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4th August 2018
01:16pm BST

"I do think the immovable object and the unstoppable force are on a path to meet each other. I just think that when you're facing somebody with the type of stopping power that Conor has in his hands, if you stand very much upright and just walk towards somebody to get a body lock, that's a risky strategy."While he gave Nurmagomedov kudos for his annihilation of Edson Barboza, Kavanagh feels that McGregor offers something that the Brazilian sharpshooter doesn't - one-punch knockout power. If Khabib walks towards that patented Celtic Cross, he expects the lights to go out pretty swiftly.
"I think Barboza's a great kicker, but trying spinning kicks on somebody who closes the distance quickly like Khabib who has a body lock-heavy grappling game is maybe not the best idea but, for somebody who can make people overextend themselves and who has genuine one-punch knockout power - and we've seen Khabib be wobbled by Michael Johnson, for example, I find it hard to visualise anything else other than Conor knocking him out."
"Now, we have to be ready, because he has shown he can walk through those shots and there will be those grappling exchanges. So we've got to be in great shape. We've got to be ready for his chain wrestling and how he puts his takedowns together. But that's a matchup, as a fan, I'd love to see. I think it's an ultimate striker vs grappler matchup but, of course, they're well-rounded in all areas." "But I think Conor's striking and his submission game as well would cause problems. Long story short, I would think within two rounds Conor would knock him out. I think it would maybe be like the Eddie Alvarez fight and he'd stop him in the second."If McGregor could completely dismantle Nurmagomedov like he did Alvarez, his legacy as one of the greatest fighters ever would surely be cemented. He'll be hoping that prediction he made all those moons ago won't come back to bit him in the ass.
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