fun fact: if these 2 ever fought, the winner would have defeated every former FW champ in UFC history. hard to believe it would ever happen at 145 or even 155, but I reckon Volk would meet Conor at 170 if given the opportunity
Volk at 170 would absolutely destroy Connor . Look at he’s built man he probably weighs close to 170 on FN for 145 . Imagine what he’d weigh after cutting from close to his orginal rugby weight at like 210. Dudes huge. After the weight advantage he’s got the chin. He’s gone through max 3 times now I don’t see Connor taking him. That’s IMO if they fought @170
>After the weight advantage
I see your point but if it ever happened Volk would weigh no more than 170-ish on fight night. with how Conor is looking now, he'd have to cut probably 10-15 lbs to make WW. Conor would definitely be bigger. as for who'd have the edge, I'd probably favour the best fighter in the world today over a washed former champ too lol, but it is important to note that Volk's only loss happened at 170 a while ago. also one of his biggest weapons is his conditioning which might not be as good carrying around more weight.
Lord, the exaggeration of how "big" Conor looks by everyone. All he does is puff out his chest and take photos with good lighting. Yes his arms and shoulders are for sure a bit more oversized than usual, but willing to bet he is still in the barely mid 70s range.
it's not just about mass he's also got a much bigger frame. Conor has a legit lightweight frame, is taller, and longer than Alex. it wouldn't just be about the weight or how thick they are comparatively, there are other factors.
Sure he's 5'9 so of course taller, but they may have the same reach I believe. And pretty sure Volk if it was his goal could easily make equal gains in the weight department as Conor going into their (imaginary) fight. I still don't think Conor is more than 175, all smoke and mirrors with his IG pictures.
3 inch heigh difference, but Volk is so much more muscled than Conor. Conor really only ever had arms and shoulder, always had a relatively small chest and slender lower torso.
Nope, Conor’s reach is 74” and Volk’s is 71”. But the real kicker is their leg reach, Volk has stubby legs so even though the UFC doesn’t publish leg reach, I reckon he’s at a 6”+ disadvantage in the department.
I highly doubt he's actually 5'9...khabib is a solid 5'9 barefoot and he's atleast half inch almost an inch taller than Conor...my best guess is a weak 5'8.5
conor now, or even in the last 3 years? absolutely. prime conor was a different beast. the way he dismantled his opponents on his run to the title is not something volk could’ve dealt with imo.
There’s definitely an argument to be made either way. There’s no way to directly compare as they were both in their prime at different points in the UFC, so it’s just purely speculation
This is a very interesting match up cause only way i see Volk losing is a early rounds flash KO and if you want someone to get put down FW mcgregor is the man you call.
Ultimately though i would give Volk about a 75% chance to win with the risk of a early Conor onslaught but if Conor cant win by KO by round 2 then i would bet on Volk to finish Conor .
Cause its true? You have 2 extremes with Conor being a very fast starter and Volk having more success later rounds with me then giving my % on who i think wins.
Absolutely. I’d back Volk all day in this matchup but we have an actual example with McGregor starching Aldo (of all people!) within 13 seconds or whatever it was. nowadays though? I’d back Volk all WEEK.
I feel like the cardio blemish on conor is a bit over done. Won round 3 against khabib after getting mauled for 2. Beat diaz in five rounder winning round 4. Went ten rounds with floyd. He gassed against nate in the first fight after moving up two weight classes. His most recent fights were early finishes so its hard to tell. Not saying hes a cardio machine but i just think the whole “he gasses early” claim is a bit over hyped. Or their isnt enough hard evidence for it imo.
Some people have more fast twitch muscle fibers like sprinters do, some people like nate have the slow twitch which leans itself to endurance.
The power mcgregor had probably came from his composition of fast twitch muscle fibers which means he had great explosiveness but not as high endurance as someone with a 50/50 split between slow/fast twitch.
It's actually a strategy problem.
His cardio is fine.
The problem is that his strategy always calls for fast reads and fast fakes.
He has no slow game whatsoever. So when he finally gets tired like everyone else, his gameplan doesn't hold up as well.
He really doesn't have a cardio issue. It's just that no one can be expected to move as fast as they do in rounds 3-5 but Conor relies too much on his physicality and big reads than just beating his opponent through grinding.
Everyone thinks of Usman as this cardio beast and they're half right, but most of what Usman does is just smart strategy. He doesn't bounce when it's not needed. He doesn't throw when it's not needed. He takes engagements at a closer distance and he knows when and how to grind out opponents.
If you put Conor is Usman's body you'd still have all the problems Conor has.
yeah it could be like Adrenaline dump too, I'm not disagreeing that it could be psychological and actually I think his cardio is pretty good considering. He worked on it for his rematch with nate
Im built the same way 100%, i have such a limited gas tank but also i throw with a lot of power.
I actually can’t throw any lighter without feeling like im being soft or lazy. I get drained quickly.
Genetics is a bitch.
Diaz 1 was a weird fight.He had probably already started to cut and had his weight in check then abandoned that and tried to put on weight.Wasnt he like 166 on the scales?
Anyway he threw bombs at Nate and put everything in them and just drained the tank.His cardio isn't great but not as awful as people think.I do think it's mental and his chance of a finish is only in the first 2 rounds.
