Jon Jones Inspired by Conor Mcgregor Says Irishman Has wrestling And ‘Shouldn’t Be Underestimated’ Against Khabib Nurmagomedov
Former two division champion Conor Mcgregor is one of the most dominant fighters alive. Irishman has hailed as a hero of combat sport who has taken MMA to the next level.
McGregor achieved something that many thought is impossible; he becomes the first fighter ever to hold two titles in the two weight classes simultaneously after knocking out Eddie Alvarez at UFC 211 back in 2016. Mcgregor remarkably rose to fame when he claimed the featherweight gold after knocking out Jose Aldo, which was the fastest finish in title fight history only in 13 seconds back in 2015.
Last year, Mcgregor made a debut in boxing spectacle against legendary Floyd Mayweather, although he lost the showdown, but made a hell lot of fortune that many thought he’d not fight again.
Mcgregor isn’t only a UFC star, a cash cow, but also a marketing machine who took his brand to another level, as well established himself the biggest household name. Many fighters look up to him as a role model. That includes a former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who’s currently sitting on sidelines after flunking a second USADA drug test last year and awaiting punishment. (Via MMAMania)
“Conor McGregor has definitely inspired me to reach for bigger fights,” said Jones during a recent appearance on Allow Me To Interrupt. “The higher the risk, the higher the reward. That’s my plan, take a page out of his book. And start challenging myself against some pretty scary dudes.”
Jones gets an itch to return to Octagon and test his skills against all light heavyweights and heavyweights, but his future is currently in the air due after failing a drug test. He has to wait until USADA give out their final hearing about his case. But until then Jones can sit back and witness the historic fight where Mcgregor is making a comeback to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
This showdown seems odds regarding stylistic terms, but Jones believes Mcgregor shouldn’t be taken too light at this moment of his career.
”I believe that Conor McGregor has wrestling,” said Jones. “I don’t think it’s at the level of Khabib. I believe that Khabib will get the majority of his takedowns that he goes for. Conor, he’s an athlete. He shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Of course, both stars have way two different fight styles, with many predicts that Mcgregor’s only chance to win against Khabib is his left hand. Indeed, that’s true, but Khabib who never finished any of his opponents while he’s on the ground, so Russian has to find a way to finish Irishman.
”I think Khabib, his boxing defense isn’t the the strongest. I don’t understand why he doesn’t work a lot of jiu jitsu,” explained Jones. “If you can take down anybody, why not know how to finish them? He depends on ground-and-pound and he never finishes anyone with that. Khabib is a black belt wrestler. If he adds a black belt in jiu jitsu to his recipe, he’d be extremely scary.”
Regardless of what Jones said, it doesn’t mean Khabib can’t dominate Mcgregor at UFC 229, take him down on the mat and punish him as long as possible. If Mcgregor becomes lucky, he’ll come out from his trap and hurled that left hand to get the last laugh.
