Khabib and McGregor

By ANTOINE WILEY ’20

The buildup to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 229 was compelling due to the striking differences between both fighters. Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor are near polar opposites of each other both as fighters and people: Khabib is a soft-spoken, devout Muslim from the Russian Republic of Dagestan who regards mixed martial arts as a sport of respect, and McGregor is a braggadocious, endlessly colorful Irishman whose trash talk observes few, if any, boundaries. Khabib is a ground-and-pound menace and two-time combat sambo world champion whose lethal fusion of sambo, pankration, ARB, and grappling have made him one of the most successful fighters in martial arts history, having won all 27 of his fights. McGregor, on the other hand, relies on his lightning striking ability, which earned him an 86 knockout percentage and, after his victory over Eddie Alvarez in UFC 205, made him the only fighter in UFC history to hold two belts in two different weight classes simultaneously.

However, the fight was far from the epic contest advertised. The Eagle absolutely dominated the fight, completely outclassing McGregor on the ground and keeping it close on foot. McGregor had no answer to Khabib’s unrelenting grappling, and, despite an improved offensive performance in the third round, tapped out in the fourth round when Khabib locked him in a rear-naked choke. Despite the fight being overshadowed by an ugly brawl that erupted when Khabib leapt from the octagon to attack Dillon Danis, a member of McGregor’s team, the fight held pretty major implications that couldn’t be ignored. Khabib destroyed McGregor, and it wasn’t close. The Eagle reigns supreme, and it’s hard to see his reign ending anytime soon. He now holds the longest winning streak in MMA history with 27 wins as well as the most career wins of an undefeated player. This sheer domination is no accident— since he was a small child, Khabib has been trained by his father, a veteran of the Russian army well-versed in wrestling, sambo, and judo (as seen in a now-viral clip, Khabib’s training as a 9 year old included wrestling a bear). His ground fighting is so formidable that it decisively sets the tone of all of his fights, with opponents desperate to avoid the takedown. McGregor’s coach, when reflecting on the pre-fight strategy and mindset, stated in a post-fight podcast with Joe Rogan that he was “going into this not to lose but not to win.”

UFC 229 marks the end of an era in UFC history: the relevance of Conor McGregor, once the UFC’s favorite son, seems precarious for the first time in a long time. Gone are the days of the legendary “Mystic Mac” and his stunning knockout victories— the same “Mystic Mac” that knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds and once held two UFC belts simultaneously. The tepid performance of McGregor after his two year hiatus since the Mayweather fight suggests that the the old, loved McGregor, firey and hungry for success and money, has been tamed by his $100 million boxing payday. If McGregor is to stand a chance at regaining his MMA clout, he must learn to overcome his shortcomings on the ground and rediscover his punching power. For now, Khabib is head and shoulders above his peers and reigns as the clear, undisputed UFC lightweight champion.