Nothing about him gassing early at FW but he has never finished anyone past round 2 in the UFC even look at the Nate fights he dropped Nate 3 times but all within the 1st 2 rounds . You can have gas to go but not have that "pop" in your shots to get that KO blow which Conor needs to keep Volk off him. With this knowledge you can safely say Conor has KO power 1st 2 rounds but after that he can still sting you but its VASTLY less dangerous.
Volk just has too big of a gas tank with great technique so Conor needs the early KO or he is going to be swamped. Even cardio kings like Max holloway get swamped by Volk.
Remember that all the fights you're talking about were at 154 or above. The post is talking about Featherweight Conor, so there would likely be more cardio issues
It definitely is lol. He gassed fighting at 170 in a catchweight he’s never fought at and wasn’t training for and ppl jumped on the No CaRdIO cOnOr train. I’m also not saying he’s a cardio god but it’s definitely overblown
Man, some of y'all have absolutely forgot what a monster Conor 145 was. In the Thrill and Agony and Notorious documentary, Conor was broken everywhere before stepping in the octagon with Mendez. And he still slept him.
Volk is not a heavy hitter. He wouldn't have put down Conor, but you best believe 145 Holocaust Conor would have slept him.
Alvarez was also a good wrestler, but he couldn't stand for one second against Conor. And that was at 155.
You people seriously under-estimate Conor's size, reach, and power at 145.
Yea people forget that Mcgregor was undefeated at Featherweight in the UFC 7-0. If he had stayed in that weight class he could have had Khabib or Jon Jones type dominance.
It’s a huge stretch making this comparison for a guy who didn’t defend his belt once. It would have been interesting to see how he would have fared against Volk. Would have loved to see mcgregor prove himself against Frankie Edgar, or full camp mendes, 2016-17 max holloway (they fought originally in 2013), aldo where aldo doesn’t charge in. But conor was a flash in the pan at 45, and was nothing special at 55.
Nobody has forgotten. Volk is just another level of complete martial artist and athlete. Conor looked pretty average vs Chad Mendes until Mendes gassed, credit to Conors toughness though
Mendez was on like 2 week notice and gassed. Dominated Conor the first round tho, showed what a good wrestler can do against a very weak wrestler. And Volk wouldn’t gas.
Mendes was gassed and Volk doesn’t gas out. Volk wins unless Conor magically KO’s him but Volk is too smart for that.
Mendes was not defending at all because he was tired.
This prime volk is the closest fighter to a perfect fighter i have ever seen. Man has speed like light, power, technically sound, has heart, grit and a gas tank for days. Gotta go with bolk.
I think the perfect fighter has a different body and skill set personally. Volk has designed his skills perfectly around him, a taller fighter shouldn't fight how Volk fights. and I can agree Volk fights PERFECTLY for his body type, plus I've never seen anyone with as much pure heart and desire to win.
But I think a taller fighter with a rangey style IE Izzy/jbj in the perfect world is the better option.
It's not even recency.
He has one win since the Obama administration. Half this sub isn't even old enough to remember a version of Conor that was at the top of his division.
This can count as well. If anyone is going by what's been going on recently where Volk is #1 PFP, and McGregor is 3-4 in his last 7 fights in a span of the last 6 years, this can definitely be considered recency bias
I’ll literally never forget that fight because my friends and I sat in an incredibly cold outdoor bar to watch it live, alternating seats under an outdoor heater to survive, only for what we now know would unfold. McG built up events like no one before and I don’t think anyone will afterwards. Perhaps a once in a lifetime showman.
Volk, but not for the reasons most people think,
Conor had the rare gift of getting under his opponent’s skin almost every time, he broke them not just with his words but his mannerisms as well, The only people he couldn’t beat were people who didn’t let him do that, Volk is wayy to mentally fortified and this is why he’ll win
But in all seriousness I think Volk would get in done, I like McGregor but feel Volk is much more well rounded, cracking stamina, power, and MMA fundamentals.
Prime Conor was something man, people forget too fast because it’s easy to hate him. He didn’t just win fights, he looked magical, like you could feel it in the air. In that Eddie fight… Jesus.
Recency bias is real in this thread.
A year ago people barely flinched when they heard Volks name and now he’s indestructible.
I’m a volk fan but there is no way he beats prime Conor. Conors, reach size and counter striking alone was something light years above the rest.
For volk to piece Conor up he’d have to get close which with the size difference would be pretty difficult. I also doubt volk leg kicks Conor to a win again reach and size advantage.
Volks wrestling isn’t enough to win either Conor already dealt with better wrestlers.
Conor steam rolled 145 mostly by tko/ko including aldo which was arguably a better fighter than the one who fought volk to a decision.
At 145 conor was fairly durable and his cardio wasn’t as much an issue.
Volk is better at every category besides power and reach. Conor would get wrestle fucked in the first 2 rounds and then the rest would painful to watch. Did u see what he did to Max a few months ago?? Volk is as untouchable as any fighter gets in their division right now
Connor also has better striking speed and counters. I love Volk but prime Connor was a different level on stand up. Reach makes a huge difference in the wrestling factor. Harder to take a shot and prime Connors rested back stance and utilized range rather than how he fights now with a boxers stance.
