Conor McGregor, the Irish firebrand of the UFC, has long been a paradox in the octagon. His lightning-fast knockouts are legendary, but so is his tendency to gas out, which has perplexed fight fans for years. Firas Zahabi, the mastermind behind Georges St-Pierre’s reign, has an answer for this. He recently sat down with Joe Rogan to spill the beans on McGregor’s cardio conundrum.
According to Zahabi, it all boils down to muscle fiber types. ‘The Notorious‘ has fast-twitch fibers, which are great for explosive power but terrible for endurance. It’s like having a sports car that drinks vast amounts of petrol while generating energy.
“I think it’s partly genetic. I call it the touch of death; he has that left hand. That touch of death comes at a cost. Where does power come from? Second most important element is the type of muscle fiber you have. So, if you have fast twitch muscle fiber, you can hold less oxygen, but it can twitch faster,” said Zahabi via The JRE podcast.
Zahabi explains why Conor McGregor often faded after the first or second round. If a fighter could survive those two rounds, his chances of winning that fight shot up incredibly. His body is built for sprints, not marathons.
But this ‘flaw’ is also what makes Conor McGregor so dangerous. His opponents are always one left hand away from a nap. It’s a trade-off that’s served him well and has made him arguably the most prominent athlete in the MMA world.
Chael Sonnen Is Not Convivced Conor McGregor Will Fight Again
‘The Notorious’ has been MIA since 2021. His absence has left fans and analysts alike wondering: will they ever see him in the octagon again? Former UFC veteran Chael Sonnen, the silver-tongued veteran, has stirred the pot. He’s not buying what McGregor’s selling these days.
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Sonnen recently dropped a truth bomb that’s got the MMA world buzzing. He revealed that he had seen McGregor hitting the mitts, and sure, the man looked strong. But Sonnen’s not convinced that’s enough.
“I believe that you know, this big, strong Conor… But ultimately, you have to ask yourself, “Do I still want to do this?” said Sonnen via Good Guy / Bad Guy show.
Since his last fight, Conor McGregor has been living large. He has more money than he knows what to do with. His whiskey brand is booming, and his bar is generating money that other fighters would only dream of. Chael Sonnen’s assessment stands tall. Why risk getting punched in the face when you can sip cocktails on a yacht?
