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On the surface, the training regimes of UFC fighters and the fights in themselves may seem like an effort to help beat an opponent. However, that is only partly right. The aspect that gets ignored about both training and fighting is that they are balancing acts too.
Given that fights in UFC are the peak of competition in the sport of MMA, it is ideal for its fighters to strike a balance between training for the fundamental aspects of skill, power, and endurance and making balanced use of the same in their fights.
However, some fighters choose to train for and rely on one or two of these aspects while sacrificing the third to win their fights.
The disparity towards one aspect for an advantage in others may have proven effective in giving consistent victories to fighters. At times, following this uneven approach may even earn a fighter the title in their weight division.
But, time and again, it has been proven that lacking a fundamental necessity will eventually be capitalized upon by opponents as a fighter progresses.
Several fighters in the UFC choose skill and power over endurance to finish their fights in the early rounds, but once their fights extend into further rounds they gas out.
Here are 5 current UFC stars who have trouble with cardio and endurance:
5) Francis Ngannou
This list cannot begin without mentioning UFC's heavyweight fighters, as fighters in this division are the most susceptible to gas out. The reason being that most of them pack on plenty of muscle, which usually makes them rely primarily on raw power to win their fights. On that note, let's begin with the UFC heavyweight champion himself.
Francis 'The Predator' Ngannou is known for his vicious knockout power. The heavy-hitter has bulldozed his way into quick knockout victories through a long list of celebrated UFC heavyweights, including Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Also Read: 5 reasons why Francis Ngannou could be the scariest fighter in UFC history
He became the UFC heavyweight champion after a second-round knockout victory over Stipe Miocic in their second fight at UFC 260. But in their first fight at UFC 220, Stipe Miocic exposed Ngannou's limited gas tank by securing several takedowns to eventually win by decision.
After this fight, Derrick Lewis went on to test the Cameroonian's gas tank at UFC 226 by simply using feints and some rare but well-timed strikes. At the end of the second round, Ngannou was seen breathing heavily. The fight went the distance, and Lewis was the winner by decision.
Ever since his loss to Lewis, Ngannou's conditioning was never tested enough as he went on to secure only first or second-round victories, including his win over Miocic in their second fight.
Ngannou's conditioning remains a weakness waiting to be capitalized upon by a future challenger for the UFC heavyweight belt who would be willing to find a way around his vicious punches by grappling with him.
4) Derrick Lewis
Despite being the only fighter to have tested Ngannou's tank other than Stipe Miocic, Derrick Lewis has issues with his own gas tank.
Being one of the top heavy hitters in the UFC heavyweight division himself, Lewis stalks his opponents right after which he unloads a heavy barrage of punches. But this approach has often left him with an empty tank.
His striking ability is nullified when his opponents hold him against the fence or on the ground after he is done with his combinations. Lewis' loss to Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 110 exposed his weak conditioning.
3) Ovince Saint Preaux
The former number one contender for the UFC light heavyweight title is known for his unorthodox fighting style and landing the rare Von Flue choke on four occasions.
Ovince Saint Preaux's strategy is somewhat similar to Derrick Lewis' of being patient and beginning to land strikes after finding the timing. But being in a lower weight division does not exempt OSP from the same weakness as Lewis.
Once he is faced with pressure from his opponents, he starts throwing heavy strikes, which only tire him out more. The use of wrestling has been the most successful tool for emptying his tank. Consistent takedowns greatly impact OSP's performance.
2) Zabit Magomedsharipov
So far, we have been over UFC fighters who have disproportionate power, basic level skills, and a small gas tank as a result. Zabit Magomedsharipov is the only fighter on this list to have weak cardio due to lacking power while having great skill.
Lacking power makes him expend a lot of energy in his fights as he keeps pushing himself harder with his strikes while they fail to end the fight for him. His skills in kicking based on taekwondo somewhat help him save energy as they are very sophisticated techniques that are economical on the gas tank.
However, things worsen if his cardio is tested for longer periods because he has a medical condition of diaphragm spasms. Spasms in the diaphragm could cause a fighter to breathe with difficulty despite their slender frame.
Despite these conditions, the Dagestani fighter has managed to have only one loss in his professional MMA career and has remained undefeated in the UFC.
Given this condition, it is evident that the Dagestani fighter was never fighting at his best. If his medical condition is cured, he will become a different beast altogether.
Earlier in May 2021, Russian journalist Igor Lazorin made an Instagram post saying that Magomedsharipov had decided to undergo surgery, the purpose of which was not disclosed.
The results of this surgery will determine whether the Dagestani fighter continues with his fighting career or not. However, Aaron Bronsteter made a tweet saying that Zabit Magomedsharipov is leaning towards retirement.
1) Conor McGregor
This list would have been incomplete without mentioning the first simultaneous two-division champion in the UFC, Conor McGregor.
In both of his fights with Nate Diaz at UFC 196 and UFC 202, 'Notorious' was visibly tired after facing Diaz's pressure and volume punches.
In his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather, the latter took full advantage of McGregor's weak cardio by pulling the fight into later rounds. In the end, the fight was stopped because the Irishman failed to raise his hands to defend Mayweather's punches as a result of being tired.
His infamous loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 also saw the Russian capitalize on the Irishman's cardio limitations.
While McGregor has recently been training specifically to improve his cardio, we are yet to see it being put to the test in the octagon.
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