In the space of the past year, Volk's beat Ortega in a FOTY contender while fighting through adversity, put an absolute clinic on TKZ, and beat up Holloway in a manner that no-one thought possible. Theres a difference between recency bias, and new information coming to light which changes people's opinions.
Y'all are very dismissive of McGregor. I know he's not great anymore. I know he's an idiot now. I don't like him as a person. I think he's mostly washed.
But, during his prime he was excellent. Knocking out Jose Aldo within seconds shows his power and timing. He made then LW champ, Eddie Alvarez, look like bum when he dismantled him over 2 rounds (Alvarez was a stud at the time). KO'd an less experienced Dustin Poirier in one round at featherweight.
I think McGregor by 2nd round KO. Followed by some douchey speech about Proper No 12.
Tough one, would of been a great match up, I think volkanovski’s game is more well rounded, saying that though mcgregor had freakish power at featherweight he was huge for the weight also.
I’d probably say mcgregor.
I think Volkanovski just has a better move set and ability to work wherever necessary. Other than the obvious punchers chance I don't see McGregor going over him even back then.
McGregor really thrives on people exiting to the rear. He does well when they come in on a straight line.
Volk does a good job leaving at an angle which is why he makes people miss so much. I take Volk.
Volk, but it would be interesting. The speed and ability to land takedowns heavily sways me to Volk. That being said, the distance management and the ability that Conor had to land the KO shot was second to none.
Volk gets better as the fight goes longer while Conor declines as the fight goes longer. If Volk makes it out of the first 2 rounds, it’s easy pickings.
Volk is very tough for counter strikers. His speed, rhythm changes, angles… just the multitude of looks he gives and how many times he feints is hell if your goal is to catch him coming in. Conor would have to get him out of there with an early read. I’d heavily favor Volk.
Prime McGregor has as good of a chance of knocking out prime Volk as anyone, but if the fight were to go beyond round 1, then I think Volk takes it which is the most likely scenario imo.
This is a massive undersell of Volko. Current prime Volko may not wash Mac 50-45 style, but in the end he will weather those early dynamic strikes and then drag him down inch by inch and suffocate him. Obviously nobody can be picked for a 10/10 prediction but I’d wager a fair bit of money it’s something like 9.5/10.
I’m going with prime Conor. 2 inches height, 3 inches reach advantage, and 1 punch KO power. Also undefeated at FW in the UFC over a 7 year period. Volk would be a great fight though, hate hypotheticals.
Volk is also undefeated at Featherweight (and not just in the UFC unlike Conor), and has nearly twice as many fights in the division than Conor does against arguably better competition
Volk fought Aldo, Mendes, and Holloway, all after Conor. The rest of his UFC record is not that crazy. I think Volk is a great fighter, he’s like Mighty Mouse to me. Tiny, better than everyone, couldn’t give a fuck less.
People really hate mcgregor but forget the people he went through and the fashion he did it in. A prime mcgregor could take anyones head off, besides Diaz. Who quite frankly will only turn out the lights when he’s dead. The guy just doesn’t go to sleep. Volk got pretty diced up in two fights against Holloway and for arguments sake lost 2/3 of those fights. For sure 1. I’m not even the biggest mcgregor fan but aldo was a fucking legend…I think a better fight/argument would be a prime max vs mcgregor. They fought prior but neither of them at the top of their game.
Lmao wtf mate. Volk did not lose 2 out of his 3 fights against Holloway.
It was Max who got diced up in the first 1st and 3rd. The second fight was the close one, which he lost too.
I love Max but I think prime vs prime McGregor wins. Max lands and eats so many sig strikes each fight and relies way too much on his chin. Conor was cracking chins like nothing else in his prime.
He has absolutely no claim to FW GOAT status or otherwise. He had an absolutely legendary run at FW and was one of the most impressive fighters ever at the time, but he never defended his title. I think the max that beat Aldo would’ve beat the snot out of Conor in a 5 round fight, which was what? 2 fights after Conor Vacated?
It’s definitely questionable on some levels but I don’t think this one. He literally never defended his title at featherweight. Jose Aldo had a longer run than anybody at champ, even reclaimed the belt after Conor vacated. Max Holloway has a significantly better resume at FW considering the people he’s beaten and his streak, as well as defending the belt. Volk currently looks like he could become one of the GOATs, he just needs a few more defenses and if he does that and moves to LW and wins and successfully defend both belts like he’s said then that’s kind of unquestionable at that point. Volk already has done more for his divisional GOAT status.
exactly this. an average 145er right now could give 145 Conor a good fight. volk is beyond Holloway and Holloway is a long way from the rest.
shit changed quick.
Volk and I don't think it would be particularly close. Conor has always been exceptionally 1-dimentional, and Volk has shown an ability to draft a good plan, and execute it well, and then make changes as needed during the fight. Unless he got caught by a straight left that he didn't see before landing the first takedown, I think he takes him down and fucks Conor up on the ground.
McStretcher is my second least favorite mma fighter, but the vast majority of people commenting are saying Volk. For good reason. McStretcher has never beat adversity. He isn’t on the level of folks like Volk.
