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MMA fans all around the world were waiting for UFC 257, as it marked the return of Conor McGregor after over a year since his bout with Donald Cerrone.
Conor McGregor had claimed that he was completely focused this time around (unlike when he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov) and his weight-cut process had been the best of his career.
Moreover, he also proclaimed that he would knock Dustin Poirier out within 60 seconds, which left very little room for excuses. And quite frankly, nobody thought he would need any excuses after the fight.
However, Dustin Poirier pulled an upset and gave Conor McGregor the first TKO/KO loss of his career. Giving credit where it was due, Conor McGregor was humble in defeat and took his loss like a true professional; he produced no excuses and promised to come back stronger.
But the way he lost should be a cause of concern for fans who prefer fighters like Conor McGregor, who depend primarily on their boxing skills.
Do boxers like Conor McGregor and Paulo Costa have a weakness that has been exposed?
Remember the main event of UFC 253 where Israel Adesanya knocked out the undefeated Paulo Costa? The strategy employed by Adesanya was very similar to the one Poirier used against Conor McGregor - take out the legs and then go for the finish.
Paulo Costa and Conor McGregor are very different fighters; the former is a machine gun, while the latter is a sniper. However, both of them rely on their boxing skills to knock opponents out.
Paulo Costa has always been that way whereas, but quite surprisingly, Conor McGregor has become one dimensional lately. However, with both fighters preferring to have a wide stance, which helps them generate power behind their punches, high-IQ fighters like Adesanya and Poirier have found a flaw to exploit.
Having a wide stance exposes the legs to calf kicks, and a few well-placed low kicks near the knee and calf area can compromise a fighter.
A strong base is the single-most-important requirement for generating punching power. With the legs taken out, it is no longer possible to out-box an opponent. The same was evident in Conor McGregor's fight, where he landed his trademark left hand only 2-3 times on Poirier after his leg was hurt; unsurprisingly, the Irishnamn couldn't knock out his opponent.
Poirier knew the first part of his game plan was successful and he could now go for the kill: stand right in front of Conor McGregor, who had largely lost his mobility by then, and knock him out.
The same had also happened to Paulo Costa against Adesanya.
Is there a way around it?
Fortunately, not all is lost for Conor McGregor and Paulo Costa, and they don't have to massively overhaul their fighting styles.
They simply need to look at how Stipe Miocic, a very similar fighter, has found so much success. Miocic relies purely on his boxing to win his matches. However, he mixes up his boxing with occasional leg kicks and body shots, all the while maintaining a short stance. His legs are rarely compromised, and the only time he widens his stance is when he has already done enough damage and is confident of landing his knockout blow.
Conor McGregor and Paulo Costa are both great fighters. But would they address the holes in their games and come back stronger or refuse to diversify their arsenals and continue to bulldoze their way through? Only time will tell.
