5 reasons why Conor McGregor will beat Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229

#5: Conor’s sense of occasion is unmatched

McGregor somehow always seems to rise to the occasion

Ever since the fight between Nurmagomedov and McGregor was signed, it’s been pushed by everyone – from Dana White himself down to practically the entire UFC fanbase – that this is going to be the biggest fight in UFC history.

For McGregor, that probably doesn’t mean a lot. You could argue in fact that his fights with Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez were at the time “the biggest fight in UFC history” too.

For Nurmagomedov though, it’s uncharted territory. He only fought in his first UFC main event this April – against a late replacement in Al Iaquinta – and of his 10 UFC victories, 5 of them have actually taken place on the prelim card of the show they were booked on. He simply hasn’t had the kind of experiences under the biggest spotlight that McGregor has over the last few years.

And nobody rises to an occasion quite like ‘The Notorious One’. A massive amount of hype – including live entrance music – didn’t deter him from destroying Chad Mendes. When faced with Jose Aldo, who hadn’t lost in a decade, he came in as confidently as ever and knocked him out in seconds.

The UFC’s first event in New York was no issue for him, and even against Floyd Mayweather, he gave a solid account of himself where people expected nothing.

Against Nurmagomedov then, in the so-called biggest fight in history? Conor is under pressure, sure, but pressure is nothing to him – he’s proven that time after time. For Khabib though, this is a bigger moment than anything he’s ever faced before. So will he rise to the occasion? Or will he crumble under the pressure? Either is equally likely.