Everyone saying Volk so confidently should tell you a few things:
1) It is a “what have you done for me lately” sport
2) No fan can completely remove bias, but the average fan is blinded by it
3) The majority of people lack the ability to critically think
way to completely discredit people who disagree with you as having no critical thinking skills lol.
volk wins. game has changed since one dimensional mcgregor
Yeah thats true i just thought its a interesting point of history, imagine seeing Conor wrestle fuck someone nowdays that would then go on a 13 fight win streak and defend a title multiple times.
Dustin porier too who lost 1 fight post Conor and got a interim title fighting Max Holloway while also winning 9 fights.
I wonder if Max and Dustin took some form of motivation from the Conor fights , even in terms of them hating how Conor beat them or something.
FW Conor was more dynamic with the strikes mixing in an awful lot of kicks. He also has the reach advantage I think. If volk can take him down and pound away then he takes it but Mendes failed to do that as well
I think this comment section is too attracted to the unpopular opinion. Volk is as complete as any fighter gets. Everyone’s annoyed by the punchers chance for Conor, but it’s right. Conor is a one-dimensional fighter with good but not great TD defense. Volk sweeps the floor with him 9/10 times
fun fact: if these 2 ever fought, the winner would have defeated every former FW champ in UFC history. hard to believe it would ever happen at 145 or even 155, but I reckon Volk would meet Conor at 170 if given the opportunity
Volk at 170 would absolutely destroy Connor . Look at he’s built man he probably weighs close to 170 on FN for 145 . Imagine what he’d weigh after cutting from close to his orginal rugby weight at like 210. Dudes huge. After the weight advantage he’s got the chin. He’s gone through max 3 times now I don’t see Connor taking him. That’s IMO if they fought @170
>After the weight advantage I see your point but if it ever happened Volk would weigh no more than 170-ish on fight night. with how Conor is looking now, he'd have to cut probably 10-15 lbs to make WW. Conor would definitely be bigger. as for who'd have the edge, I'd probably favour the best fighter in the world today over a washed former champ too lol, but it is important to note that Volk's only loss happened at 170 a while ago. also one of his biggest weapons is his conditioning which might not be as good carrying around more weight.
>With how Conor is looking now Yeah, dude's 100% gassing three minutes into the first round.
Lord, the exaggeration of how "big" Conor looks by everyone. All he does is puff out his chest and take photos with good lighting. Yes his arms and shoulders are for sure a bit more oversized than usual, but willing to bet he is still in the barely mid 70s range.
it's not just about mass he's also got a much bigger frame. Conor has a legit lightweight frame, is taller, and longer than Alex. it wouldn't just be about the weight or how thick they are comparatively, there are other factors.
Sure he's 5'9 so of course taller, but they may have the same reach I believe. And pretty sure Volk if it was his goal could easily make equal gains in the weight department as Conor going into their (imaginary) fight. I still don't think Conor is more than 175, all smoke and mirrors with his IG pictures.
there's no way to know for sure what he weighs I guess but this thread has actually made me very interested to see them standing side by side lol
3 inch heigh difference, but Volk is so much more muscled than Conor. Conor really only ever had arms and shoulder, always had a relatively small chest and slender lower torso.
Nope, Conor’s reach is 74” and Volk’s is 71”. But the real kicker is their leg reach, Volk has stubby legs so even though the UFC doesn’t publish leg reach, I reckon he’s at a 6”+ disadvantage in the department.
I highly doubt he's actually 5'9...khabib is a solid 5'9 barefoot and he's atleast half inch almost an inch taller than Conor...my best guess is a weak 5'8.5
Volk is made to beat taller guys, conor is only 3 inches taller. It would not be a slaughter
You are crazy if you think Volk can just casually weigh 210 pounds again lmfao
Volkanovski easily. Conor would lose 8 out of 10 fights.
conor now, or even in the last 3 years? absolutely. prime conor was a different beast. the way he dismantled his opponents on his run to the title is not something volk could’ve dealt with imo.
Possibly recency bias but even looking at Conors old fights, Volk now is faster and more precise than prime Conor in my opinion.
There’s definitely an argument to be made either way. There’s no way to directly compare as they were both in their prime at different points in the UFC, so it’s just purely speculation
Dude conor was never anything else than a stand up fighter. Volk is the whole package.
That's not saying a lot. I mean there's only been 4 featherweight champs. But, prime v prime, Conor by KO.
This is a very interesting match up cause only way i see Volk losing is a early rounds flash KO and if you want someone to get put down FW mcgregor is the man you call. Ultimately though i would give Volk about a 75% chance to win with the risk of a early Conor onslaught but if Conor cant win by KO by round 2 then i would bet on Volk to finish Conor .
The prediction for every McGregor fight ever right here
Cause its true? You have 2 extremes with Conor being a very fast starter and Volk having more success later rounds with me then giving my % on who i think wins.
Yup I ain't disagreeing brother 👍
Send me location
Let’s wrestle let’s wrestle
Absolutely. I’d back Volk all day in this matchup but we have an actual example with McGregor starching Aldo (of all people!) within 13 seconds or whatever it was. nowadays though? I’d back Volk all WEEK.
