Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor seems to be taking his upcoming lightweight title fight with undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov very seriously. On Tuesday afternoon, the Irish MMA superstar shared some impressive training footage to his social media channels, and it’s likely to excite his fans and perhaps even worry some of his haters.
In this training footage, we can see Conor McGregor drill takedown defense, get-ups, and clinch work — all things that are likely to be very useful against Khabib Nurmagomedov. And of course, it wouldn’t be Conor McGregor training footage if we didn’t see him drop somebody in it.
See it above.
Conor McGregor has not competed since August of 2017, when he came up short in a headline-dominating boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. His most recent MMA bout occurred in November of 2016, when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to capture the UFC lightweight title. Because he still held the UFC featherweight title he swiped from Jose Aldo at the time, this made him the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes concurrently. He’s 21-3 overall.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s last fight occurred in April, when he captured the UFC lightweight title with a decision defeat of last-minute replacement opponent Al Iaquinta. The title was quietly stripped from the long absent Conor McGregor on the same night. With this title win over Al Iaquinta, Nurmagomedov improved to a flawless 26-0 overall — one of the most impressive records in MMA.
What do you think of this Conor McGregor sparring footage? Do you think the Irish star will reclaim the UFC lightweight title at UFC 229 on October 6?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/12/2018.
UFC superstar Conor McGregor might be a key presence in Paul Hughes’ corner for a potential title fight against Bellator lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov.
