Not hating on that fight as I'd like to see it but Cody didn't successfully defend the title 1 time, seems like he shouldn't get an immediate rematch. Luckily for him, he's probably the closest thing UFC has to a star at 145 and below (maybe holloway but i'd say cody over him)

No chance.

Conor gets grounded and pounded to death inside the first 2 rounds.

I would take Khabib at even odds and think Khabib is a better all around fighter but Conor is a really bad matchup for Khabib. Khabib’s game plan of pressure fighting and plodding forward is a bad game plan vs Conor’s power left. Khabib is going to have to use more footwork and be more dynamic vs a guy like Conor. He could severely deplete Conor’s gas tank and smash him pretty hard on the ground but getting the takedown isn’t without its risks.

Khabib probably beats Conor but anyone who thinks they know exactly how this fight will go down is fooling themselves. Khabib looks very dominant but also very hittable.

Cody vs TJ 1 was fun & the rematch will be good as well but feels too early to book, ahh well, still amped to watch it & hope they stack the card.

Mcgregor lack of cardio is a huge issue in that fight, if he doesn't ko Khabib in the first 2rounds he has no shot at winning & he won't be on the feet for too long, Khabib is Conor's worse matchup.

I don't think Conor can stop Khabib taking him down and don't think he will do well off his back against Khabib. So he'll either have to catch Khabib going for a takedown or try to goad him into standing.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianma.../#4251c0c61063

Smh, Khabib vs Mcgregor or boycott!!

Ariel Helwani had a report over the weekend that was somewhat similar in that he also said the UFC were planning to announce a new contract with Conor however he said the fights they planned were Khabib or interim WW fight against RDA.

My post earlier ITT about "Conor beating that Khabib" was in reference to the Khabib that stood up and boxed for 2 rounds with his chin up high.

Oh so you missed the first 2 rounds where he mauled Al. I doubt Khabib would stand with Mc for any length of time either.

I'll repeat, Conor has no chance getting past the first 2 rounds with Khabib unless he gets lucky and catches him on the way in. Essentially he has a punchers chance ffs.

I agree if khabib fights smart like he did against barboza. But if he stands with conor a few rounds like he did against al i see him getting ko'd. But yeah, he probably wont be that stupid. I would hate floyd vs mcgregor in the ufc, but ofcourse we would all watch it.

Conor would knock Khabib out inside one round. Not sure how Khabib gets so much credit in that hypothetical fight.

Have a listen to Joe rogans postcast where he has John Danaher on (one of the sharpest minds in the whole of MMA) he gives a really good view on the khabib vs Conor match up.

The result of that match up really does depend where the fight ends up, if it’s standing then khabib is getting smoked but if it’s on the ground then conor has no chance. If Conor gets taken down it’s also important it’s not at the beginning of the round, I see him defending well for a minute or so but for a full 4-5 minutes will be a real struggle for Conor and his issues with cardio.

Also if reports are true that floyd mayweather wants to fight in the octogan with NO kicks, NO elbows, NO takedowns (just use of punches with 4oz gloves and clinch) then LOL.

A boxing match in an octagon with smaller gloves for another 300mil+, well played floyd/Conor/ufc/showtime etc. You are robbing the general public blind.

That report does make sense that he wouldn't do the full MMA. Just him in the cage with 4oz gloves is getting 5m+ buys.

Then after that the next fight can have kicks, another 5m buys. Then the next fight takedowns, 5m buys. Then a triple threat match, 5m buys. Then a punjabi prison match, 5m buys.

Gotta hand it to the guy

Lol. I was wondering what the angle was, when I heard Floyd say he wanted to fight in the Octagon. What a clown. A clown laughing all the way to the bank.

Floyd ain't fighting with 4 ounce gloves. The man's hands are made of glass.

Nick Diaz clearing stuff up with USADA, return coming?

That fight would eventually end up on the ground but how many risks and how much damage would Khabib have to take to get it there?

A lot of fighters use the cage to help them defend the takedowns and Khabib is very good at pressuring fighters against the cage and getting takedowns off the cage. He’s also good at breaking fighters down when they try and post to stand up. Al did a really good job at using his boxing to stand his ground and not be pressured by Khabib. Khabib’s answer for this was to dive for an ankle which leaves you wide open to power punches and kicks vs someone with good movement timing and accuracy like Conor. Conor wouldn’t back up to the cage like Barbosa. Khabib knee he could only go for the ankle pick so many times before al got the timing on it and put Khabib to sleep. The ankle pick is even more dangerous to try against Conor now that Conor has seen it.

I like Khabib’s chances but you’re crazy if you think Conor doesn’t have the tools to threaten Khabib while the fight is standing for the first couple of rounds.

Only a matter of time before Khabib takes Conor down. Conor will gas and go down easily. Once he's there it's over.

The question is whether Khabib can avoid getting knocked out before taking Conor down.

Also have to wonder if Conor's gone mental whether or not he ever returns to form.

Just watched a replay of the Khabib-Iaquinta fight and it seemed that Khabib chose to stand-up after round 2 to gain some practice with his stand-up game. He kept trying the same takedown as though he was practicing it. He could have tried other ones but intentionally chose not to. Seems that he took things a bit more seriously in the final round.

That said, Khabib has to keep that chin of his tucked better in stand up. He's just asking to be rocked by Conor if he keeps that up.

I don't really believe this to be true, but perhaps he also decided to coast a little in hopes that it would make McGregor a little more eager to get in there with him? Wouldn't shock me.

Obviously he has a huge edge over Conor on the ground and noone doubts his ability to get the fight there but he does have to close the distance and put himself in danger to get the takedown.

I think Conor has a huge edge standing up. If you want to call controlling distance and landing a punch when Khabib puts himself at risk looking for a takedown "a punchers chance" then I suppose we agree.

Khabib obviously is an elite wrestler and deserves to be champion but hes been turned into a mythological character. I mean for all the **** Conor gets about a supposed easy path to the title, its like murderers row compared to Khabib.

UFC 225 gonna be lit until 90% of the fights get cancelled

Annoyed that Covington vs RDA isn't in Brazil, it's also wierd to book that fight for interim title when Tyron is claiming to be ready for July. I think the UFC is trying to stick it to Woodley because he delayed surgery, always looking for $ fights & when he comes back he wants to be on a big card during international fight week, they basically are telling him that they have control of match-making & not him.

Completely agree with this. Showed a lot of respect to Al imo by not continuing the mauling. I don't doubt he could have took him down in rounds 3/4 if he really wanted to.

Conor looks like a massive coward if he comes back to fight and it isn't against Khabib. Still won't stop him though from setting up Diaz #3, Floyd in the cage, Diaz #4, and then GSP.