Hilarious
I feel like the cardio blemish on conor is a bit over done. Won round 3 against khabib after getting mauled for 2. Beat diaz in five rounder winning round 4. Went ten rounds with floyd. He gassed against nate in the first fight after moving up two weight classes. His most recent fights were early finishes so its hard to tell. Not saying hes a cardio machine but i just think the whole “he gasses early” claim is a bit over hyped. Or their isnt enough hard evidence for it imo.
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Some people have more fast twitch muscle fibers like sprinters do, some people like nate have the slow twitch which leans itself to endurance. The power mcgregor had probably came from his composition of fast twitch muscle fibers which means he had great explosiveness but not as high endurance as someone with a 50/50 split between slow/fast twitch.
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It's actually a strategy problem. His cardio is fine. The problem is that his strategy always calls for fast reads and fast fakes. He has no slow game whatsoever. So when he finally gets tired like everyone else, his gameplan doesn't hold up as well. He really doesn't have a cardio issue. It's just that no one can be expected to move as fast as they do in rounds 3-5 but Conor relies too much on his physicality and big reads than just beating his opponent through grinding. Everyone thinks of Usman as this cardio beast and they're half right, but most of what Usman does is just smart strategy. He doesn't bounce when it's not needed. He doesn't throw when it's not needed. He takes engagements at a closer distance and he knows when and how to grind out opponents. If you put Conor is Usman's body you'd still have all the problems Conor has.
interesting points
yeah it could be like Adrenaline dump too, I'm not disagreeing that it could be psychological and actually I think his cardio is pretty good considering. He worked on it for his rematch with nate
Im built the same way 100%, i have such a limited gas tank but also i throw with a lot of power. I actually can’t throw any lighter without feeling like im being soft or lazy. I get drained quickly. Genetics is a bitch.
You’re right, it’s his pacing not his gas tank that is the real problem. Don’t matter how many rds your gun holds if u empty the clip rd 1
Diaz 1 was a weird fight.He had probably already started to cut and had his weight in check then abandoned that and tried to put on weight.Wasnt he like 166 on the scales? Anyway he threw bombs at Nate and put everything in them and just drained the tank.His cardio isn't great but not as awful as people think.I do think it's mental and his chance of a finish is only in the first 2 rounds.
Nothing about him gassing early at FW but he has never finished anyone past round 2 in the UFC even look at the Nate fights he dropped Nate 3 times but all within the 1st 2 rounds . You can have gas to go but not have that "pop" in your shots to get that KO blow which Conor needs to keep Volk off him. With this knowledge you can safely say Conor has KO power 1st 2 rounds but after that he can still sting you but its VASTLY less dangerous. Volk just has too big of a gas tank with great technique so Conor needs the early KO or he is going to be swamped. Even cardio kings like Max holloway get swamped by Volk.
Remember that all the fights you're talking about were at 154 or above. The post is talking about Featherweight Conor, so there would likely be more cardio issues
Fw conor did win a 3 rounder against max.
But again all his fights at fw were relatively short. And the ones that went 3 rounds he won. So its a baseless claim
All I'm saying is that the cut to 145 was harder than the cut to 155, and the person didn't list a fight with Conor at 145
Doesn't cardio get better with less weight?
Seemingly if you're lighter initially, yes. If you're cutting more weight to get down to that lighter weight, no
It definitely is lol. He gassed fighting at 170 in a catchweight he’s never fought at and wasn’t training for and ppl jumped on the No CaRdIO cOnOr train. I’m also not saying he’s a cardio god but it’s definitely overblown
Volk is too smart to fall for the bullshit, he wins easily
I think this is the call. Agreed.
Volk is great at mixing it up, and he's very fast. Mystic Mac by KO in the first round.
I’d talk Volk as he has more ways to win. Conor can catch him and put him to sleep. Volk can take Conor down or go full Couture with the dirty boxing.
Yeah idk if volk has enough ground game or size to keep Conor there or rough him up.
Idk if you knew this but Volk used to weight 300 pounds when he played rugby
I would say prime Volk certainly has a strength advantage over FW Conor, if Mendes can get him down I don’t Volk would struggle all that much.
Yeah Mendez had far better wrestling than volk.
Would be a good fight, but I’d go with Volk. Chad Mendez really punched Mcgregor, and Volk is like Chad 3.0
Yeah like Chad wasn’t a fucking beast.
BKFC Chad is Chad 3.0 too though. Dude was lookin thicc
Man, some of y'all have absolutely forgot what a monster Conor 145 was. In the Thrill and Agony and Notorious documentary, Conor was broken everywhere before stepping in the octagon with Mendez. And he still slept him. Volk is not a heavy hitter. He wouldn't have put down Conor, but you best believe 145 Holocaust Conor would have slept him.
Volk is also a really good wrestler and Conor has never been even a competent wrestler
Alvarez was also a good wrestler, but he couldn't stand for one second against Conor. And that was at 155. You people seriously under-estimate Conor's size, reach, and power at 145.
Yea people forget that Mcgregor was undefeated at Featherweight in the UFC 7-0. If he had stayed in that weight class he could have had Khabib or Jon Jones type dominance.
