Conor McGregor vs Rafael Dos Anjos.
Featherweight champion vs lightweight champion. The big punching Irishman vs the rampaging Brazilian.
It’s pretty hard to call what will happen when they clash at UFC 196 on 5th March. Both men are supremely confident of winning.
Dos Anjos claims it will be easy money fighting McGregor, but the Notorious reckons he will dust the lightweight king in under a minute.
The 31-year-old Muay Thai specialist has been training like an absolute beast for the bout – but McGregor has put on some serious size, dining out on steaks morning, noon and night not having to make the 145lb weight cut.
Fans are divided right down the middle – some reckon that famous McGregor left hand will claim another victim – but others think the pressure and sheer power of the lightweight juggernaut will be too much for the SBG man.
Even the experts are torn on how they think the fight will go down.
But Firas Zahabi, the respected head coach of Montreal’s famous Tristar gym, has given us some expert analysis on how he thinks the UFC 196 main event could pan out.
“I see this fight as a very dangerous fight for both fighters. Both these fighters have a great ability to finish.
“Conor McGregor’s finishing rate is far greater – he’s in the 94th percentile which makes him an incredible outlier. We all know how he finishes fights – in his left hand he has the touch of death. You can never count him out in any fight.
“But a lot of people criticise the Chad Mendes fight, saying his jiu-jitsu didn’t look too great, and that RDA is going to expose him on the ground – and this is a strong possibility.
“RDA has world class jiu-jitsu. He is a killer on the ground. If he gets McGregor to the ground early in the fight it’s going to be real bad.
“He’s got great ground-and-pound, he’s got a great passing game, he’s got great control, he’s not easy to get back up from when you’re underneath him.”
Both fighters have dangerous weapons which will ultimately determine the outcome of the fight – whether it’s McGregor’s knock-out power or RDA’s ferocious ground game.
“Conor McGregor is a much better puncher than RDA. There is no comparison for me. If this was a boxing match, I’d bet a lot of money on him.
“But when it comes to sheer Muay Thai, its a different game. The knees, the elbows, the low kicks, the body kicks are crippling.
“The stance of Conor McGregor may very highly clash with the low kicks and body kicks of RDA.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if his kicks changed the whole outlook of the fight. I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two takedowns by RDA change the whole complexion of the fight.
“Conor can land one punch and the fight didn’t even get started or I can see RDA crush that leg or get a quick takedown and then that death card will never even be put on the table.”
He thinks that when you’re taken down by such a dominant fighter on the ground, you lose that one punch power – and he added that RDA won’t tire grappling like Chad Mendes did.
“I can see this fight being a blow-out either way. I can see RDA winning round one and I can see Conor McGregor winning round one.
“This fight is going to be a one-sided affair if it ends in round one. But if it drags on to later rounds it’s going to be a one-sided affair, but for RDA.
“Dos Anjos has won many decisions, he knows how to fight in rounds three, four and five. If we get to that point it’s because McGregor’s trump card – that death touch – is not working.”
The Tristar coach believes its 50/50 in the early rounds – but he reckons it would swing 80/20 in RDA’s favour if it goes into the championship rounds.
His full analysis is absolutely fascinating…
