"He never had bad ground defense. This is a myth" - Fans applaud Conor McGregor's underrated grappling prowess in old sparring clip

A clip of Conor McGregor grappling has recently made the rounds on social media. In the video, McGregor can be seen securing a takedown with a clever trip, as well as executing a grappling sequence that ends with him on top.

While it's unknown how credentialed his training partner is, he certainly looks impressive in the footage, and it could hint at a possibly improved ground game as he prepares to make his return to the UFC octagon.

Check out the clip of Conor McGregor on the mats here:

There has been a narrative that McGregor is not proficient on the ground which has mainly stemmed from two of his losses - to Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov. In his rematch with Dustin Poirier, 'The Diamond' also appeared to have some success in the wrestling department.

Regardless, fans took the opportunity to react to the clip. One user, @HardcoreNolley praised McGregor's ground game, saying:

"He never had bad ground defense. This is a myth. @TheNotoriousMMA"

@cutman_mase was impressed with the scrambles, and said:

"The chain wrestling on the second exchange is super clean"

To this, @BenTheBaneDavis replied:

"Put him against Bo Nickal"

@KevyBones praised 'The Notorious' for getting back into the gym, saying:

"Nice to see him at SBG and not in an octagon on his yacht"

@Lunch77Beatz stated that the clip was filmed during his preparation for Khabib Nurmagomedov, although it's unclear if this is true, saying:

"This was filmed during the Khabib camp"

@Edwrds21 wasn't impressed, and said:

"Would lose to a highschool wrestler"

Check out some of the top comments here:

Fans react to the clip of Conor McGregor grappling

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Conor McGregor was awarded his BJJ black belt in September 2023

Just a couple of months ago in September, Conor McGregor earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In a wholesome clip that 'The Notorious' shared on Twitter, he can be seen receiving his black belt from longtime coach, cornerman and friend, John Kavanagh.

Check out the clip here:

McGregor, despite the dizzying heights he has reached in his combat sports career, has always remained faithful to Kavanagh and SBG. This made for a very wholesome moment that fight fans are sure to appreciate.