Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor and reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov are now scheduled to battle it out for fight fans worldwide. Ever since the fight’s announcement, notables from the world of mixed martial arts have been coming forward with their predictions for the exciting match up.
Nurmagomedov and McGregor will face off in the main event of UFC 229. The live pay-per-view fight card will take place Oct. 6 from within the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
Speaking in a recent AMA video, as seen below, Tristar Gym coach Firas Zahabi has now come forward to offer his thoughts on the match up. The highly acclaimed coach to former two-division UFC champion Georges St-Pierre believes that UFC 229’s main event will not truly be that competitive.
“What I’m doubting, what I don’t see very likely is a seesaw battle. Where there’s a lot of stand up, then they hit the ground, then they get back up, and they’re striking and they’re wrestling, and it’s a back-and-forth battle where it’s coming down the last round — that, I don’t see.
“I don’t see a very competitive fight even though these two fighters are great phenomal competitors. The only reason I don’t see it that way is not because one fighter is more skilled than the other. No, far from it.
“The only reason I do see it this way — a one-sided victory — it’s purely because of their styles. McGregor’s style is completely opposite to Khabib’s.”
“If Khabib tries to pick and poke at McGregor from afar with that jab, that would really really surprise me. If McGregor tries to dirty box with Khabib, that would really surprise me, because any tie ups with Khabib will probably result with McGregor being put on his back.
“So I think they’re gonna be really on their game plan that night. It’s going play their game for real, the way they really play it. That’s McGregor at a distance, sniping, and that’s Khabib up-close, in personal, tying up, clinching.
“It’s going to be a blowout either way. Either Khabib is going to win and it’s going to seem lopsided… Khabib is going to take him down and maul him, or McGregor is going to catch him on his way in and knock him out. It’s going to happen one way or another.”
