IN THE AFTERMATH of their recent appearance in front of the media in New York, one respected MMA outlet published an article, headlined: “Who won the UFC 229 press conference – Khabib or Conor?”
Based on readers’ responses, it was declared “a landslide” victory for Conor McGregor.
While the article was a harmless exercise in stimulating audience engagement, that such a piece could be deemed worthwhile shows the extent to which mental warfare is analysed when McGregor is one of the protagonists.
On social media, where amateur psychologists emerged in their droves, the same question was posed, with similar conclusions drawn more often than not.
McGregor had his research done, taunting his opponent about issues ranging from family to religious beliefs, and the history of his native Dagestan to the financial backing he received from a Russian oligarch who was jailed earlier this year for embezzlement.
The Irish fighter is regarded as a master of this form of combat, even if his first public encounter with Nurmagomedov wasn’t his most refined performance in front of the press.
In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Javier Mendez — Nurmagomedov’s coach — admitted that his fighter was “slightly agitated” by McGregor’s approach, but insisted he “wasn’t rattled” and that McGregor gained no sort of psychological advantage.
Previous opponents have similarly batted away any suggestions that McGregor’s pre-fight antics have affected them, but some have been more candid afterwards.
Dustin Poirier, who lost to McGregor at UFC 178, told FloCombat just over a year later: “I remember I was backstage getting ready to walk out and I saw him, and he threw this smile and pointed at me. I don’t know why but it really got to me. It really messed with my head.
“I mean, I’m about to go out and fight this dude and he’s back there smiling at me. After that fight I knew I had to find a different way to use my emotion.”
Three years after his Cage Warriors featherweight title fight against McGregor, Dave Hill told The42: “He did throw me off, and he threw me off more than I’d like to admit. I was like, ‘yeah, it doesn’t bother me’. But looking back, it definitely flustered me.”
When it comes to a sport in which there’s a risk of being choked or elbowed into unconsciousness, we’re loathe to look too deeply into how much harm can be caused by words and body language. However, it would also be naive to entirely dismiss the potential impact of these bouts of verbal sparring.
Should McGregor regain the lightweight belt at Nurmagomedov’s expense this weekend, and if “mind games” are a factor, the Russian won’t be the first fighter to relinquish a world title and an undefeated record after being left vulnerable by his opponent’s provocation.
He gained revenge in the infamous “no mas” fight in New Orleans in November 1980, but when Sugar Ray Leonard was beaten by Roberto Duran five months earlier, Duran’s behaviour in the build-up was significant.
When the pair first came face-to-face at a press conference in Manhattan, Duran irritated Leonard by repeatedly jabbing him with an oversized glove. He also questioned his sexuality by — rather paradoxically — inviting him to “kiss my balls, motherfucker”.
“In the weeks that followed the press conference, I was determined that Duran would not seize the advantage in any future head-to-head encounters,” Leonard writes in his autobiography, ‘The Big Fight’.
“I could not have been more naive. I was a rank amateur compared to him. Trying to match his crudeness was like trying to compete with Ali in a battle of wits. I came up short each time and it reached the stage where I dreaded the next face-off.”
At the weigh-in prior to the fight, Duran continued to goad Leonard by publicly propositioning his wife, Juanita. Leonard writes: “She was outraged. I somehow kept my emotions in check again. My chance to make him pay was coming soon enough.”
He adds: “Never did another fighter penetrate my psychic space as much as Duran, and there was nothing I could do about it. Every morning at 5am, I jogged five miles around nearby Greenbelt Park. Listening on the transistor to my favourite D.C. radio station, I was at peace, singing along, until after a mile or two, I didn’t catch a single word or note. My mind was elsewhere, on Duran. I couldn’t wait to shut him up.”
Leonard may have intended to use Duran’s conduct as additional motivation for the fight at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, but it merely served to alter the style that had already made him the world’s best welterweight.
Instead of utilising his superior boxing skills and famous footwork, his failure to keep his emotions in check saw him dragged into a brawl, the type of contest in which Duran had so often thrived.
Leonard: “Why was I so stupid? It was because I wanted to hurt Duran the way he hurt me and Juanita with his constant insults. Gaining revenge became almost as important as gaining victory, and I refused to change my tactics no matter what Angelo [Dundee] might have told me in the corner.”
In the case of UFC 229, Conor McGregor might be the superior boxer, but there’s a lesson for Khabib Nurmagomedov from Sugar Ray Leonard’s story regarding the importance of preventing emotion from causing a deviation from a gameplan.
A successful strategy for Nurmagomedov will be underpinned by his powerful wrestling and smothering ground attacks. Being lured into a fist-fight is unlikely to end well for the 30-year-old, even if his bout against Al Iaquinta in April revealed that he has more confidence in his striking ability than it deserves.
Patience and composure will be essential in his bid to pick the right moment to shoot for the takedowns he’ll require to bring the fight into his domain, while simultaneously avoiding the punches and kicks that will represent McGregor’s keys to victory.
Nurmagomedov has headlined UFC events in the past, but a fight week involving the biggest star in the history of his sport will be several levels above anything he has previously experienced in terms of media exposure and hype.
He’ll expect another round of psychological warfare when the fighters square off at the weigh-in, but there’ll be one final press conference to endure first. Unlike the aforementioned media event in New York, this one will be open to the public, so McGregor will be egged on by his horde of fervent followers on Thursday evening.
Generally appearing stony-faced and impassive, Khabib Nurmagomedov may ultimately remain immune to anything that can be thrown at him outside the octagon.
Nevertheless, Sugar Ray Leonard’s story is worth bearing in mind for the champion in a week that will define his career.
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