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Unlike what I have vehemently claimed in the past, I am no striking expert. So to save time feel free to enjoy the .gifs and ignore what I have to say about them, though I do feel I have something to add.
Conor McGregor has the potential to be one of the very best strikers in the UFC. He mixes "unorthodox" techniques like wheel kicks and tornado kicks with technical boxing. Not just technical punching but actual technical boxing. His stance, footwork, and posture are excellent, he chooses his angles well, picks up on opponent's weaknesses quickly, and is accurate.
I re-watched his UFC debut and despite how short it was, I found a plethora of great moments that showcased his striking skill, or at the very least how superior it was to Marcus Brimage's.
The opening exchange demonstrates his solid footwork, posture, and strike placement. Marcus keeps wading in headfirst with strikes, while Conor stands upright and patiently times his shots. He may have already known Marcus was prone to dropping his head down but if not he realized it immediately and throughout the fight he punished him with either chopping left hands or upward strikes as he came in low.
This gif also shows Conor's superior footwork. He faces Marcus's centerline and as soon as his feet aren't oriented this way he resets back to the center as Marcus's feet are sort of all over the place. After the initial exchange, Marcus approaches Conor off to the side while Conor is still facing him, and Conor throws an upward strike, a knee, that glances off Marcus's head and if Marcus had ducked down slightly more as he tends to, the fight would have been over extremely fast.
As Conor enters striking range, Marcus predictably drops down slightly to strike or defend and Conor strikes upward down the middle with a front kick.
Brimage runs forward with a punch and is countered with a perfectly timed short elbow. It took him less than a minute to find Marcus's range and be able to stay close enough after being attacked to counter him.
Look familiar? Marcus wades in with a hook and McGregor stays just outside range and counters with a short left hand.
An awesome exchange by McGregor. He uses angles excellently. He will attack forward, upward, downward, or to the side as appropriate. He places his punches purposefully, in the moment, he clearly does not fire pre-made combos out randomly. Also I've noticed that more than once in the fight he seems to throw a punch that seems like it's going to miss so it turns into a short elbow at the last moment. I'm not sure if that's on purpose but it seems to be.
And the finish. He is practically clowning Brimage with the fact that he can uppercut him almost at will due to his predictable body and head movement. He can't seem to help himself but lead head first, head down towards Conor when he wants to punch him. Conor picks his punches well and drops Brimage and pounds him out.
I won't make this any longer than it already is. Conor is an amazing prospect and I can't wait to see more of him. If his striking continues to improve then he will be absolutely devastating and a real threat to Henderson, assuming he is still the champion when/if McGregor gets his shot.
Conor McGregor has the potential to be one of the very best strikers in the UFC. He mixes "unorthodox" techniques like wheel kicks and tornado kicks with technical boxing. Not just technical punching but actual technical boxing. His stance, footwork, and posture are excellent, he chooses his angles well, picks up on opponent's weaknesses quickly, and is accurate.
I re-watched his UFC debut and despite how short it was, I found a plethora of great moments that showcased his striking skill, or at the very least how superior it was to Marcus Brimage's.
The opening exchange demonstrates his solid footwork, posture, and strike placement. Marcus keeps wading in headfirst with strikes, while Conor stands upright and patiently times his shots. He may have already known Marcus was prone to dropping his head down but if not he realized it immediately and throughout the fight he punished him with either chopping left hands or upward strikes as he came in low.
This gif also shows Conor's superior footwork. He faces Marcus's centerline and as soon as his feet aren't oriented this way he resets back to the center as Marcus's feet are sort of all over the place. After the initial exchange, Marcus approaches Conor off to the side while Conor is still facing him, and Conor throws an upward strike, a knee, that glances off Marcus's head and if Marcus had ducked down slightly more as he tends to, the fight would have been over extremely fast.
As Conor enters striking range, Marcus predictably drops down slightly to strike or defend and Conor strikes upward down the middle with a front kick.
Brimage runs forward with a punch and is countered with a perfectly timed short elbow. It took him less than a minute to find Marcus's range and be able to stay close enough after being attacked to counter him.
Look familiar? Marcus wades in with a hook and McGregor stays just outside range and counters with a short left hand.
An awesome exchange by McGregor. He uses angles excellently. He will attack forward, upward, downward, or to the side as appropriate. He places his punches purposefully, in the moment, he clearly does not fire pre-made combos out randomly. Also I've noticed that more than once in the fight he seems to throw a punch that seems like it's going to miss so it turns into a short elbow at the last moment. I'm not sure if that's on purpose but it seems to be.
And the finish. He is practically clowning Brimage with the fact that he can uppercut him almost at will due to his predictable body and head movement. He can't seem to help himself but lead head first, head down towards Conor when he wants to punch him. Conor picks his punches well and drops Brimage and pounds him out.
I won't make this any longer than it already is. Conor is an amazing prospect and I can't wait to see more of him. If his striking continues to improve then he will be absolutely devastating and a real threat to Henderson, assuming he is still the champion when/if McGregor gets his shot.
