{"id":123881,"date":"2021-02-10T18:55:25","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T23:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=123881"},"modified":"2021-02-10T19:12:45","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T00:12:45","slug":"not-with-a-bang-but-with-a-whimper-is-this-the-end-for-conor-mcgregor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/not-with-a-bang-but-with-a-whimper-is-this-the-end-for-conor-mcgregor\/","title":{"rendered":"Not With A Bang, But With A Whimper: Is This The End For Conor McGregor?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnot-with-a-bang-but-with-a-whimper-is-this-the-end-for-conor-mcgregor%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=123881&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1298059645.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">While Conor McGregor remains one of the few household names in the UFC \u2014 transforming MMA into equal parts sport and spectacle with his brash antics and elite striking \u2014 his meteoric rise as the promotion\u2019s most recognizable star may be fast plummeting back to earth. McGregor just suffered another brutal loss, this time a second-round TKO in a rematch against Dustin Poirier, marking the first time in his MMA career that he\u2019s ever been finished with strikes.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Worse, he\u2019s now ranked outside the top five of the Lightweight division and far removed from title contention. Though still the UFC\u2019s most bankable star, McGregor\u2019s reign as a top Lightweight contender and as one of the most feared fighters in the promotion may be coming to an end.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>Those crippling calf kicks<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Much has already been made of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=D_YT_B_Anzs&amp;ab_channel=BJJSCOUT\"><span class=\"s1\">Dustin Poirier\u2019s calf kicks<\/span><\/a> against McGregor in their recent rematch. After all, they were instrumental to his win. Poirier employed the strike to perfection, hobbling McGregor in the second round to set up a flurry of punches that lead to the stoppage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">McGregor\u2019s coach, John Kavanagh, discussed how effective this strategy was for Poirier in an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_FU-L1gd0jo&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;ab_channel=ESPNMMA\"><span class=\"s1\">Ariel Helwani of ESPN<\/span><\/a>:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p4\">The fact that Dustin threw it is not that surprising. It was certainly part of our training, to deal with leg kicks. How devastating a technique it was somewhat caught us out. In the gym, when you\u2019re throwing that technique, you\u2019re not trying to kick your partner as hard as you possibly can, and you\u2019re also wearing shin pads, kick pads. \u2026 You can build up a false confidence \u2013 \u2018I feel it, but it\u2019s not that bad.\u2019 Then it\u2019s only in fighting that you get tiny gloves and no shin pads\u2026From October 2018, coming up two-and-a-half years almost, he had 40 seconds of feeling what kicks feel like with no pads on, and punches with four-ounce gloves. So, yeah, that is one thing you cannot replicate.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s3\">It\u2019s easy to pick apart a fighter\u2019s game after a devastating loss as many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BpC7yn1hS4k&amp;feature=emb_title&amp;ab_channel=LukeThomas\"><span class=\"s1\">MMA pundits<\/span><\/a> are now doing. Brett Okamoto of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mma\/story\/_\/id\/30800465\/ufc-debate-conor-mcgregor-michael-chandler-dustin-poirier-fight-next\"><span class=\"s1\">ESPN<\/span><\/a> believes that McGregor definitely \u201c<\/span><span class=\"s2\">shouldn\u2019t be fighting for a UFC title in his next bout.\u201d While that makes sense, Okamoto also points out that McGregor<\/span> <span class=\"s2\">\u201chasn\u2019t won a 155-pound fight since 2016.\u201d As such, the noted MMA analyst and commentator now ranks McGregor outside the top 10 of the Lightweight division.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">It\u2019s no longer hyperbolic to suggest that McGregor\u2019s star has fallen now that opponents are able to exploit some telling holes in his game. Those holes may not be easily remedied without a major shift moving forward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p8\"><strong>McGregor\u2019s fighting stance is now a Catch-22 for him<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p9\">What made McGregor so susceptible to Poirier\u2019s kicks was his wide fighting stance and the fact that he placed so much weight on his lead leg when throwing his deadly and beautiful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9Fzc_kSFO9A&amp;ab_channel=MindSmash\"><span class=\"s1\">left hand<\/span><\/a>. Poirier was able to hack away at McGregor\u2019s leg with relative ease with little to no checks or counters from his opponent.