#3 Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
The fight we have all been waiting for. This was hyped for more than a year and it just got intense when Conor attacked the UFC team bus with 40 people on April 5th 2018 in which Khabib was travelling along with other fighters.
This happened right after the UFC 223 media event and Conor was arrested for creating havoc and injuring other fighters by throwing steel object on the window. Now they take their matters into the octagon giving the fans what they wished for.
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Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedev is 26-0 in his MMA career with 10-0 in UFC. He has won 38 per cent of his fights by decisions. He is coming off a win against Al Iaquinta in April. Khabib is averaging 4.34 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 44.9 percent.
He has produced combined takedowns of 10 in his last two fights and consistently keeps on showing why he is considered the best grappler and wrestler in the sport. Khabib is very relentless with his takedown attempts which he keeps on throwing at the opponent and make him unstable.
This helps Khabib to take the fight where he wants and dominate the fight. His ground game is very strong, is quick with his feet and can certainly hold it striking wise. There are a few defensive errors in him which can be exposed but overall, the case can be made about the Russian that he is the best pound for pound fighter out there.
Conor "The Notorious" McGregor enters this fight with a 21-3 record in MMA. 86 percent wins from him have come via knockout. He has won 10 of his last 11 fights coming off a win against Eddie Alvarez. Although that fight was in 2016, almost 2 years since he stepped in an octagon. He last year fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match where he eventually lost the fight but showed great potential in the boxing ring.
A 2-year gap from the sport might play against McGregor but the numbers he has put up certainly wouldn't count him out. He averages 5.82 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 62.3 percent. The king of trash talk, Conor is the toughest fighter in the sport.
He has a tough chin and relentlessly striking game that allows him to trade with nearly anyone standing up and get better of him. McGregor can be sneaky with his leg kicks and does an above-average job of defending takedowns. His key strength, however, is his left punch.
That sudden striking from is left fist can make the opponent unstable and if lands accurately, mostly near the jaw, then it is a knockout, Jose Aldo knows it. His weakness is that he is a bit uncomfortable on the canvas as three of his losses have all come under submissions.
The press conference is done. The trash talk is done. It's time to see who stands tall in the Octagon. Who's side are you on? Will it be the "The Eagle" taking his unbeaten record to 27-0 or is it "The Notorious" who will put "1" in Khabib's unbeaten record?