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Conor McGregor Says Kamaru Usman Has 'Sniff-the-Jockstrap' Fighting Style
January 16, 2020
Conor McGregor may want to put his name in the mix for the UFC welterweight belt after his matchup with Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 on Saturday night, but he doesn't sound particularly interested in fighting Kamaru Usman, who currently holds the title.
"The more exciting bout would be me and [Jorge] Masvidal," McGregor said at the UFC 246 press conference on Wednesday, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN. "Usman has the style of Khabib [Nurmagomedov], the sniff-the-jockstrap style."
McGregor may not be looking ahead to his next fight, but it's obviously on his mind based on his remarks Wednesday:
Masvidal and McGregor would be a fun matchup. Both men are dangerous strikers who would likely keep the fight upright, looking for a knockout. Masvidal is also one of the hottest fighters in the UFC at the moment, with three wins in 2019 over Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz.
His knockout of Askren was particularly notable. He took just five seconds to end the fight with a flying knee.
As for Usman, he's never lost in the UFC and is 16-1 in his professional career, with wins over Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington in 2019. Like Nurmagomedov, Usman likes to grind his opponents down and uses the fence and his wrestling to control the fight, though he isn't as consistent a puncher from the ground as Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov completely dominated McGregor, however, overpowering him and keeping the fight on the mat rather than attempt to trade strikes with the dangerous Irishman. Usman would take the same approach, making for perhaps a less entertaining fight but likely a more difficult matchup for McGregor.
Of course, there's the small matter of beating Cerrone first after over a yearlong absence. McGregor will have to topple the veteran before we find out who he'll be facing next.