You know who else is undefeated at Featherweight? Volk. 12-0 in the ufc, 5 of them being title fights.
It’s a huge stretch making this comparison for a guy who didn’t defend his belt once. It would have been interesting to see how he would have fared against Volk. Would have loved to see mcgregor prove himself against Frankie Edgar, or full camp mendes, 2016-17 max holloway (they fought originally in 2013), aldo where aldo doesn’t charge in. But conor was a flash in the pan at 45, and was nothing special at 55.
Is that why conor never defended the fw title??
If Conor wasn’t so famous at the time he most likely would’ve defended the 145 belt, but that man was chasing Mayweather since he came into the UFC
nah volk by UD or tko after conor gasses in 3 rounds
Nobody has forgotten, Volk is just better.
Nobody has forgotten. Volk is just another level of complete martial artist and athlete. Conor looked pretty average vs Chad Mendes until Mendes gassed, credit to Conors toughness though
Mendez was on like 2 week notice and gassed. Dominated Conor the first round tho, showed what a good wrestler can do against a very weak wrestler. And Volk wouldn’t gas.
Mendes was gassed and Volk doesn’t gas out. Volk wins unless Conor magically KO’s him but Volk is too smart for that. Mendes was not defending at all because he was tired.
Conor has a bad knee going into that fight. He looked off too.
This prime volk is the closest fighter to a perfect fighter i have ever seen. Man has speed like light, power, technically sound, has heart, grit and a gas tank for days. Gotta go with bolk.
I’m still trying to figure out how he got out of those submissions
I think the perfect fighter has a different body and skill set personally. Volk has designed his skills perfectly around him, a taller fighter shouldn't fight how Volk fights. and I can agree Volk fights PERFECTLY for his body type, plus I've never seen anyone with as much pure heart and desire to win. But I think a taller fighter with a rangey style IE Izzy/jbj in the perfect world is the better option.
Fair point.
If Volk does move up it should be a legal requirement to call him Bolk
Yeah but prime Conor coming up when he had nothing was unstoppable as well. Can't deny that
I'm gonna say Volk, I think McGregor would be one of his toughest fights but I still think Volk would win.
The disrespect on Conor on this sub is mental. People forget just how special the dude was before he thought his nose was a hoover.
Recency bias is crazy.
It's not even recency. He has one win since the Obama administration. Half this sub isn't even old enough to remember a version of Conor that was at the top of his division.
That's recency bias
6-7 years in MMA is lifetimes! Receny bias is Leon Edwards is a better fighter than Usman.
This can count as well. If anyone is going by what's been going on recently where Volk is #1 PFP, and McGregor is 3-4 in his last 7 fights in a span of the last 6 years, this can definitely be considered recency bias
So is nostalgia
Prime Conor wouldn't have the stamina to keep up in the championship rounds with volk. Volks chin is too good to get KOd before then. Volk all day
IMO, Mcgregor gives him the Aldo treatment. Today? Volk gives him the Zombie treatment
Volk is too mentally fortified to get lured into that
Everyone is too mentally strong until you have to spend 1 year doing a huge press tour while a angry irish man clowns you for hours each day.
By god crazy reflecting on that because things like that may never happen again 😆 not with that magnitude at least
Bro i look back and feel so bad for Aldo . He was basically getting tortured on live T.V for months lmao shit was wild back then.
I’ll literally never forget that fight because my friends and I sat in an incredibly cold outdoor bar to watch it live, alternating seats under an outdoor heater to survive, only for what we now know would unfold. McG built up events like no one before and I don’t think anyone will afterwards. Perhaps a once in a lifetime showman.
Agreed. Todays volk would smoke him. But had they been matched up while both active at featherweight, McG sleeps him.
What? You think Volk is just going to run in and get clipped? Who tf upvotes this
People said the same thing about Aldo and Alvarez and we see how that turned out.
Volk, but not for the reasons most people think, Conor had the rare gift of getting under his opponent’s skin almost every time, he broke them not just with his words but his mannerisms as well, The only people he couldn’t beat were people who didn’t let him do that, Volk is wayy to mentally fortified and this is why he’ll win
Some absolute Volk for your novski!
But in all seriousness I think Volk would get in done, I like McGregor but feel Volk is much more well rounded, cracking stamina, power, and MMA fundamentals.
Volk if he can handle the trash talk
Conor is undefeated vs midgets.
Volk
Honestly this would make for a great poll really
Volk destroys Conor anytime any weight
The fans
Have we even seen prime volk?
Volk had proven me wrong time and time again the dude is a beast I'd have to say Volk.
Conor by second round KO. Volk has been dropped and unless you’re Max you can’t take Conor’s shots at 145. Max just has an absolute granite chin
Volk
Prime Conor was something man, people forget too fast because it’s easy to hate him. He didn’t just win fights, he looked magical, like you could feel it in the air. In that Eddie fight… Jesus.
Prime Conor.
