UFC
Urijah Faber: Conor McGregor showed he's a "tough dude" at UFC 189, but not "a good grappler in the least"
Jul 15, 2015 - 2:25:17 PM Urijah Faber: Conor McGregor showed he's a "tough dude" at UFC 189, but not "a good grappler in the least"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"First off, Conor McGregor was a tough dude, no doubt. He was eating elbows, taking punches, and this guy likes to fight. He waited for his opportunity and finished the fight when he had his opportunity... I don't think Conor showed he's a good grappler in the least bit... If Chad Mendes were training for the biggest fight his life for eight weeks, for more than that, for 10-12 weeks, you're going to see a different Chad. A guy that would not fatigue, and then it becomes who is going to implement his game? Can Conor land punches? Can Chad land his takedowns? Chad landed big, solid punches as well."

-Urijah Faber talks to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour about Conor McGregor's victory over his teammate Chad Mendes at UFC 189.

Penick's Analysis: Considering McGregor wasn't training much grappling, I don't think that fight was indicative of either fighter at their best. McGregor took full advantage of the opportunities he had, showed he can fight through significant damage, and impressed the hell out of everyone. But it's also fair for Faber and anyone else to question how the fight might go with Mendes getting a full fight camp under him. Still, under the circumstances both were dealing with, McGregor made the best of it.

[Urijah Faber art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]