Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten offers superb tactical advice for Conor McGregor's opponents

In an appearance on Submission Radio, former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten opened up on a myriad of topics, including UFC megastar Conor McGregor.

Rutten notably offered superb tactical advice to McGregor’s opponents. The legendary MMA heavyweight shed light upon his belief that McGregor’s opponents can take advantage of his trademark bladed fighting stance and beat him.

Rutten’s discussion on the topic of karate techniques and fighters in MMA shifted to Conor McGregor, and the conversation progressed from thereon.

Bas Rutten vs Tsuyoshi Kosaka at UFC 18 on January 8, 1999 at Pontchartrain Center in New Orleans, Louisiana #DWCOTD pic.twitter.com/tCmMBLSuQO

— danawhite (@danawhite) November 26, 2015

HE. IS. BACK.🇮🇪 @TheNotoriousMMA CLOSES THE SHOW EARLY! WOW! #UFC246 pic.twitter.com/0B0NXbi6pY

— UFC (@ufc) January 19, 2020

Bas Rutten reveals what not to do against Conor McGregor

Having previously held the UFC heavyweight title and earned legendary status over the course of his storied MMA career, Bas Rutten provided an in-depth analysis on how to beat Conor McGregor.

Rutten emphasized that since all of McGregor’s MMA losses have come by way of submission, an opponent’s best bet would be to take McGregor to the ground and submit him. Rutten continued, however, that it’s easier said than done.

Moreover, Rutten noted that Conor McGregor is a master of distance management in the striking department, insinuating that one ought to be very cautious while striking with McGregor.

Bas Rutten addressed the fact that Conor McGregor possesses excellent boxing skills, particularly for an MMA fighter, reiterating his respect for McGregor’s outstanding pugilism.

He pointed out, however, that Conor McGregor’s striking stance is quite unconventional. The MMA legend got up from his seat and demonstrated how the southpaw McGregor stands in a bladed karate stance, with his lead foot almost perpendicular to his opponent.

Rutten is of the opinion that since McGregor – like some other karate fighters in MMA – fights from the bladed stance, it would be difficult to deliver an inside low kick from the orthodox stance to the southpaw McGregor.

He demonstrated that if an orthodox fighter throws an inside low kick from his back leg targeting McGregor’s lead leg, McGregor can easily lift his leg and tense his muscles to check the kick.

This would hurt McGregor’s opponent, who would then be wary of throwing more inside low kicks at the calf of McGregor.

Bas Rutten believes that Conor McGregor’s opponents could use outside low kicks to defeat him

On the contrary, Bas Rutten noted that Conor McGregor’s bladed stance is a sort of double-edged sword, in the sense that although the inside low kick won’t be as effective, the outside low kick to McGregor’s calf would definitely hurt him.

Rutten suggested that if his student were to fight Conor McGregor, he’d tell them to switch from orthodox to southpaw and then land outside low kicks with their power leg (back leg) on the calf area of the southpaw McGregor’s lead leg (right leg). Rutten stated:

“So if I would face Conor McGregor, I would tell my students to start switching stance and low kicks – because for him (Conor McGregor), it’s going to be impossible to block this (outside) low kick. And especially if he’s standing like this, you’re not going to be fast enough. Low kicks attack on that front leg in the southpaw position that would be my advice if I had a student who would fight Conor McGregor. Because then you have a target; otherwise you don’t have a target, you might kick a knee (with the inside low kick).”

“If he (Conor McGregor) checks them (the outside low kick), they’re going to kick the calf and the calf is going to be relaxed when you lift it. And a relaxed muscle, same as with the body shot, if the muscle is relaxed and then you kick it, then you go down.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

Rutten also went on to speak about McGregor fighting Dustin Poirier, praising both fighters and noting how much they’ve improved since their first fight.

What are your views regarding Bas Rutten’s advice to Conor McGregor’s opponents? Sound off in the comments.