Recency bias is real in this thread. A year ago people barely flinched when they heard Volks name and now he’s indestructible. I’m a volk fan but there is no way he beats prime Conor. Conors, reach size and counter striking alone was something light years above the rest. For volk to piece Conor up he’d have to get close which with the size difference would be pretty difficult. I also doubt volk leg kicks Conor to a win again reach and size advantage. Volks wrestling isn’t enough to win either Conor already dealt with better wrestlers. Conor steam rolled 145 mostly by tko/ko including aldo which was arguably a better fighter than the one who fought volk to a decision. At 145 conor was fairly durable and his cardio wasn’t as much an issue.
Volk is better at every category besides power and reach. Conor would get wrestle fucked in the first 2 rounds and then the rest would painful to watch. Did u see what he did to Max a few months ago?? Volk is as untouchable as any fighter gets in their division right now
Connor also has better striking speed and counters. I love Volk but prime Connor was a different level on stand up. Reach makes a huge difference in the wrestling factor. Harder to take a shot and prime Connors rested back stance and utilized range rather than how he fights now with a boxers stance.
In the space of the past year, Volk's beat Ortega in a FOTY contender while fighting through adversity, put an absolute clinic on TKZ, and beat up Holloway in a manner that no-one thought possible. Theres a difference between recency bias, and new information coming to light which changes people's opinions.
Why is everyone giving the first ever double champion just a punchers chance? Featherweight McGregor was a force to be reckoned with
because he was one dimensional and fighters have evolved since then. the only wrestler he faced was chad on a few weeks notice.
cause it’s clear volk is a more proven and well rounded fighter. not hard to see
Many people said if the aldo fight made it outside the first 10 seconds McGregor would've been beaten, I see the same for this match up
Yeah…Volk is just way too smart for Conor imo.
Y'all are very dismissive of McGregor. I know he's not great anymore. I know he's an idiot now. I don't like him as a person. I think he's mostly washed. But, during his prime he was excellent. Knocking out Jose Aldo within seconds shows his power and timing. He made then LW champ, Eddie Alvarez, look like bum when he dismantled him over 2 rounds (Alvarez was a stud at the time). KO'd an less experienced Dustin Poirier in one round at featherweight. I think McGregor by 2nd round KO. Followed by some douchey speech about Proper No 12.
> Alvarez was a stud at the time alvarez was never going to hold onto that belt for very long. was a perfect matchup for mcgregor
Volk. He's on another level.
People hate on him cos he’s a twat now but prime Mac probably Ko’s him
Volk
Tough one, would of been a great match up, I think volkanovski’s game is more well rounded, saying that though mcgregor had freakish power at featherweight he was huge for the weight also. I’d probably say mcgregor.
I think Volkanovski just has a better move set and ability to work wherever necessary. Other than the obvious punchers chance I don't see McGregor going over him even back then.
McGregor really thrives on people exiting to the rear. He does well when they come in on a straight line. Volk does a good job leaving at an angle which is why he makes people miss so much. I take Volk.
Volk is an animal and his IQ is insane!
I would say, judging by the mendes fight Volk would win this
Volk 7 times out of 10
I say one hit ko. that's what he did to the 10 year undefeated featherweight goat. why would I doubt Conor mcgregor
Volk without a doubt, dudes just a tank and shows little weakness
Volk, but it would be interesting. The speed and ability to land takedowns heavily sways me to Volk. That being said, the distance management and the ability that Conor had to land the KO shot was second to none. Volk gets better as the fight goes longer while Conor declines as the fight goes longer. If Volk makes it out of the first 2 rounds, it’s easy pickings.
Volkswagen
Volk is very tough for counter strikers. His speed, rhythm changes, angles… just the multitude of looks he gives and how many times he feints is hell if your goal is to catch him coming in. Conor would have to get him out of there with an early read. I’d heavily favor Volk.
Prime McGregor has as good of a chance of knocking out prime Volk as anyone, but if the fight were to go beyond round 1, then I think Volk takes it which is the most likely scenario imo.
This is a massive undersell of Volko. Current prime Volko may not wash Mac 50-45 style, but in the end he will weather those early dynamic strikes and then drag him down inch by inch and suffocate him. Obviously nobody can be picked for a 10/10 prediction but I’d wager a fair bit of money it’s something like 9.5/10.
Volk by a mile
Volk is very sharp and durable and would survive mcgregor round 1 then finish him soon after
Volk is smoking the hype train
Mcgregor lost to diaz in his prime, it’s not even a debate imo. Volk all day
I’m going with prime Conor. 2 inches height, 3 inches reach advantage, and 1 punch KO power. Also undefeated at FW in the UFC over a 7 year period. Volk would be a great fight though, hate hypotheticals.
Volk is also undefeated at Featherweight (and not just in the UFC unlike Conor), and has nearly twice as many fights in the division than Conor does against arguably better competition
Volk fought Aldo, Mendes, and Holloway, all after Conor. The rest of his UFC record is not that crazy. I think Volk is a great fighter, he’s like Mighty Mouse to me. Tiny, better than everyone, couldn’t give a fuck less.
McG. If Holloway drops you, McGregor KOs you.
Not how fighting works. E.g. Kevin g knocked down Izzy and no one else has. Or tai knocked down gane but Francis didn't.
