‘The Notorious’ is training in his free time to improve his wrestling skills, his only flaw will no longer be a hindrance.
What’s the story?
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor made history by becoming the first fighter in the history of the UFC to hold two world titles simultaneously.
He has been on top of his game and has tamed the best fighters in the sport. But this comes with criticism of his skills on the mat, many people believe that McGregor’s biggest weakness is his wrestling ability.
Ever eager to improve his skills, Conor McGregor has enlisted one of the greatest wrestlers in U.S. history to help train him.
Olympic wrestler Helen Maroulis has travelled to Ireland, to train in the Straight Blast Gym with head coach John Kavanagh and ‘The Notorious’ McGregor. The Olympic Gold medalist shared a picture of her training with McGregor on Instagram.
In case you didn’t know...
Maroulis competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, where she defeated a three-time defending gold medalist Saori Yoshida in the finals. She created history and became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling.
Also read: 5 Reasons Conor McGregor is more popular than all WWE stars
Conor McGregor has a professional MMA record of 21-3-0 (W-L-D) and became the UFC lightweight champion in his last fight knocking out Eddie Alvarez in the second round. He is known for his striking abilities and knockout power, bagging 18 wins by knockouts already.
The heart of the matter
’The Notorious’ has struggled with fighters when the fight comes to the mat. It was quite evident in his fight against Chad Mendes, where Mendes was able to land four takedowns and dominate him on the ground.
This hole in McGregor’s arsenal again came to play in his first fight against Nate Diaz, at UFC 196. McGregor shot for a takedown on Diaz but it quickly backfired, as Diaz made him tap out to a rear-naked choke with ease.
It looks like Conor McGregor has noticed this flaw in his fighting ability and is training with gold medalist Maroulis in wrestling to improve his ground skills.
What Next?
There is no shortage of opponents for ‘The Notorious’ McGregor on his return to the UFC.
He is currently taking time off from the UFC ahead of the birth of his first child with his long-time girlfriend Dee Devlin. He has been reportedly seen utilising this free time improving his wrestling skills back in Dublin, Ireland.
Sportskeeda’s Take
When Conor McGregor started with the UFC, he announced that he was there not to compete but to take over. In this short time, his rise in the UFC has been meteoric and he has successfully defeated all his opponents.
The only problems he has faced have been on the mat, and every fighter who is planning on taking down ‘The Notorious’ has taken note of this flaw. But the UFC champion is working hard and has started training with the best to fix that issue.
It will be interesting to see if this training will show it’s results when McGregor returns.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
