Conor McGregor goes off on how defense in underutilized in MMA

Conor McGregor is known for his trash-talking skills that he directs at opponents.

While he rarely praises his opponents, however, he isn’t afraid to praise the sport as a whole. In his latest meditation on the sport of MMA, McGregor discussed the importance of effective defence.

The Irishman went on an epic Instagram rant and called out MMA fighters for their unrealistic training practices.

“I’m not sure what [has] be going on in most trainers and fighters minds,” McGregor wrote. “What’s the most danger in a fight? Being clocked clean while overextended, without your feet under you and your defence fully open.

“Yes? Yes. Lights out. Good fucking night.

“So why the fuck are 99.9% of fighter and coach I see, all about wacking shots in full wack, with ZERO defensive or positioning responsibilities in there? You are setting yourself up to be clattered badly,” McGregor continued. “Know that. Calculate how many punches you throw in practice Versus how many times you slip/roll/parry/pull/block in practice. It’s crazy. I estimate 1000 to 1 is the difference. In that ballpark anyway. If you don’t practice these and just overload on punches and kicks and not much else it’s going to be your downfall.”

“I can sit and put every ounce of power into a pad strike or bag strike. But imagine that pad is not there. You’re going out on your face. Even without being hit. Even with the pad there and you make full clean contact, too much force in the shot leaves you completely open. You can’t retract your guard or get your legs under you in time. You come in against a smooth operator he is going to take the point of impact away, or catch it cleanly for counter, and then what? Wide-open. Sitting duck.

“Does my nut in seeing it all the time, and why I was always more spar heavy in my rise,” a fired up McGregor ranted on.

“Unrealistic practice develops too many bad habits to the already uneducated. Even if they do work defensive work it’s usually unrealistic. One example say, on giving shots to parry. But half throwing the shot for parry. This will then develop the habit of reaching for the soft punch. Who is that helping? That’s walking them into danger when the real pace of shot comes. And that’s just one small example.

“Get clued in guys. I am fully clued in, now more than I ever was, and I’m going to rip this game a new smile when I get back. I am also really eager to progress into real work with my son, who now at 2.5 years of age is beginning to piece together combinations. It’s all he wants to do. We’ve been training since the jump also. Day 1!Get with the program young fighters and coaches! Get with the fucking program. Otherwise..”

McGregor last fought at UFC 229, against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov delivered a dominant performance and submitted his Irish foe in the fourth round. Ironically, McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh reflected on the loss, suggesting they were too focused on utilizing defence against the Russian’s grappling game and could have offered more offence.

If John Kavanagh’s and Conor McGregor’s reflections teach us anything, it’s that perfecting a controlled attack whilst maintaining a consistent defence is the secret to success (but is certainly easier said than done).

What do you think of this passionate rant from Conor McGregor?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/30/2019.