Conor McGregor went deep into the breakdown of his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
McGregor wrote the following on Instagram late Monday night:
Thoughts on my last fight.
Round 1. I believe from a sport standpoint, round 1 was his. Top position against the fence. Zero position advancement or damage inflicted. But top position.
From a fight standpoint the first round is mine.
Actual shots landed and a willingness to engage. Straight left early. Knee to the head on the low shot. Elbows in any and all tie up scenarios. Opponent just holding the legs against the fence for almost the entire round.
Round 2 he is running away around the cage before being blessed with a right hand that changed the course of the round, and the fight.
It was a nice shot.
After the shot I bounced back up to engage instantly, but again he dipped under to disengage. That is the sport and it was a smart move that led to a dominant round, so no issue. Well played.
If I stay switched on and give his stand up even a little more respect, that right hand never gets close and we are talking completely different now.
I gave his upright fighting no respect in preparation. No specific stand up spars whatsoever.
Attacking grapplers/wrestlers only.
That won’t happen again.
I also gave my attacking grappling no respect. To defense minded.
Lessons.
Listen to nobody but yourself on your skill set.
You are the master of your own universe.
I am the master of this.
I must take my own advice.
Round 3. After the worst round of my fighting career, I come back and win this round. Again walking forward, walking him down, and willing to engage.
Round 4. My recovery was not where it could have been here.
That is my fault.
Although winning the early exchanges in 4, he dips under again and I end up in a bad position with over 3 on the clock. I work to regain position and end up upright, with my back to the fence.
A stable position.
Here however, I made a critical error of abandoning my over hook at this crucial time, exposing the back, and I end up beaten fair and square.
What can I say?
It was a great fight and it was my pleasure.
I will be back with my confidence high.
Fully prepared.
If it is not the rematch right away, no problem.
I will face the next in line.
It’s all me always, anyway.
See you soon my fighting fans I love you all.
This right here is why people absolutely love Conor McGregor. He didn’t hold back, he was completely honest, he was open, and there was no sugar coating going on. He called it as he saw it, and that’s a type of honesty rarely seen in sports these days. (SLIDESHOW: These Are The Greatest Ronda Rousey Photos On The Internet)
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He lost his first UFC fight in nearly two years, and in the process, disappointed a ton of his fans around the world. I think we all thought he was going to come back and just dominate. That obviously didn’t happen. But that doesn’t mean he won’t eventually regain the crown.
I love the ending of his piece when he says he’ll fight whoever is next in line. He’s not backing down from anybody. That’s the Conor McGregor way. (SLIDESHOW: These UFC Women Really Hate Wearing Clothes)
McGregor will be back sooner than later. You can bet on that. A guy like him with something to prove won’t stay away for a long time. It’d be a different story if he beat Khabib, but he didn’t. Now, he has to go out there and remind the world he’s still the king.
Go, Conor, go! He can’t get back in the octagon fast enough.