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p9\">Herein lies a legitimate Catch-22 for McGregor: if he narrows his stance he\u2019s more susceptible to takedowns. If he keeps it the same, leg kicks remains a legitimate threat unless he\u2019s willing to improve upon and change his already excellent skillset \u2014 not always an easy task for a storied fighter as we\u2019ve seen with so many others, including BJ Penn and \u2014 most recently \u2014 Tony Ferguson.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p9\">Former UFC Welterweight and Middleweight champion, George St-Pierre, expounded upon this conundrum while speaking on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HCHvo1G2qHE&amp;ab_channel=MichaelBispingPodcast\"><span class=\"s1\">Michael Bisping Podcast.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p10\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cIn MMA\u2026because of the takedown and the size of the cage\u2026stance[s] are wider\u2026[I]f you\u2019re legs are wide open and you\u2019re going to try to shield it like Muay Thai style, you won\u2019t have the time to do it because your legs are too wide. Unless you fight with a stance [with] your legs are closer, but if you do, your vulnerability will be compromised [to takedowns] standing up. So there\u2019s no perfect way, there\u2019s always a counter to the counter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Conceivably, McGregor could shorten his stance into more of a traditional Muay Thai position to counter leg kicks, as St-Pierre suggests. Former UFC Featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, has <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/aidenh25\/status\/1274856058658467840?s=20\">demonstrated<\/a> the effectiveness of such a stance against leg kicks to perfection. However, Aldo is able to fight in such a narrow stance because his sprawl is second to none. The Brazilian fighter has some of the best takedown defense in the entire game, according to many including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bMStR0TcLKg&amp;feature=emb_title&amp;ab_channel=ChaelSonnen\"><span class=\"s1\">Chael Sonnen<\/span><\/a>. McGregor simply does not have the same ability and is compelled to keep a wider stance as a result.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">That\u2019s not to suggest that McGregor is poor at grappling either. He\u2019s decent against takedowns, can often get back to his feet with ease, and is quite competent on the ground. The problem is that much of the competition in the Lightweight division is now comprised of <em>elite<\/em> grapplers like Charles Oliveira, Tony Ferguson, and now Michael Chandler. They are all leagues above McGregor in the grappling department and are all still excellent strikers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, certainly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/amp\/en\/article\/mbdxkb\/how-khabib-nurmagomedov-smashed-conor-mcgregor?__twitter_impression=true\"><span class=\"s1\">exploited McGregor\u2019s grappling deficiency to a fatiguing degree<\/span><\/a> in their championship bout in 2018. To be fair though, no one has yet to stop the grappling onslaught of the Dagestani fighter, including other noted grapplers.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p12\"><strong>That he\u2019s already reframing his defeat may be a good sign<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p12\">Like most great athletes, Conor McGregor is a master of reframing his defeats, and his TKO loss to Poirier is no exception. In a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CK13ACrpSaz\/?igshid=1vrjx9xbqfata\"><span class=\"s1\">Instagram post<\/span><\/a>, McGregor gave Poirier some kudos for the victory but mainly focused on what he himself did well, casting Poirier\u2019s win as, essentially, a fluke. McGregor even posted an edited clip of the fight alongside his statement that only showcased his success in the bout:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p13\"><span class=\"s2\">Some highlights from my last fight! What a trilogy I now have on my hands. Exciting! With a handle on the leg kicks I will get back to having fun in there. I was in second gear cruising this fight. Best condition I\u2019ve ever been in. After the wrestling and clinch exchanges my shots still held their pop. First time for me with this so I am very encouraged to keep going. It was the first time I did not use\/nor need the stool between rounds also\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p15\">McGregor expressed some frustration with Poirier\u2019s debilitating leg kicks but insisted that his \u201cshots [were] sharp\u201d and that he was \u201cin full control\u201d of the fight otherwise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p15\">While some might find this delusional, such confidence is integral to his future success, especially in a sport as volatile as MMA.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p12\"><strong>Will the \u201cNotorious\u201d McGregor Return?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p12\">Since his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov, a kinder Conor McGregor has emerged. The arrogant bravado and bluster that gave so much swagger to his swing have given way to a more affable, even gentler McGregor.