight simply will not allow him to run and put in the miles expected in order to get himself through a training camp and has thus sourced other cardio methods as previously mentioned, in fact making reference to the underwater treadmill when I googled it, it is designed exactly for NFL athletes recovering from injury to avoid heavy weight bearing on the joints - this is the ONLY time we say McGregor run in any of the build ups in previous fights


I dont believe it is Number 1, he is tough, he does have heart fighting through a knee injury to get decision over current FW champ holloway, he doesnt look to stay in comfort zone challenging himself immediately wanting a rematch at 170 against the 185 - 190 Diaz who had 'strangled him on live TV' months earlier. He moved up in weight class, fought every opponent in front of him and challenged the P4P no 1 and TBE in Mayweather. This isnt dick riding, thats just a list of facts so its not number 1

So in my opinion (I said opinion not fact) it must be Number 2 which is a fucking shame that he must have had to find a work around for cardio post knee injury as cardio was never an issue previously, he played football as a youth but since that injury... no running, every other form of cardio but weight bearing running.

And this is why I believe McGregor will always struggle to have the fight level fitness required to compete in later rounds as his legs simply cannot cope with the demands of the type of grinding road work necessary to get himself into that condition to be on his feet for 30 minutes during a fight

Just my opinion folks and an angle I havent seen proposed


*TLDR

McGregor needs to do more running for the appropriate cardio required to fight

You just made me run 3 miles outside lol. I was feeling lazy today laying on bed and watching cryptocurrency charts. Yeah nothing beats good 30 - 40 minute run outside. Treadmill sucks. It must be running outside. That's the real challenge. When I run everyday I don't really tire during dirty work.

 

[Dragons Roar]

Great thread/theory OP. Certainly food for thought. Ill join the list of rare posters/lurkers who have come out to appreciate a good thread when it shows up.

Also gave me a good opportunity to get a few more "TLDR" types onto my ignore list

 

[Jizzer]

I tend to agree it's linked to his acl injury, he fucked it up pretty good and maybe was advised to avoid prolonged impact who knows, but I liked hearing him acknowledge his shortcoming and resolve to fix it, a sign of a true martial artist and a very dangerous man

 

[ScoopSubMMA]

Thanks for the analysis. Sounds like you know your stuff.

If jogging is too damaging to your joints, are there any viable alternatives at all to build up long range cardio for boxing or mma?

 

[uptheirons!]

Running is overrated imo. If your'e training for a fight, you should be training for a fight.

Running and other types of cardio should be included because they change the movement pattern up, but sport specific movements should be the main focus.

So every boxer in the history of the sport and every kickboxer in thailand has got it wrong. Good to know.

 

[Akabignasty]

Interesting

 

[paddy_da_pikey]

Great thread/theory OP. Certainly food for thought. Ill join the list of rare posters/lurkers who have come out to appreciate a good thread when it shows up.

Also gave me a good opportunity to get a few more "TLDR" types onto my ignore list

Hey thanks for reading I am glad you enjoyed it

 

[paddy_da_pikey]

Thanks for the analysis. Sounds like you know your stuff.

If jogging is too damaging to your joints, are there any viable alternatives at all to build up long range cardio for boxing or mma?

When im fit and athletic in my prime shape for a 35 year old man I am 6'01" and 185lbs with about 14% body fat (Im all natty lol) but i get up to around 220lbs and really feel the difference on my knees so try and find softer ground to run on or lose the about 20-25lbs first on the treadmill at the gym because it has cushioned impact which is why I detest know it all gym rats who condemn people for using the treadmill to run on when its good weather, they have no idea about their physiology or reasoning.

Running for me has always been a different type of fitness, it affects your breathing in a different way and you have to be comfortable to control your inhalation and inhalation while impacting the ground just like a swimmer must time their breathing.

Saying that I was a decent runner but when it came to invasion team sports my cardio was shit again because it involved agility and short burst which again is a different type of cardio more appropriate to interval training than sustained effort

 

[paddy_da_pikey]

Ironman, 5 rounds no problem, 38 resting HR Bisping agrees

Thanks for bringing this up, I was accussed of copying Bisping when I actually wrote the opinion piece 12 hours after the fight, 8 of which I was sleeping cause I was up to 7am GMT lol

 

[Ghostoftheville]

maybe he's flatfooted

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

I think he comes into fights expecting to win and then panics when his opponent is still standing and coming forward.

 

[robbie]

Iv been thinking about McGregors ongoing Cardio issues or should I say recent Cardio issue

It appears McGregor has about 10-12 minutes then fades. 4 good paced rounds (12 minutes) against Mayweather, 2 solid rounds (10 mins) against Diaz, before alternating the final 3 rounds with a very tough 3rd (10th - 15th minutes) with Diaz

So why does someone who trains so hard have a difficulty with such prolonged cardio into the deeper rounds?

Well iv watched all behind the scenes access, embedded shows, all access and MacLife for all recent fights and thought of something...

All of McGregors cardio training is off his feet. I mean literally he does no road work or at least none evident, not even a treadmill for running.

We see him rowing, aerodyne, out cycling, pad and bag work but no running, no miles not ever - why?
In fact the only time we ever saw him 'running' was at the UFC performance institute in a specialised underwater treadmill to avoid impact and very slow paced which leads me to my point.

