It was no secret that Conor McGregor ran out of steam during the later rounds against Floyd Mayweather Jr. last August 26th. McGregor himself admitted to experiencing “patches of fatigue” since his second fight against Nate Diaz in August 2016.
Throughout his career, “The Notorious” has been known more as a striker, with most of his wins ending via knockout. But this could be the main reason for his cardio issues, according to undefeated UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje.
“The reason he can’t fight through when he gets super tired is he’s never grappled,” Gaethje said during the promotion lunch for TUF 26 (via MMA Fighting). “You have to learn how to fight through when it sucks and it’s really hard. You have to be in that position over and over and over, to be able to perform in that mindset. The fact that he’s never wrestled or grappled, it doesn’t help when he gets super tired and starts questioning himself.”
Gaethje is basing this off from his experience as an NCAA Division I wrestler during his college years. And as for MMA as a sport getting a “hit” with McGregor’s loss, the former WSOF lightweight champion is not bothered at all.
“If he goes in there and gets knocked out, yeah MMA takes a hit. But it’s not gonna hurt us,” Gaethje said. “Because at the end of the day, all we have to say is, ‘Let’s have a real fight.’ In a real fight, in the street, when it comes to life and death, an MMA fighter will win 90 percent of the time against just a boxer. I’m content and comfortable with that.”
Gaethje is currently coaching opposite Eddie Alvarez on The Ultimate Fighter 26. It’s unclear when McGregor will make his return to the Octagon.