Mayweather - McGregor 8/26

Marciano490

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Think of it this way. Floyd is a pitcher who usually throws a shutout with 15ks behind a 99mph fastball who tonight only used his curve and still won only he gave up a couple doubles and a run.
 

MikeM

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Those scores are hardly shocking. I mean let's be real, Connor could of went the distance and won every single round of the fight and he still wasn't leaving Vegas with the W there.

That was a shady given. It was upset knock out or bust for him.
 

Gunfighter 09

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Man, it was weird to watch a boxing match for the first time in years. I honestly did not know you couldn't throw a hammer fist.

Connor walks away with very little damage and $100M. I imagine he completes his trilogy with Nate next for enormous MMA money. Dana and WME are going to have to pay him much more than they are used to in order to get him in with the octagon with the Fergeson / Lee winner.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Floyd threw like 20 punches total in the first 2 rounds. Any judge that didn't at least give McGregor those rounds should have their credentials stripped. I thought Floyd might have thrown a few more punches in the 3rd, but McGregory clearly won that too. I had it 6-3 Mayweather when it ended, but I could see 5-4 Mayweather too.

Mayweather played it almost to perfection. He knew Connor had to try to knock him out early, so Floyd let him punch himself out, then he started working the body as Connor started sucking wind, and by the 8th round, Connor had nothing left. In fact, I don't think Connor threw a single punch after round 5 that could have hurt Mayweather even if it landed clean. He had nothing left, and Mayweather just finished him off.

All in all, much more entertaining than I expected, but also fairly predictable, and unsurprising in the end.
 

djbayko

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Win-win for both.
This sums the fight up for me. The public got what they paid for. It was 10X more entertaining than May/Paq. McGregor held his own, but a lot of that was Mayweather biding his time. Both are rich and happy and neither are disgraced. Rematch available if Mayweather wants it (McGregor put on a credible display). MMA obviously available if McGregor wants it.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Floyd threw like 20 punches total in the first 2 rounds. Any judge that didn't at least give McGregor those rounds should have their credentials stripped. I thought Floyd might have thrown a few more punches in the 3rd, but McGregory clearly won that too. I had it 6-3 Mayweather when it ended, but I could see 5-4 Mayweather too.

Mayweather played it almost to perfection. He knew Connor had to try to knock him out early, so Floyd let him punch himself out, then he started working the body as Connor started sucking wind, and by the 8th round, Connor had nothing left. In fact, I don't think Connor threw a single punch after round 5 that could have hurt Mayweather even if it landed clean. He had nothing left, and Mayweather just finished him off.

All in all, much more entertaining than I expected, but also fairly predictable, and unsurprising in the end.
This pretty much sums it up perfectly. Mayweather showed everyone why he is one of the best ever. The gear he found in the later rounds was flat out impressive, especially for a 40 year old man. We already knew it, but McGregor is a tough SOB - it was clear toward the later rounds that a person with less fight in them would have gone down. He was so clearly gassed but refused to fall.
 
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edoug

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Think of it this way. Floyd is a pitcher who usually throws a shutout with 15ks behind a 99mph fastball who tonight only used his curve and still won only he gave up a couple doubles and a run.
Do you think this was the proper way to beat your namesakes' record?
 

Myt1

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Mayweather landed nearly double the power punches. The scores looked fine to me.
That's not how scoring works.

There's no orderly and sane universe in which McGregor doesn't take the first three rounds.

After that, whatever is fine. I'd probably have given him the fifth as well (but could see where others disagree, he gets a second wind like that sometimes but it doesn't last) but that would have been it.
 

OCST

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Aggression is a factor in scoring. If Floyd sat back to gauge CM and let him punch himself out, that's a good strategy and it won him the fight, but in the meantime if CM is the aggressor and is landing anything decent you almost have to give him the round.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Floyd threw like 20 punches total in the first 2 rounds. Any judge that didn't at least give McGregor those rounds should have their credentials stripped. I thought Floyd might have thrown a few more punches in the 3rd, but McGregory clearly won that too. I had it 6-3 Mayweather when it ended, but I could see 5-4 Mayweather too.

Mayweather played it almost to perfection. He knew Connor had to try to knock him out early, so Floyd let him punch himself out, then he started working the body as Connor started sucking wind, and by the 8th round, Connor had nothing left. In fact, I don't think Connor threw a single punch after round 5 that could have hurt Mayweather even if it landed clean. He had nothing left, and Mayweather just finished him off.

All in all, much more entertaining than I expected, but also fairly predictable, and unsurprising in the end.
I was surprised how quickly Connor wore out. As you said, those punches after the 4th or so wouldn't hurt a 10 year old. He just seemed to have nothing in the tank at all. I knew he would tire as it went along but I was surprised he was cooked that badly so early.
 

wilked

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I was surprised how quickly Connor wore out. As you said, those punches after the 4th or so wouldn't hurt a 10 year old. He just seemed to have nothing in the tank at all. I knew he would tire as it went along but I was surprised he was cooked that badly so early.
Serious question - have you ever boxed? I had a similar opinion until I got in the ring... amazing how much it saps your energy
 

Ed Hillel

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Serious question - have you ever boxed? I had a similar opinion until I got in the ring... amazing how much it saps your energy
People have no idea until they do it. I boxed fairly regularly for 5-6 years and we'd have people come in looking like Greek Gods and marathon runners who thought it would be a cinch and they'd quit after half an hour. Holding your arms up into a defensive position for even a minute is exhausting for people who aren't trained. Doing it for 5+ rounds takes years to train; and there's a hell of a lot more exertion than simply that!
 

garlan5

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there needs to be a rematch. Is it me or did CM get much more rope on the hammer punches and clinching. Seemed like if it were another boxer in there doing that a point deduction would have occurred. Am I wrong?

edit:
I think FM let him have his way some and could have destroyed him. I think this would be epic if there was a rematch with some incentive for FM to put him out early. No idea what that incentive would be but I'd like to see him give it to CM and put boxing back on the map some. And if he truely gave it his all then the rematch should play out well as this did.
 

