5 stylistic adjustments that Conor McGregor should make to find success upon his UFC return

#2. Conor McGregor should look to improve his cardio

Conor McGregor appeared to tire in his second fight with Dustin Poirier

Given that Conor McGregor’s biggest wins in the UFC largely came in the early rounds – with his most famous knockout over Jose Aldo taking just 13 seconds – it’s probably fair to say that the Irishman isn’t a fighter who is used to going the distance.

In fact, there’s probably an argument that the biggest weakness hanging over ‘The Notorious’ is his cardio, as he has appeared to gas out on more than one occasion during his octagon career.

While he beat Nate Diaz in a five-round thriller in 2016, there was no doubt that he was exhausted during the fight and did most of his best work in the early rounds.

He also tired in his first fight with Diaz and was notably gassed in his second fight with Dustin Poirier prior to being knocked out in the second round.

Therefore, perhaps it’d be an idea for McGregor to work heavily on his cardio, not in order to take his opponents into the later rounds, but more to allow him to move around the octagon at a faster speed more freely, without fear of tiring out.

If McGregor’s punching power could hold up into the later rounds, particularly as any fight he takes at this stage is likely to be a five-round one, then he’d be much more dangerous than he currently is. More importantly, he wouldn’t need to learn any new skills to improve in this area either.

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#1. Conor McGregor should not brawl with his opponents

Conor McGregor does not appear to be as durable as he once was

While he’s only made sporadic appearances in the octagon in recent years, Conor McGregor has actually been around the sport of MMA for a long time. He debuted in Ireland back in March 2008, meaning he’s been competing for well over a decade and he’s been in the UFC for over nine years now too.

Given that he turns 34 years old in July, while it’s arguable that he’s still in his athletic prime, it’s also true that ‘The Notorious’ is no longer a younger fighter.

Add in the fact that he’s taken a number of huge shots over the years and was knocked out by Dustin Poirier in 2021, it’s probably safe to say he’s less durable than he once was.

Taking that into account, then, one thing McGregor ought to do upon his return to the UFC is to avoid openly brawling with his opponent at all costs.

Sure, ‘The Notorious’ still carries brutal knockout power and could probably turn the lights out on any fighter if he were to land cleanly, but given the way his chin was cracked by Poirier, it’d be hugely risky to pursue such a gameplan.

Instead, the Irishman would be far better off getting back to the skills that took him to the top in the first place, using his movement and timing to baffle his opponents before catching them on the counter.

Not only could this approach help him win his comeback fight, but it could also help to prolong his UFC career overall, too.