Five Ways Conor McGregor is Preparing Differently for UFC 202
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Conor McGregor’s plan for global MMA domination hit a roadblock on March 5 at UFC 196 when he was submitted by Nate Diaz. The Stockton, California, fighter absorbed all the punches McGregor’s threw his way for some six minutes of their fight and did not fall. McGregor, who was trying to hit a home run with every shot, seemed baffled that Diaz did not fold. And then the tide turned. Not only did he not fold, but he also answered McGregor’s fire with some of his own, hurting the Irishman and forcing “The Notorious” into shooting for the takedown.McGregor was gassed, and Diaz was able to eventually take his back and win via rear naked choke. After the fight, McGregor told press that he inefficient with his energy. McGregor immediately campaigned for a rematch and all parties eventually agreed to fight at UFC 202 on August 20 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Here are five ways that McGregor is training differently for his second fight with Nate Diaz.
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McGregor is training specifically for his opponent this time
Unlike previous camps where McGregor and his coach, John Kavanagh, have focused on improving the UFC featherweight champion’s MMA skills without worrying too much about the guy at the other side of the Octagon, this time they are doing everything to prepare for a “war” with Nate Diaz.Kavanagh, who pens a column for the42.ie explained the shift in philosophy:“Anyone who knows about the history of SBG Ireland will be aware that we were always regarded as the last-minute gym — the guys who would be ready to step in at short notice. Our mentality reflected that, so all you can do in those circumstances is try to get your skillset to such a high level that the opponent doesn’t matter.“I believe that worked well for us and the results were proof of that, but I also feel that when you’ve done that for so long you can end up getting caught out against certain styles of opponent. This has provided us with an opportunity to experience the other method of extreme game-planning and being very opponent-orientated.”
Next : One way team McGregor tailored its game plan for Nate Diaz.
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Specific Sparring With Tall Southpaws
Before McGregor and his coach spoke of controlled sparring as a way to upgrade the software without damaging the hardware. It seems in this camp, they have opted to work on stand-up striking against fighters who are tall, southpaw, and have a long reach (just like Diaz). Team McGregor drafted in Irish amateur prospect Conor Wallace (pictured above with McGregor and Irish Olympic boxers Paddy Barnes [far left] and Michael Conlan [far right]) to work on replicating the style of Diaz and fashion ways to counteract it. In the first meeting, the stand up toe-to-toe shot slinging was a crucial part of the eventual outcome. Head and foot movement during stand-up exchanges could be huge factors for McGregor in the rematch.McGregor also did some sparring with professional boxer Chris Van Heerden in May, but Wallace is with McGregor in camp as one of his main sparring partners. Check out the pair in action.
McGregor drafted in Dillon Danis to work on his ground game
Here is the BJJ breakdown of McGregor vs Diaz. McGregor holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which he earned from his coach John Kavanagh. Nate Diaz has a black belt that he earned from Cesar Gracie. Fact: All three losses on McGregor’s ledger have come by way of submission.In an effort to sharpen McGregor’s ground game, Dillon Danis was drafted into team McGregor’s camp. Danis went to Dublin to train at the SBG Ireland gym and has followed the team to Las Vegas to help the Irishman avenge his loss. Danis, who earned his black belt from Marcelo Garcia, has been very complimentary of The Notorious’ ground game. The work that McGregor has done with Danis and Kavanagh could be a key factor in the rematch against the more experienced Diaz. Photo Credit: @thenotoriousmma
Next – Team McGregor takes time to acclimate
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Team McGregor Arrived Stateside a Lot Earlier for Diaz 2
Earlier this year, Coach John Kavanagh’s autobiography Win or Learn was published. In an excerpt that was published in the42.ie, Kavanagh was blunt in his assessment of some of the mistakes that were made in the run up to UFC 196. One of the errors he says we made was the team’s late arrival in America. He writes: “Lessons were learned and changes will be made. Two weeks isn’t quite long enough to spend in the US before a fight like that. We need at least three, ideally four.”Just like the mantra of his training and the title of his book, his team learned from that mistake and have been stateside since June. No expense has been spared, as McGregor estimated that this camp has cost $300,000, according to ESPN.
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The Importance of Proper Nutrition
In the same excerpt from Win or Learn, Kavanagh admitted that the focus was not what it should have been for the first fight, saying: “We won’t be tucking into desserts, driving around in flashy cars and fucking about. Well, maybe there will still be nice cars, but anything that negatively impacts our usual level of preparation will be knocked on the head.”The desserts reference relates to the fact that in his last fight, instead of meticulously counting every calorie and shrinking his frame to meet the 145-pound featherweight limit, McGregor was able to eat what he liked to make the 170-pound limit. Kavanagh went on to write that cutting weight helped his fighter focus more for the challenge at hand.McGregor admitted to ESPN that he made some mistakes with his nutrition in the run up to the fight with Diaz, saying: “I think in the last fight [against Nate Diaz in March], I mismanaged my weight. I was working with my nutritionist for the lightweight title fight to make 155 pounds. I was on track. Nine days out from the fight, I’m in phenomenal condition, and then the weight got changed [to 170] and all of a sudden I’m 10 pounds below and I’m like, I don’t need this diet because I need to eat up to the weight. So I threw that out. I disengaged from that. I started eating two steaks a day, two breakfasts. I’d have a coffee and some cookies with that, please, also. I’d be in the gym six to eight hours on fight week. I’ve got bags of energy. I can do this all day. But, my body went into shock. I overtrained and then mismanaged the weight, and it came back to bite me on the ass.”After the harsh lesson learnt on March 5, McGregor is taking his nutrition for this fight ultra seriously, with performance nutrition consultant George Lockhart part of the team to ensure McGregor’s nutrition is on point for the rematch. Kavanagh expects his fighter to be around 165 pounds for the weigh-in.
