Last weekend, Conor McGregor came up short in his anticipated boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr., succumbing to 10th round punches. While this loss can be primarily attributed to Mayweather’s fantastic ring craft, it can also be stacked up to McGregor’s cardio issues – issues that also plagued him in his two Octagon battles with Nate Diaz.
On the most recent episode of his podcast Believe You Me, UFC middleweight champ weighed in on McGregor’s cardio woes:
“WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW IS, WHAT’S CONOR’S FUCKING PROBLEM, CAUSE THE GUY HAS A PROBLEM,” HE SAID. “HE CAN’T GO THE FUCKING DISTANCE.”
“IT’S KIND OF AN ISSUE, IF YOU CAN’T GO THE FUCKING DISTANCE,” BISPING CONTINUED. “IN THE FIRST NATE DIAZ FIGHT, WHAT COST HIM IS THAT HE WAS TIRED, SIMPLE AS THAT. HE TOOK A GOOD SHOT, AND THAT OBVIOUSLY DIMINISHES YOUR GAS TANK, BUT HE WAS KIND OF GASSED. AND IN THE REMATCH, EVEN THOUGH HE WON – AND I GAVE HIM THE REMATCH, HE WON THE REMATCH FAIR AND SQUARE – BUT STILL HE WAS ABSOLUTELY GASSED IN THAT, AND IT WAS GETTING CLOSE. THE LONGER THE FIGHT WENT, THE MORE NATE DIAZ WAS GETTING BACK INTO THE FIGHT. IF YOU REMEMBER, THE FIRST ROUND WAS A WHITE WASH. THE FIRST ROUND WAS CONOR ALL OVER HIM. THE LONGER THE FIGHT WENT, THE MORE DIAZ CAME INTO THE PICTURE. SAME [IN THE MAYWEATHER FIGHT], THE FIGHT STARTED GREAT, BUT HE WAS FUCKED! ROUND SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, HE WAS A SHELL OF HIMSELF.”
According to Bisping, the solution to Conor McGregor’s repeated cardio trouble is simple:
“IT AIN’T ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE PACE [OF THE FIGHT]. IT’S VERY, VERY SIMPLY. YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS? IF YOU LOOK AT THE SOCIAL MEDIA, HE’S THERE AND HE LOOKS GREAT. YOU’VE GOT THE MAC LIFE, YOU’VE GOT THE [UFC] PERFORMANCE INSTITUTE, HE’S DOING THIS EXERCISE BAG WITH NINE OR TEN PEOPLE AROUND HIM GOING ‘COME ON CONOR, WHOA, YEAH, YOU’RE THE FUCKING MAN, WOO!’ GOING GREAT. THAT’S AWESOME, THAT’S GREAT, BUT THAT DOESN’T GET YOU IN SHAPE FOR A FIGHT. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DIDN’T SEE? IT WAS HIM OUT ON THE STREETS RUNNING. RUNNING! YOU’VE GOT TO RUN! THAT IS THE BEST THING EVER FOR CARDIO. THAT IS THE BEST THING EVER FOR A FIGHT. MMA OR BOXING, YOU HAVE TO RUN. BUT OF COURSE, NOBODY LIKES TO RUN. RUNNING’S A PAIN IN THE ASS, RUNNING SUCKS. RUNNING IS LONELY […] BUT YOU’VE GOT TO RUN. I DON’T KNOW, MAYBE HE DID RUN, BUT FROM WHAT I’VE SEEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA, I DIDN’T SEE HIM OUT THERE DOING ANY RUNNING.”
Do you think running is the simple solution to Conor McGregor’s issues with fatigue?
This article first appeared onBJPenn.comon 9/3/2017.
