With the a spectacular knockout victory for Jose Aldo last night, I just wondered how Conor McGregor was able to ease through the featherweight and lightweight divisions as he did. We know it's his left hand that's carried as a primary weapon, but just how powerful is that straight punch down the pipe, and can he fell the likes of Tony or Khabib as he's done to so many others?
When we look at Conor, we look at his competition. Everyone besides Nate Diaz has been fell unconscious or unable to recover from the flurry of powerful blows Conor is able to launch... which is just absolutely stunning in what is known as the most hardened division in the UFC. The lightweight division has athletes throwing down at 155 pounds each, yet each time out Conor seemed so much bigger than most every opponent he fought. A 74" reach is almost unheard of for lightweight, and at featherweight he was able to hit guys before they could even brace for the wind of impact.
Conor is a special talent in that he utilizes his natural gifts so well. His long and lanky demeanor plays into the diguised punches he throws behind crazy spin kicks. McGregor is also a southpaw which helps him immensely in dealing with orthodox fighters by allowing him to consistently be in and out but away from the power side. Southpaws are always a much trickier breed since they are harder to train for. The majority of people in the world are right handed, and it is harded to decipher the movement and lannding of a left handed person since their comfortable side will be much different than ours.
Conor abuses men in the pocket when they want to trade; he is so long and deceptively accurate that men don't realize he is much farther and launching a much more serious assault at their chin then what was intially expected. The devious nature of Conor's left hand is what makes him so dangerous, because it is the shots you don't see that put you out!
We've seen Conor hit in the past as well, and what makes him so brilliant is his ability to take a shot and throw one back. His chin is stellar, and most people don't even know the damage he secretly takes in fights due to his utmost confidence. Trading hooks with Dustin Poirier early in his career actually had him losing a tooth, but he returned fire and landed the knockout whereas the man on him wasn't able to!
Have you seen anyone dispatch men like Conor McGregor? Is his left hand as powerful as they say?
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