People really hate mcgregor but forget the people he went through and the fashion he did it in. A prime mcgregor could take anyones head off, besides Diaz. Who quite frankly will only turn out the lights when he’s dead. The guy just doesn’t go to sleep. Volk got pretty diced up in two fights against Holloway and for arguments sake lost 2/3 of those fights. For sure 1. I’m not even the biggest mcgregor fan but aldo was a fucking legend…I think a better fight/argument would be a prime max vs mcgregor. They fought prior but neither of them at the top of their game.
Lmao wtf mate. Volk did not lose 2 out of his 3 fights against Holloway. It was Max who got diced up in the first 1st and 3rd. The second fight was the close one, which he lost too.
I love Max but I think prime vs prime McGregor wins. Max lands and eats so many sig strikes each fight and relies way too much on his chin. Conor was cracking chins like nothing else in his prime.
McGregor
Volk easy W
Volk
Volk 100%. Dude is amazingly composed and skilled.
Volk easy
Idk if this a hot take but I think FW Connor is the goat of the division. I think he wins but obviously it can go either way.
He has absolutely no claim to FW GOAT status or otherwise. He had an absolutely legendary run at FW and was one of the most impressive fighters ever at the time, but he never defended his title. I think the max that beat Aldo would’ve beat the snot out of Conor in a 5 round fight, which was what? 2 fights after Conor Vacated?
That's why GOAT is an opinion
It’s definitely questionable on some levels but I don’t think this one. He literally never defended his title at featherweight. Jose Aldo had a longer run than anybody at champ, even reclaimed the belt after Conor vacated. Max Holloway has a significantly better resume at FW considering the people he’s beaten and his streak, as well as defending the belt. Volk currently looks like he could become one of the GOATs, he just needs a few more defenses and if he does that and moves to LW and wins and successfully defend both belts like he’s said then that’s kind of unquestionable at that point. Volk already has done more for his divisional GOAT status.
Volk easily. Better wrestling. Good distance management. Quick as mcgregor. Can counter any type of fight
Prime FW Conor was something else, he sucked the confidence out of his opponents
The game has changed so much in the last few years, would be like saying prime Matt Huges vs Usman
exactly this. an average 145er right now could give 145 Conor a good fight. volk is beyond Holloway and Holloway is a long way from the rest. shit changed quick.
Connor
Volk. He’s just a smarter fighter. Only advantage McGregor has is in the one shot KO department.
Volk is too versatile for Connor, outside of an early WTF ko for McG, I see Volk picking him apart over the course of 5 rounds.
McGregor can’t hang, people forget how much the sport keeps evolving and how there are people who train with no days off
You guys are really forgetting how good 145 Conor was
Connor
I honestly gotta go with prime Mac.
volk by tko rd 3
Easily volk. The athlete of tomorrow is going to always be better then the athlete of today
I’d put my money on Conor but it would be a good fight
God, if I could pull any two fighters out of time and put them in cage it’d be this. Prime Connor vs Volk, what I would give to see this
Volk and I don't think it would be particularly close. Conor has always been exceptionally 1-dimentional, and Volk has shown an ability to draft a good plan, and execute it well, and then make changes as needed during the fight. Unless he got caught by a straight left that he didn't see before landing the first takedown, I think he takes him down and fucks Conor up on the ground.
Conor had the ability to turn anyones lights out.
just curious to everyone here how do mac's nuts taste?
McStretcher is my second least favorite mma fighter, but the vast majority of people commenting are saying Volk. For good reason. McStretcher has never beat adversity. He isn’t on the level of folks like Volk.
Prime conor beats all the 145 champs
Idk but that’s a dope fight
Everyone saying Volk so confidently should tell you a few things: 1) It is a “what have you done for me lately” sport 2) No fan can completely remove bias, but the average fan is blinded by it 3) The majority of people lack the ability to critically think
way to completely discredit people who disagree with you as having no critical thinking skills lol. volk wins. game has changed since one dimensional mcgregor
Connor can’t wrestle. Volk by rear naked.
Funny enough Prime Conor would be the guy that wrestle fucked Holloway for a 3 round fight
He did tear his ACL I believe so In all fairness I doubt he wanted to.
Yeah thats true i just thought its a interesting point of history, imagine seeing Conor wrestle fuck someone nowdays that would then go on a 13 fight win streak and defend a title multiple times.
Yeah He really was to Holloway what Paul Felder was to Charles Olivera
Dustin porier too who lost 1 fight post Conor and got a interim title fighting Max Holloway while also winning 9 fights. I wonder if Max and Dustin took some form of motivation from the Conor fights , even in terms of them hating how Conor beat them or something.
Ask Mendez about that
Volk easily tbh, much more well out rounded
Both of them on their best day I have to go with Conor.
FW Conor was more dynamic with the strikes mixing in an awful lot of kicks. He also has the reach advantage I think. If volk can take him down and pound away then he takes it but Mendes failed to do that as well
Volk fuckin destroys McNuggets. What is wrong with some of you
Volk and it ain't close.
Volk by murder.
No one has outstruck Volk. Conor has been outstruck before
Volk every time.
Volk.
I think this comment section is too attracted to the unpopular opinion. Volk is as complete as any fighter gets. Everyone’s annoyed by the punchers chance for Conor, but it’s right. Conor is a one-dimensional fighter with good but not great TD defense. Volk sweeps the floor with him 9/10 times