Coach who prepared both sizes at UFC 229

The match between lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor has been well established with all the garlands and traps of a modern-day UFC fight, but barely more than a month after the 25th anniversary of the dynamics at stake .

During this bygone and unregulated era, the UFC sold its product as a platform for specialists to confront their respective disciplines, in order to finally establish which martial art was supreme.

And while these fights may seem a bit crude compared to today's extraordinary level of combat, they were not only gladiators, but also the first bloody flicker of what is now a sporting phenomenon.

The respective styles of Nurmagomedov (26-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC) and McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) are no secret. There are all these years, their title fight against UFC 229 would certainly have been presented as a clash between striker and grappler.

The prevailing consensus before their Saturday showdown at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas seems to be that anyone who can dictate the terms of the pledge – the Irishman who keeps him on the feet or the Dagestani bringing things to the carpet – will come out victorious .

Mark Henry, the famous coach who tried to control the fall of the two men, understands this thought, but considers it slightly limited.

"I think it could have been oversimplified," Henry told MMAjunkie. "Because Conor is one of the best forwards in the UFC, if not the best, and Khabib is the best fighter in the UFC. Because of this, other things can be neglected. Khabib has some power, and sometimes I have seen Conor's good fight, as in Max Holloway's fight. "

Henry was in the corner of Eddie Alvarez when McGregor replaced him as the lightweight champion in November 2016 at UFC 205, as Nurmagomedov made a unanimous decision against Edson Barboza last year at UFC 219 .

Of their 20 appearances combined with the UFC, the fights in question are undoubtedly the most eloquent examples of their respective abilities. Henry, the man who also guided Frankie Edgar to the ultra light crown of the UFC, remembers it too well.

"It's not just Conor's power that Khabib has probably never faced, but his speed," said Henry. "You do not see his counter. It's also fast. The combination of Conor's power, speed and accuracy lies in a totally different environment, and that's what made Conor Conor.

"I was shouting at Edson (against Nurmagomedov) not to give him back, and Khabib just said," Do not worry, Mark, I will not take his back, "and then came back to himself. He spends his time having fun, which is pretty crazy and dangerous. "

Rushing McGregor has spectacularly returned to Alvarez and Jose Aldo, but Nurmagomedov, especially when he is looking for a grounding, tends to go through strikes. As a coach who studies countless hours of fighting sequences, Henry believes that Nurmagomedov should draw inspiration from the beginnings of one of McGregor's previous fights.

"I like the way Chad Mendes did (takedowns)," explained Henry. "Chad waited for Conor to launch, and it worked better because Conor is better than anyone else to counter the right hand. If you try to squeeze it with your right hand, it will come back quickly and bite you. Khabib will have to be methodical, use a lot of feints and try to attract Conor. "

Of course, McGregor won a second-round knockout over Mendes, who took the fight at UFC 189 just over a week after featherweight champion Aldo injured his ribs. However, Mendes did manage four of the seven grounding attempts, a statistic that Nurmagomedov would probably be more than happy to amass against McGregor.

Henry believes that now that former World Combat Champion Sambo has a title to defend, Nurmagomedov will leave nothing to chance when he tries to put McGregor on his back, a position in which he has not generally prospered.

"Guys like Chad and Frankie can slip and make their way, while Khabib's defense makes him lose his head, so it's hard to shoot," said Henry. "But Khabib has so many ways to fight. He will know what is his bread and butter in this fight because he played in other fights, like against Michael Johnson, when he wanted to hit more.

If he advised McGregor, Henry would order him to diversify his production, be more elusive and disrupt his opponent's incessant pace.

"If I'm Conor, I keep it in the center of the octagon, and I get more," Henry said. "Conor's kicks are very good, but he has not thrown them so far, and they could destabilize Khabib. The more Khabib has to worry, the better for Conor.

"And remember, Conor has a lot of kicks, straight strokes, tricks, and low side shots. But I just think that Conor is doing less and less movement, feinting and kicking, so it's getting easier to beat him. "

A quick glance at McGregor's record is all you need to know, this is the best job of the first two rounds – all 21 career victories, except two, came before the final bell. His stamina, or lack of stamina, has been questioned more than once and, as we saw in the return match against Nate Diaz, the ferocity of his punches may decrease.
For Henry, if the fight was to last 25 minutes, a distance that each man has traveled once, the first fighter to have simultaneously dominated two divisions of the UFC will return to Dublin without the strap.

"He's not going to win a 100% decision, but Conor could overturn him in the first round, and you can not be surprised by that," said Henry. "He has done it so many times, he has this ability, so it would not be shocking.

"If it's not halfway through the third round, it does not happen. Conor is still strong in the second round but. Once Khabib feels that he is tired, I think he'll pass it at another speed and finish it off. When you are there and it's right in front of you, you see how bad Khabib is. "

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