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#4 Stephen Thompson wants to see the Conor McGregor of old
Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson believes Conor McGregor became too obsessed with boxing ahead of his rematch with Poirier, which led to his downfall. The welterweight contender has encouraged Conor McGregor to return to the karate movement he utilized so well during his early years in the UFC. In an interview with Submission Radio, Thompson said:
“I think McGregor kind of lost something in his last fight. I think it was all the boxing that he was doing – he doesn’t have that movement anymore that you normally saw."
Speaking about the difference between Conor's previous fights and now, 'Wonderboy' said:
"When he fought Jose Aldo, it was the movement that won him that fight and he was kind of standing there in front of Dustin Poirier, and he took a lot of low calf kicks, and that’s what settled it, sealed the deal."
"So he’s got to get back to moving like a karate guy. He’s got to get back into getting on his bike, using that in and out movement. Switching sides, playing that game if he’s going to go out there and beat him again."
Speaking about the benefits of using a karate style, Thompson explained:
"Because he can draw out Dustin Poirier’s strikes with his movement and him being such a good counter-puncher, can counter off of that. So out of the two, Conor’s got to get back to that – I don’t know how hard that is and how long he’s been doing the boxing stuff but he’s got to get out of that and get back to his movement. If he can do that, Conor can win."
#3 Henry Cejudo believes Conor McGregor needs to find the perfect range
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo thinks bringing back the karate stance will have its pros and cons for Conor McGregor. In an interview with Helen Yee Sports, 'The Messenger' said Conor McGregor will have to tread a fine line if he reverts to his karate style:
"There are three borders that you need to recognize. There is the safe zone, there's fight zone and there's borders. Borders, what that means to me is that you're about an inch from getting out and an inch away from getting in and actually striking."
Speaking about the range that Conor McGregor should fight from, 'Triple C' said:
"The thing is that Conor is standing too much in that borders line and more into the fight zone, that's the reason why he's getting caught. So, if I was him, I would brush up maybe two to three inches a little further out. And it will all make sense for him."
Imploring McGregor to switch stances, Cejudo said:
"But not just that but also if you're hurt, this is the part he probably doesn't know - you have to switch stances. He has to be comfortable fighting southpaw and right-handed. And next time, Conor McGregor, I'm charging your punk a**."
