5 Reasons Why Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor is one for the ages

#4 Khabib's rudimentary striking

Khabib makes a few rookie mistakes in the striking sphere of MMA

Khabib Nurmagomedov isn't a bad striker, so to speak--however, the man does make some rather rookie mistakes against the killers he faces on a regular basis in the UFC. Firstly, "The Eagle" has time and again been accused of leaving his chin high up in the air during striking exchanges both inside and outside the pocket.

Now, although his rock solid chin may cover up this defensive lapse most of the time, Khabib has been rocked by a southpaw kickboxer in the past--case in point being his fight against Michael Johnson. Although Khabib would eventually go on to defeat Johnson by way of submission, the latter had him badly hurt in the early exchanges on the feet--tagging Khabib with several hard punches and putting him on the back-foot in the first round.

Furthermore, Khabib doesn't really possess much of a kicking game either, and is not particularly great at closing the distance with punches/elbows/kicks/knees without eating a few shots on the way in. Well, against someone like Conor McGregor who's made a career out of sniping people who rush into range, Khabib may have to be more wary about throwing telegraphed looping strikes while entering striking range--which in turn could lead to The Eagle either freezing up on the feet, or rushing in and getting slept by McGregor's missile of a left hand.