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s5\">In the lead up to his second fight against Poirier, McGregor stated,<\/span> \u201cI love Dustin, I think he\u2019s a good fighter. He\u2019s even a great fighter, you know?\u201d according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstpost.com\/sports\/conor-mcgregor-vs-dustin-poirier-2-preview-and-prediction-plucky-irishman-to-pick-apart-american-in-short-order-9232221.html\"><span class=\"s1\">First Post<\/span><\/a>.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p16\">However, now that he\u2019s faced two consecutive losses in the Lightweight division that both ended in spectacular fashion, it may be time for McGregor to manifest his \u201cNotorious\u201d moniker again.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p15\">At the peak of McGregor\u2019s success, his novel and vicious trash-talking toward his opponents leading up to the fights served as a very potent form of psychological warfare. He could get under an opponent\u2019s skin like no other. He employed a combination of wit and a mean streak to unsettle his opponents, and it proved highly effective.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p13\">McGregor was able to completely unsettle the usually stoic Jose Aldo \u2014 who was undefeated in the UFC at the time <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u2014<\/span>&nbsp;in their Featherweight championship bout in 2015. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s6\">He focused on Aldo\u2019s impoverished background with brazen insults like, \u201c[I]<\/span><span class=\"s2\">f this was a different time I would invade his favela on horseback and kill anyone that is not fit to walk,\u201d according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/ufc\/gallery\/conor-mcgregors-20-most-savage-insults-to-ufc-opponents-111016\"><span class=\"s1\">Fox Sports<\/span><\/a>.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p19\">McGregor would end up winning that fight in 13 seconds with a perfectly timed counter left hand as an enraged Aldo uncharacteristically bum-rushed him with a wild lead hook.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p19\">Of course, all that trash-talking backfired in 2018 in his Lightweight championship bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor would even attempt to rationalize his insults in the middle of the fight claiming, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/sport\/general\/mma\/conor-mcgregor-vs-khabib-fight-brawl-watch-video-ufc-229-its-only-business-a8575441.html\"><span class=\"s1\">it\u2019s only business<\/span><\/a>,\u201d to no avail. The Dagestani fighter manhandled him to a submission victory with a brutal neck crank in the third round.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p19\">Still, McGregor has had the most success when able to channel his \u201cNotorious\u201d side. The dilemma for him is that it can make him incredibly effective inside the cage, but hopelessly self-destructive outside of it. He almost blinded another UFC fighter when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mma\/story\/_\/id\/24885232\/the-conor-mcgregor-bus-attack-words-were-there\"><span class=\"s1\">launched a dolly<\/span><\/a> at a bus in the lead up to the fight against Nurmagomedov and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/ftw\/2019\/08\/22\/conor-mcgregor-apologizes-punching-man-pub-dublin-ufc-mma\/39998357\/\"><span class=\"s1\">punched an elderly man at a pub<\/span><\/a> over a perceived slight in 2019.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p19\">His \u201cNotorious\u201d side is a Faustian pact, a deal with the Devil, and McGregor may finally be aware of it now. If he can channel his \u201cNotorious\u201d side in the Octagon only, it will benefit him, but such a feat for his tremendous ego may prove too tough a challenge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p19\">***<\/p>\n<p class=\"p19\">Countless fighters rise and fall like Icarus with melted wings as opponents adapt and adjust and the sport itself matures. We just witnessed Dustin Poirier masterfully exploit a telling hole in McGregor\u2019s game. It now remains to be seen if this most recent loss spells the end of McGregor as a top contender and potential champion in the Lightweight division. He still ranks among the sport\u2019s elite strikers, but the mounting deficiencies in his game may signal that Conor McGregor could fast become yet another relic of the fight world in the ever-evolving sport of MMA.<\/p>\n<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\">&nbsp;<em>member<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While Conor McGregor remains one of the few household names in the UFC \u2014 transforming MMA into equal parts sport and spectacle with his brash antics and elite striking \u2014 &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1893147,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6297,6299,6300,3686,6298,3635],"class_list":["post-123881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bang","tag-conor","tag-mcgregor","tag-this","tag-whimper","tag-with"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1893147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}