The biggest mistake fighters can do when facing Conor McGregor?
Well, Tony Ferguson just won UFC interim lightweight belt at UFC 216. So, it's him who will probably face Conor McGregor next. And as I see it, he will probably do the same kind of mistake that almost every fighter facing Conor Mcgregor before him did. What is this mistake exactly? Underestimating him. Yeah, maybe you would not underestimate the UFC lightweight champion. It sound like a stupid idea. You would not even underestimate somebody who is considered as dangerous striker as Conor McGregor is, even without holding the championship belt. But fighters did this kind of mistake one after another, not learning from their predecessors mistake. And Tony Ferguson might do the same kind of mistake. Just let me explain this a little bit.
Conor McGregor has many weapons in his fighting arsenal. It's his striking technique, his takedown defence (he showed it against Eddie Alvarez) and also his very strong attitude, mental game and trash talking. He can literally get in your head, because he is so annoying and never stops to trash talking you, that you will be pissed. Conor McGregor has certain weaknesses or holes in his game, just like every fighter who is human being. But Conor McGregor is a superior kind of fighter in many ways. You have to be very phlegmatic and has an iron will and very good patience to withstand his trash talkind and mental game. But I shall return now to the other fighters. That fighters that made the same kind of mistake by underestimating him.
When you look at Dustin Poirier, Dennis Siver, Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo or Eddie Alvarez, you'll see the same attitude and the same kind and effort to overcome Conor's mental game and trash talking. All of them just kept repeating the same sentence one by one, again and again. And this sentence is: "Well, he's a good fighter, but he never fought someone like me before." They just kept saying it one by one. And they just kept falling one by one. Why so? Because it is the worst and the most stupid mistake you can do against Conor McGregor. His striking skills is so good, that you just can't afford to underestimate them. To compete with Conor McGregor, you have to fully admit that he is such good fighter and train with that knowledge. To focus on yourself and trust your own skills is good attitude when fighting other fighters, but not when fighting Conor McGregor. His skills is so good that you just can't afford to overlook them. You have to fully realize his abilities. And then train to compete with them.
The phrase: "Well, he's a good fighter, but he never fought someone like me before," is your mistake that blinds you. Conor McGregor is not invincible. But he is just that superior fighter, that you can't afford to underestimate him like that. The truth is that every fighter facing Conor McGregor should instead say to himself: "Well, I am a good fighter, but I never fought someone like Conor before." With this realization you can avoid that kind of mistake that Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo or Eddie Alvarez did. Only with this realization you can face the striking hell that Conor McGregor brings. You may not win, probably, but you will not be so shocked when it hits you. Just look how Jose Aldo or Eddie Alvarez was in shock.
Tony Ferguson may do the same kind of mistake. He is cocky enough to do this. But we will see. In this post I just tried to show and explain the biggest miskate fighters can do (and did) when facing Conor McGregor. Conor is a master of mental game and this kind of mistake is a mental game mistake. Mistake which a fighter realize only when it is too late.
Thanks for reading. Share your thoughts and opinions.
Pictures:
Conor
Conor and Eddie