5 Reasons Khabib Nurmagomedov Will Defeat Conor Mcgregor at UFC 229

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor are slated to face each other at UFC 229. The two fighters don't have the best rapport with each other. In fact, it might be safe to say that ahead of their fight, two are already at blows with each other.

The Russian's UFC Lightweight Championship will be on the line, as McGregor finally makes his return to the UFC. The two of them have exchanged heated words over the period of the last few months.

In April, Conor made headlines but for all the wrong reasons as he threw a metal dolly through a bus which had Khabib in it. Conor has become a figure that a lot of people look up to, and his actions in attacking a bus full of UFC fighters and endangering innocent people in his quest to get at Khabib was seen as an unforgivable offence. He would be arrested and felony charges were pressed against him.

Nurmagomedov had intimidated and attacked Lobov, who was a friend of Conor McGregor. Lobov had criticised Khabib for pulling out of fights, and Khabib put his hands on him during the confrontation. While being loyal to his friends is an excellent trait, it does not excuse what McGregor did. His actions led to two fighters being pulled from UFC 223, after suffering injuries from the broken glass.

Since then, the legal problems McGregor faced are a thing of the past, with the Irish former UFC Champion being sentenced to Community Service as well as three days of anger management.

With all of this bad blood between the two of them, McGregor and Khabib's fight has never felt like a bigger deal. However, on this occasion, 'The Notorious One' will lose when he comes face to face with the Russian Fighter. Why will he lose? Well, the following reasons explain it in detail.

#5 Conor's One Plan

Conor McGregor is a veritable genius in the octagon. What he has achieved over the course of his time in UFC, has not only made him the richest UFC fighter in the world, he also has propelled UFC's popularity manifold.

Thanks to him and his antics, thousands upon thousands of fans tune into UFC programming on a regular basis nowadays. His ability inside the ring is without question, especially his left hand.

McGregor possesses an extra-ordinarily strong left hand which has allowed him to pull of really fast wins on numerous occasions. The fighter has grown other parts of his game as well, but it is mostly on the left hand that he depends. If he cannot connecet with the left hand, then half his threat is neutralised.

#4 Khabib is Undefeated

Khabib Nurmagomedov has made an impact since arriving to the UFC like few before him. He has been in 26 fights so far, and not one of them has ended in anything except a win for him.

He has a 10-fight winning streak in the UFC alone, and leading up to the fight he has only seemed stronger and better. Iaquinta, Johnson, Dos Anjos, are just some of the well-respected fighters who thought that they had what it took to put an end to the Russian's win streak. Unfortunately for them, the Russian could not be stopped so easily, and has carved a path through a large part of the UFC roster.

He will be put to a test against Conor, but McGregor is no longer indomitable champ that he once was, with Nate Diaz beating him, and also losing inside a boxing ring to Floyd 'Money' Mayweather.

#3 Conor's Rest Period

Conor McGregor After-Fight Party And Wynn Nightlife Residency Debut, Encore Beach Club At Night In Wynn Las Vegas

Conor McGregor has been away from action for a long time. The last time that he was inside an Octagon for a fight, it was the time that he won the Eddie Alvarez fight, which was two years ago.

Since then, a lot of time has passed. At that fight McGregor held two UFC titles of two different weights at the same time, a feat that he was immensely proud about. He then found himself facing Floyd 'Money' Mayweather in a boxing bout, something that is totally different from UFC.

Having made a lot of money in the bout he took even more time off. His cardio levels are far from being where they should be, and while he is still the same fearsome fighter, he is going against someone who has been fighting and training the whole time.

In the time that Conor was away from the Octagon, Khabib has taken part in two high profile fights. Khabib will have the edge, and momentum in his favour when he faces Conor again.

#2 Lack of Ground Game

The one time that Conor McGregor lost recently, it was due to the fact that when he was taken down by Nate Diaz in their first fight, he had no idea of how to recover. Diaz used his superior ground skills to leave McGregor gasping for air, and in the end having to tap out to a Rear Naked Choke.

Khabib is insanely talented on the ground, and it is this aspect of his fight that he will be hoping to use when he faced McGregor. For this, he will have to not only use his speed to avoid the dreaded McGregor left-hook, he will also have to avoid any accidental contact early on that sends him sprawling.

If he can get McGregor on the ground, then using the skills that he has, he might just be able to pick up the all-important win.

#1 Conor McGregor's Overconfidence

Conor McGregor Hosts At Intrigue Nightclub In Wynn Las Vegas

Conor McGregor has shown that he is a man who can do anything. Unfortunately, he believes that he can literally do ANYTHING.This is not true.

Whatever skills Conor may have, at the end of the day, he is still a human being; and like all human being he has his own flaws too. One of the sayings that we hear going through life, is 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer'. When it comes to McGregor, he might have taken it too seriously.

His biggest enemy by far, at the moment, is he himself. Not only does he have a needlessly high opinion of himself, his overconfidence goes so far, that he thinks he is untouchable. Thus, he took matters into his own hands when his friend was threatened by Khabib, and in the process of doing so, hurt two completely innocent men.

Hopefully McGregor will learn to keep his confidence in check when he enters the octagon with Khabib. The Russian is no layover, and will be likely to put up a fight the likes of which no one else has seen before, against Conor.

So, in the end the fight comes down to this. Does Conor McGregor love himself enough, that he will give himself a reality check before the bout? The answer, as it stands now, is a resounding NO.

Do you agree that Khabib Nurmagomedov will beat Conor McGregor? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Edited by Riju Dasgupta