UFC 229 Preview
It is a fight that everyone has wanted to see and it is one that will reveal a lot more than expected.
The Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor are complete opposites in so many ways but the way many talk about them is similar.
Despite both fighters being at the top of their game, they are both saddled with some doubt regarding just how good they are.
For Nurmagomedov the doubt is far less than his opponent but it is still there especially when looking at his opponents.
Nurmagomedov is not one to talk but the legend surrounding the Dagestani fighter grows with every fight in the UFC.
This is the man who fought a bear cub when he was a child and who has yet to lose a round in his professional career.
He is essentially the boogeyman, a silent assassin that seems ready to take over the UFC and the lightweight division.
His Combat Sambo style is unmatched in the UFC and he has made fighters look entirely unmatched.
The doubt comes in with that exact fact though as he has made many fighters look unworthy of facing him but he has never really fought a great fighter in his prime.
His only big name has been Rafael Dos Anjos and a Rafael Dos Anjos that was no longer a champion.
Granted Dos Anjos was on a winning streak in his new division and went on a winning streak after that loss but beyond that win, there isn’t much.
There are good fighters but nobody at the top of the division at any point in his career.
That lack of a serious contender or champion has left some to wonder if he has been given the easy road to the lightweight title.
He won the title itself by beating Al Iaquinta on short notice and at moments seemed to be put on the backfoot with striking that looked like it overmatched his own.
He got it done in that fight though and avoided the upset to take the win and the lightweight title.
Still, there is that doubt about whether or not he truly is the best and whether or not he ever will be if he doesn’t beat bigger names like Tony Ferguson, Eddie Alvarez or McGregor.
McGregor is the face of the UFC and by far the biggest name in the entire roster of the biggest promotion in the world.
He has only lost one fight, a short notice fight that had him moving up in weight class to take on Nate Diaz.
He has taken the UFC by storm and has been the biggest name to ever step into the octagon becoming a bit of a cash cow for the promotion.
A lot of that notoriety has come from his ability to sell fights as he has brought on a new age in the UFC, one where the game outside of the octagon has become just as important as the game inside.
Nobody has been better than McGregor and for the doubters, this is the problem with him being considered one of the best.
He has fought some big names like Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez and has beat them all even avenging his loss to Diaz in their second fight.
Yet he has never really shown a skillset to say that he is the best fighter in the world, in fact, some claim most of his fighting is done outside of the octagon.
He has gotten into the heads of his opponents at every fight and although he doesn’t seem to possess a full complement of skills his striking and strange movement has been enough to beat just about everyone so far.
This fight is the true test for both fighters as Nurmagomedov will fight the biggest name he has ever fought in the biggest fight he has ever been a part of.
Meanwhile, McGregor will face the one type of fighter that everyone seems to think is his downfall, someone with supreme skills on the mat.
Whoever wins will prove the doubters wrong while the loser will prove everyone right about what they believe.
McGregor could come out of this as the man to beat the unbeatable champion for the second time in his career, see Aldo.
Nurmagomedov could be the man to reveal the secret to beating McGregor something that not many have been able to do so far.
Either way, someone comes out on top and is named the best in the UFC at the lightweight division in the biggest fight of the year for the UFC.
The Sport Addiction 