Coach Mike Winklejohn is one of the most respected coaches in MMA, having lead many fighters to gold over the years.
When it comes to McGregor versus Mayweather, the famed MMA coach says McGregor’s ability to not get hit could play a factor in his super fight against the boxing great.
“Floyd is going to go into his shell and hold his shoulder high. You can’t do that in MMA and you can’t do that in a street situation, but in boxing it’s a beautiful thing. He has a god-given knack of not getting hit and using his defensive ability so well. Conor’s got the power, though. I think Conor is a big, strong fighter who has speed and is a little slicker. What Conor can bring to the table is maybe some offline angles with his footwork that comes out of MMA and will be something Floyd might not be used to. Attack where Floyd can’t hide behind his shoulder,” Winklejohn said to ESPN.
Winklejohn has coached boxers before, with perhaps the best of the bunch being former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm.
The coach also says that McGregor must go after Mayweather in a way that the boxing great has never seen before.
“We’re going to know one way or the other right away. Conor comes with a game plan of attacking Floyd in a way he has never seen before. Once it fails, or I should say “if” it fails, then it will fall into a traditional boxing match, which obviously favors Floyd. I’ll tell you what, though, Conor’s got a smart camp, and they’re going to come up with something. It might be worth putting some money on Conor as the underdog,” says Winklejohn.
Conor McGregor versus Floyd Mayweather takes place on Saturday, August 26 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
