When it comes to megastar status, nobody does it like “The Notorious” Conor McGregor. Recently, the former two-division UFC champion appeared on the top 50 highest-paid athletes of all time list at number 33. He is the only MMA representative on the list, which substantiates his success levels compared to his peers.
Conor’s rise to the top was nothing short of historic. However, his trash talk isn’t the only reason fans admire him for. They credit the very particular karate stance that he once used to use while finishing his opponents in style. Fans could see glimpses of this style in his last bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, for as long as it lasted.
Unfortunately for fight fans though, the Irishman adapted more to a Boxing stance in his recent fights, two of which he lost. Fight fans identified the absence of his karate stance to be the main reason for his underperformance in recent fights. It is worth noting that Conor admitted inclining more toward the Boxing style because of a potential Manny Pacquiao bout, which never saw the light.
Recently, no. 7 ranked welterweight and former title challenger, Stephen Thompson appeared on the “Submission Radio” show. It is worth noting that ‘Wonderboy’ and McGregor are both managed by ‘Paradigm Sports’.
Wonderboy says Conor is back to his Karate Roots.
Conor inside 2.pic.twitter.com/xw2nOeofbx
— 𝙒𝙊𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿 🇦🇺 (@WonderbreadMMA) March 12, 2023
Thompson was recently making the rounds on Twitter because of his surprise appearance on TUF 31. The clip shows him helping coach McGregor pass on a wealth of knowledge to upcoming fighters. While speaking about his time on the show, the 40-year-old shone a light on Conor’s karate stance revival.
He said, “He’s getting back to his roots. His karate kind of like [stance], He’s never taken karate in his life but he’s trained with a lot of karate fighters. And that’s kind of where he got his movement from. So for instance, when he fought Jose Aldo, his movement, his wide stance, his speed was on point. Like, he’s back to that, man, at a heavier weight, which is scary.”
How will the karate stance help Conor McGregor in the fight against Michael Chandler?
If the rumors are to be true, we could see vintage Conor sooner than later. His upcoming bout against ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler is already dubbed to have one of the most explosive first rounds in the history of the promotion. While both fighters are powerful strikers, Chandler takes the edge because of his NCAA Wrestling background.
Assuming Conor does return to his original ‘bouncy’ and wide stance, he will be very evasive to Chandler’s punches and combinations. Having an advantage of 1 inch in height and 3 inches in reach, the Irishman could make quick work of Chandler, provided he stays out of pocket. He will need to find the right angles for his punches and signature kicks, all while stuffing any takedowns if Chandler were to attempt them.
Do you think Conor performs better against Chandler with his karate stance? Or will Michael surprise him with new tools in his arsenal? Let us know in the comments down below.
