Conor McGregor, a name synonymous with the UFC, has become a global superstar and a sports icon. Starting from his humble beginnings as a plumber and on welfare, the Irishman has made a mark that will be irreplaceable for years to come. Apart from being the first double champion in two different weight classes, the UFC Fighter has also seen success in his other ventures. These include his Whiskey Brand Proper 12 and boxing.
The Notorious was also the highest-earning athlete in 2020, making a whopping $180 million in the year. Conor has also been a point of discussion among sports pundits and other MMA fighters, considering his skills and showmanship.
One such occurrence happened recently on the ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast, hosted by former American footballer Shannon Sharpe. Shannon had an interaction with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou, who was his guest and claimed McGregor to be a one-dimensional fighter.
“Conor McGregor is one-dimensional, he just throws punches“
is the dumbest shit I‘ve heard in a while 😭🤣 pic.twitter.com/54RkApXuEF
— HokageMMA 🥷🇩🇪 (@UFCHokage) December 6, 2023
‘The Predator’ is known as one of the hardest-hitting fighters that the sports world has ever seen. Holding the record for the hardest punching power ever recorded at 129,161 units, the Cameroonian is not a person anyone would want to mess with. Ngannou’s last fight in the UFC was against French fighter Ciryl Gane, defeating the former in dominating fashion and surprising everyone with his wrestling and grappling skills.
Francis Ngannou shares opinion on UFC fighter Conor McGregor being one-dimensional
Francis Ngannou has always been humble towards other fellow fighters and a comrade in the community. Sharing similar humble beginnings as the Double Champion, the Former UFC Champion once worked in sand mines before making it to the big stage. Also, another similarity between the two fighters would be stepping up against the biggest names in boxing.
Conor McGregor faced one of the greatest boxers, Floyd Mayweather, while Ngannou went to square up against the Gypsy King, Tyson Fury. Although they lost the bout, both were credited with putting on a spectacle of a show and giving a tough time to the established boxers.
On the show, when the host Shannon Sharpe claimed the Irish to be one-dimensional and just throwing punches, the Heavyweight was quick to defend Conor. The former American footballer stated, “One thing about MMA, you can’t be one dimensional, Ronda Rousey was one dimensional, Conor McGregor is one dimensional Yeah he just throw punches”.
To this, the Ngannou replied, “He has a good ground game, too. There is always somebody who has a better ground game than somebody. It’s a sport of multiple disciplines and dimensions”.
🤜 𝙋𝙀𝙊𝙋𝙇𝙀 𝙎𝘼𝙄𝘿 𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝙊𝙐𝙇𝘿𝙉’𝙏 𝙇𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘼 𝙋𝙐𝙉𝘾𝙃…
Conor McGregor was able to land over 100 punches on one of the greatest defensive boxers in history.
Francis Ngannou might only need to land 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙋𝙐𝙉𝘾𝙃 on Tyson Fury to go down in history…… pic.twitter.com/dUtzo3ZDfF
— Dev Sahni (@devsahni) July 12, 2023
Further, the heavyweight added how different it is to go up against someone who has been wrestling his whole life, saying, “As soon as you two get into contact, it’s different, this Guy has been wrestling for 20 years, you can’t wrestle for 2-3 months in training camp and then compete with someone who has been wrestling his whole life”.
Francis Ngannou also shared how important fighting IQ is to becoming a champion, and they have to be good in all aspects. He complemented McGregor’s ground game and the skills required to be a champion in one of the hardest sports on the planet.