As someone who has cycled internationally and ran for my county I can tell you now the cardio for one movement doesnt transfer to the next. You will get a base level of fitness that will give you something to build upon when changing disciplines but I can tell you from experience just because I could comfortably do a 60 - 80 miles cycle didnt transfer to fitness for running a 10k for example and vice versa even though they both use 'legs'

Why? Impact! The impact of being on your feet and bounding and dealing with the gravity of carrying your own weight around is a very different type of fitness than non weight bearing cardio (the examples of which he prefers as outlined above)

Conor does not run and there must be a reason for this as to why he stays in his comfort zone as his 'legs going' as the boxing pundits would describe it or jelly legs if you've ever felt it is what McGregor concedes to when fights go into that 15 minute + time frame.

Keep in mind boxers or stand up fighters are notorious (no pun intended) for their road work, the early morning runs, the 5 miles a day (35 - 40 minutes = to fight duration of 12 round fight) the getting up at 5am or in Mayweathers case the 2am night time runs in the cooler Vegas weather - but they all put the miles in except McGregor?

So what is the reason?

Well his first and last 3 rounder was against Holloway this was a very fast paced fight and while McGregor hurt his knee he did not drop the pace or did not appear affected by Cardio in this fight at all

Therefore there are 2 reasons why McGregor doesnt do the road work required to have the 'on feet' impact level fitness required to compete 15 - 30 minutes

1) He is lazy, soft and doesnt want to work out of his comfort zone as he doesnt enjoy running

2) He has joint issues (knee, hip, ankle) or potentially his reconstructed knee following Holloway fight simply will not allow him to run and put in the miles expected in order to get himself through a training camp and has thus sourced other cardio methods as previously mentioned, in fact making reference to the underwater treadmill when I googled it, it is designed exactly for NFL athletes recovering from injury to avoid heavy weight bearing on the joints - this is the ONLY time we say McGregor run in any of the build ups in previous fights


I dont believe it is Number 1, he is tough, he does have heart fighting through a knee injury to get decision over current FW champ holloway, he doesnt look to stay in comfort zone challenging himself immediately wanting a rematch at 170 against the 185 - 190 Diaz who had 'strangled him on live TV' months earlier. He moved up in weight class, fought every opponent in front of him and challenged the P4P no 1 and TBE in Mayweather. This isnt dick riding, thats just a list of facts so its not number 1

So in my opinion (I said opinion not fact) it must be Number 2 which is a fucking shame that he must have had to find a work around for cardio post knee injury as cardio was never an issue previously, he played football as a youth but since that injury... no running, every other form of cardio but weight bearing running.

And this is why I believe McGregor will always struggle to have the fight level fitness required to compete in later rounds as his legs simply cannot cope with the demands of the type of grinding road work necessary to get himself into that condition to be on his feet for 30 minutes during a fight

Just my opinion folks and an angle I havent seen proposed


*TLDR

McGregor needs to do more running for the appropriate cardio required to fight

 

[gstomp06]

Agree with all that.

Also his style is punch heavy. And his physique is a built with a smaller core and big long heavy arms. His punches are long. All that also takes more energy.

 

[Aforo88]

Ive also noticed that McGregor never runs it seems. And all of the footage is of McGregor draining himself by exploding and sprinting for short bursts. What happened to the 1,5 -2 hrs jog?

 

[robbie]

I liked your theory about the lack of running and the knee injury perhaps being factors with Conor's cardio. On the flip side of the argument, GSP had two major knee surgeries which were more severe than Conor's in terms of hospitalization, time off, rehab time, etc. Yet GSP was able to maintain quality pace/cardio after the surgeries. I think there was drop off in quickness and explosive power that made GSP less of an athletic freak after the surgeries, but he never slowed regarding pace/stamina and GSP was older at the time of his injury vs. Conor. I think Conor might also not be endurance athlete by body type. Fast twitch vs. slow twitch muscle fibers.

 

[Mcgregor's UFC]

Hey TS great thread and good read I think you make some very solid points and can't say I disagree. You are 100% right running is not low impact and some people do complain of joint and muscle pain after running due to the high impact it causes.

Conor has been seen running if you watch the embedded vs Mendes he goes for a morning run in Vegas, but for the most part I agree he tends to do low impact cardio such as row machine, and cycling. My personal theory is that since his ACL tear he tries to limit his running or high impact cardio. He did have surgery but that doesn't mean he doesn't still have complications from it everyones body is unique and heals differently. From personal experience reconstructive knee surgery is not always a magical elixir and while it is effective many people experience knee pain or have knee issues even after the surgery.

 

[yougetKTFO]

Too long didn't read

Nate fight he banged his balls off and Nate stood there like a zombie

Floyds body shots did him in the boxing

He had no gas issues against Holloway or Mendes and both presented reasons to gas

Disagree he looked pretty gassed even though he destroyed Mendes. Holloway fight he was good tho

 

[Furious77]

It's likely just genetics.

Take Pacquaio for example, 99.9999% of people in the world(including pro boxers) could train to try and throw 1000 punches all as hard and fast as each other in a fight like Pacquaio and still be fairly fresh at the end. But they couldn't, it's not just training sometimes it's genetics.

Steroids

 

[GordaoPreguico]

I thought it was because he had no septum anymore from doing all that coke.

 

[moreorless87]

What never seems to get mentioned in the second Diaz fight is that Nate started working Conors body early in the second round. Conor staying static at range throwing those lowkicks ment he was very vulnerable to that long jab to the body which Nate landed loads of times in that round.