Conor McGregor’s plan for global MMA domination hit a roadblock on March 5 at UFC 196 when he was submitted by Nate Diaz. The Stockton, California, fighter absorbed all the punches McGregor’s threw his way for some six minutes of their fight and did not fall. McGregor, who was trying to hit a home run with every shot, seemed baffled that Diaz did not fold. And then the tide turned. Not only did he not fold, but he also answered McGregor’s fire with some of his own, hurting the Irishman and forcing “The Notorious” into shooting for the takedown.
McGregor was gassed, and Diaz was able to eventually take his back and win via rear naked choke. After the fight, McGregor told press that he inefficient with his energy. McGregor immediately campaigned for a rematch and all parties eventually agreed to fight at UFC 202 on August 20 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Here are five ways that McGregor is training differently for his second fight with Nate Diaz.
McGregor is training specifically for his opponent this time
Unlike previous camps where McGregor and his coach, John Kavanagh, have focused on improving the UFC featherweight champion’s MMA skills without worrying too much about the guy at the other side of the Octagon, this time they are doing everything to prepare for a “war” with Nate Diaz.
Kavanagh, who pens a column for the42.ie explained the shift in philosophy:
“Anyone who knows about the history of SBG Ireland will be aware that we were always regarded as the last-minute gym — the guys who would be ready to step in at short notice. Our mentality reflected that, so all you can do in those circumstances is try to get your skillset to such a high level that the opponent doesn’t matter.
“I believe that worked well for us and the results were proof of that, but I also feel that when you’ve done that for so long you can end up getting caught out against certain styles of opponent. This has provided us with an opportunity to experience the other method of extreme game-planning and being very opponent-orientated.”
Next : One way team McGregor tailored its game plan for Nate Diaz.
Specific Sparring With Tall Southpaws
Before McGregor and his coach spoke of controlled sparring as a way to upgrade the software without damaging the hardware. It seems in this camp, they have opted to work on stand-up striking against fighters who are tall, southpaw, and have a long reach (just like Diaz).
Team McGregor drafted in Irish amateur prospect Conor Wallace (pictured above with McGregor and Irish Olympic boxers Paddy Barnes [far left] and Michael Conlan [far right]) to work on replicating the style of Diaz and fashion ways to counteract it. In the first meeting, the stand up toe-to-toe shot slinging was a crucial part of the eventual outcome. Head and foot movement during stand-up exchanges could be huge factors for McGregor in the rematch.
McGregor also did some sparring with professional boxer Chris Van Heerden in May, but Wallace is with McGregor in camp as one of his main sparring partners. Check out the pair in action.
McGregor drafted in Dillon Danis to work on his ground game
Here is the BJJ breakdown of McGregor vs Diaz. McGregor holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which he earned from his coach John Kavanagh. Nate Diaz has a black belt that he earned from Cesar Gracie. Fact: All three losses on McGregor’s ledger have come by way of submission.
In an effort to sharpen McGregor’s ground game, Dillon Danis was drafted into team McGregor’s camp. Danis went to Dublin to train at the SBG Ireland gym and has followed the team to Las Vegas to help the Irishman avenge his loss. Danis, who earned his black belt from Marcelo Garcia, has been very complimentary of The Notorious’ ground game. The work that McGregor has done with Danis and Kavanagh could be a key factor in the rematch against the more experienced Diaz.
Team McGregor Arrived Stateside a Lot Earlier for Diaz 2
Earlier this year, Coach John Kavanagh’s autobiography Win or Learn was published. In an excerpt that was published in the42.ie, Kavanagh was blunt in his assessment of some of the mistakes that were made in the run up to UFC 196. One of the errors he says we made was the team’s late arrival in America. He writes: “Lessons were learned and changes will be made. Two weeks isn’t quite long enough to spend in the US before a fight like that. We need at least three, ideally four.”
Just like the mantra of his training and the title of his book, his team learned from that mistake and have been stateside since June. No expense has been spared, as McGregor estimated that this camp has cost $300,000, according to ESPN.
The Importance of Proper Nutrition
In the same excerpt from Win or Learn, Kavanagh admitted that the focus was not what it should have been for the first fight, saying: “We won’t be tucking into desserts, driving around in flashy cars and fucking about. Well, maybe there will still be nice cars, but anything that negatively impacts our usual level of preparation will be knocked on the head.”
The desserts reference relates to the fact that in his last fight, instead of meticulously counting every calorie and shrinking his frame to meet the 145-pound featherweight limit, McGregor was able to eat what he liked to make the 170-pound limit. Kavanagh went on to write that cutting weight helped his fighter focus more for the challenge at hand.
McGregor admitted to ESPN that he made some mistakes with his nutrition in the run up to the fight with Diaz, saying: “I think in the last fight [against Nate Diaz in March], I mismanaged my weight. I was working with my nutritionist for the lightweight title fight to make 155 pounds. I was on track. Nine days out from the fight, I’m in phenomenal condition, and then the weight got changed [to 170] and all of a sudden I’m 10 pounds below and I’m like, I don’t need this diet because I need to eat up to the weight. So I threw that out. I disengaged from that. I started eating two steaks a day, two breakfasts. I’d have a coffee and some cookies with that, please, also. I’d be in the gym six to eight hours on fight week. I’ve got bags of energy. I can do this all day. But, my body went into shock. I overtrained and then mismanaged the weight, and it came back to bite me on the ass.”
After the harsh lesson learnt on March 5, McGregor is taking his nutrition for this fight ultra seriously, with performance nutrition consultant George Lockhart part of the team to ensure McGregor’s nutrition is on point for the rematch. Kavanagh expects his fighter to be around 165 pounds for the weigh-in.
