Conor McGregor and the 170lbs division
Conor McGregor has found much success in both the UFC featherweight and lighweight division, winning the championship belt in both. He has, however, fought at 170lbs as well, in his bouts with Stockton native Nate Diaz.
Diaz is normally a lighweight, but has had some fights at welterweight within the UFC, and is generally regarded as a bigger than average 155-pounder. Conor McGregor won one and lost one at this weight and there has been talk of him fighting Tyron Woodley, the welterweight champion.
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So it got us thinking, what UFC welterweights could McGregor beat?
#5 Matt Brown
Matt Brown is a seasoned welterweight at this stage of his career with numerous big UFC victories, including over welterweight title contender Stephen Thompson. Brown has amassed 20 wins in his years of fighting, but has recently struggled to put a few together.
He is best known for having lethal elbows and being able to pressure his opponents.
He is notorious for being weak to body strikes however, and for this reason "The Notorious" Conor McGregor and his pinpoint accurate body kicks would give Brown a difficult time. McGregor is also arguably the best counter striker in the game today, and Brown's pressure game would play right into his left hand.
Not to say Brown would be an easy fight for McGregor. His Thai clinch is one of the best in the business and if McGregor finds himself there, he would be in danger. But we believe McGregor's footwork and elusiveness would keep him away and help him to victory in this one.
#4 Rick Story
Rick Story is currently ranked number 9 in the world, and we can certainly see why. He is strong, with heavy hands and good grappling skills to complement this. He is an all round great mixed martial artist and he has an impressive resume, almost as impressive as his toughness.
He's beaten names such as Gunnar Nelson, Johnny Hendricks and Tarec Safferdine. However, his completeness as a fighter could be his downfall if he faced McGregor though.
While Story is adept in all disciplines of mixed martial arts, McGregor is a master of the stand-up. McGregor's punches and kicks are incredibly accurate and powerful, and would likely overwhelm him.
Getting McGregor to the mat could be his only hope, but that's not easy. Just because McGregor has his back to the floor, doesn't mean his abilities diminish. He is more than capable of getting up to his feet when taken down and he showed this in the fight with Chad Mendes.
Although Mendes got him down, McGregor scrambled to his feet several times.Rick Story is definitely a top welterweight, but McGregor's expertise in the striking realm would make him leave with a win.
#3 Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal has fought at both lightweight and welterweight, though his last 5 bouts have been at welterweight. He is always ready for a gritty fight, can take a lot of punishment and is also more than capable of knocking an opponent out with a multitude of punches and kicks.
He is relatively small for the weight class in height, but he is certainly well built. Again, like Brown, he likes to press forward aggressively, playing into, quite literally, McGregor’s hands.
Masvidal is a hard hitter, and has every chance of putting McGregor away but the Irishman has shown to have a solid chin so far. This is a fight that fans would love to see one day as the two are some of the most exciting fighters in the UFC today.
McGregor is more likely to take it however, as his utilisation of kicks to keep opponents at distance is brilliant and his left cross can put anyone between featherweight and lightweight away, and most at welterweight too.
Despite Masvidal's toughness, the lighweight champion is the favourite if this fight were to happen.
#2 Johny Hendricks
Johny Hendricks used to be a kingpin at 170lbs. He went 5 hard rounds with Georges St-Pierre and in many people's eyes won the fight. He knocked out Martin Kampmann and Jon Fitch with his vicious left hand, which used to be one of the best in the UFC.
Now, Hendricks is in decline and Conor McGregor has taken over ownership of the UFC's most lethal left.
Hendricks, despite only being 5'9'', has difficulty making 170lbs and in his last two fights, he missed weight and didn't look like the man who beat Carlos Condit and went to war with Robbie Lawler.
Hendricks is still a star in the division, and power like his doesn't go away, so a fight with McGregor is an interesting one indeed. As mentioned before, McGregor can take a punch, but Hendricks has shown in the past that his power is different from most men.
Judging by his lastest performances however, McGregor would be able to use his quick feet to keep away from Hendricks left hand and deliver his own blows. In this match-up, McGregor is the faster, younger, more in form fighter, and if this fight were to happen, McGregor would be the man to back.
#1 Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
"Cowboy" could be the fighter with the most momentum in the UFC today, and without a doubt the busiest. He consistently has 4 or more fights a year and is always backed as a fan favourite, due to his attitude towards fighting and his unique persona.
Cerrone's most powerful tool is his Muay Thai and he is extremely dangerous with knees, kicks, punches and elbows from all angles. His finishing combination against the aforementioned Rick Story was one of the best in the year 2016.
He was involved in a road accident several years ago and since then, however, his liver has been a weak point in his game.
If he were to fight McGregor, and they've traded words before, the Irishman would likely make use of his spinning kicks to the body to weaken Cerrone, as he did with Chad Mendes. Cerrone is much bigger than McGregor, however, and hasn't lost since his move to welterweight, so this fight would be quite the challenge.
The pre-fight build up for this fight, if it were to happen, would be historic for sure; both men have personas and they do not like eachother at all. In the cage, if McGregor comes prepared for a war, and uses all the tools he possesses, he can certainly give Cerrone a run for his money.