OCST

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People have no idea until they do it. I boxed fairly regularly for 5-6 years and we'd have people come in looking like Greek Gods and marathon runners who thought it would be a cinch and they'd quit after half an hour. Holding your arms up into a defensive position for even a minute is exhausting for people who aren't trained. Doing it for 5+ rounds takes years to train; and there's a hell of a lot more exertion than simply that!
True but I thought CM as an MMA fighter would have a similar level of fitness. Not the case though.
 

DJnVa

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Don't knock the casual fan. Pretty sure a lot of people wanted to see a full-on knock out.
Sure, and some fans like the crashes in NASCAR.

Doesn't mean that's the best thing for the participants though.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Serious question - have you ever boxed? I had a similar opinion until I got in the ring... amazing how much it saps your energy
I have not and can't imagine how exhausting it is. I was more thinking like OCST. I just thought a top tier 29 year old MMA fighter who has been training would be able to go 7-8 rounds before looking completely gassed instead of 4-5. I figured by 8-9 he'd be dead and Mayweather would take it from there. It just happened earlier than I thought.
 

Zomp

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Well I think if a boxer goes to mma and has some guy trying to choke him out on his back for 5 minutes the boxer would be exhausted before the third round.

They're different sports. There is no point in comparing the cardio needed because they are trained for differently.
 

VORP Speed

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True but I thought CM as an MMA fighter would have a similar level of fitness. Not the case though.
The issue isn't fitness, it's technical competence. A more technically sound boxer will expend less energy and it's probably more like an exponential relationship than a linear one. Put a total novice in the ring and they're gassed after one round even if they don't throw a punch, just from the adrenaline rush and increased heart rate. Conor hit the nail on the head in his post-fight interview when he kept referring to Floyd's composure. He intended it as a back-handed compliment....floyd's not fast or strong but he was really, really composed....but it's probably the most important of all those factors. "Composure", i.e. efficiency of ring movement, punching efficiency, calmness, etc meant that each of those rounds was effectively an 800m sprint for Conor while it was a 400m jog for Floyd. I bet if you hooked them both up to a VO2 or put them thru some standardized aerobic testing, Conor is in better shape than Floyd....that all goes out the window when one guy is a novice and the other is one of the greatest technical fighters ever.
 

johnmd20

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The issue isn't fitness, it's technical competence. A more technically sound boxer will expend less energy and it's probably more like an exponential relationship than a linear one. Put a total novice in the ring and they're gassed after one round even if they don't throw a punch, just from the adrenaline rush and increased heart rate. Conor hit the nail on the head in his post-fight interview when he kept referring to Floyd's composure. He intended it as a back-handed compliment....floyd's not fast or strong but he was really, really composed....but it's probably the most important of all those factors. "Composure", i.e. efficiency of ring movement, punching efficiency, calmness, etc meant that each of those rounds was effectively an 800m sprint for Conor while it was a 400m jog for Floyd. I bet if you hooked them both up to a VO2 or put them thru some standardized aerobic testing, Conor is in better shape than Floyd....that all goes out the window when one guy is a novice and the other is one of the greatest technical fighters ever.
Speaking of great technicians, I just really like this post a lot. It's perfect.
 

Phragle

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Man, it was weird to watch a boxing match for the first time in years. I honestly did not know you couldn't throw a hammer fist.

Connor walks away with very little damage and $100M. I imagine he completes his trilogy with Nate next for enormous MMA money. Dana and WME are going to have to pay him much more than they are used to in order to get him in with the octagon with the Fergeson / Lee winner.
Paulie Malignaggi or maybe Nate at 155. Nate certainly was mixing in up at the event. Wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was by design.

No F-ing way. Mayweather might die.
Yeah before this I thought Floyd beat some fighters and could hold his own with Conor in the cage, but not anymore. Pure kickboxing would fair, I think, but FM has almost no reason to sign on for that.
 

ElUno20

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The fight felt "weird" because it was a glorified sparring session. The pace, intensity, everything. It felt like Floyd invited a guy into his gym and they had a good session. Before the Berto fight (for publicity), he let ESPN televise and release a sparring session he had. This had the same tone and Floyd fighting style as that. Only difference, he didn't clear 100 mill plus for that.
 

Marciano490

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The issue isn't fitness, it's technical competence. A more technically sound boxer will expend less energy and it's probably more like an exponential relationship than a linear one. Put a total novice in the ring and they're gassed after one round even if they don't throw a punch, just from the adrenaline rush and increased heart rate. Conor hit the nail on the head in his post-fight interview when he kept referring to Floyd's composure. He intended it as a back-handed compliment....floyd's not fast or strong but he was really, really composed....but it's probably the most important of all those factors. "Composure", i.e. efficiency of ring movement, punching efficiency, calmness, etc meant that each of those rounds was effectively an 800m sprint for Conor while it was a 400m jog for Floyd. I bet if you hooked them both up to a VO2 or put them thru some standardized aerobic testing, Conor is in better shape than Floyd....that all goes out the window when one guy is a novice and the other is one of the greatest technical fighters ever.
Economy of effort is the first rule of athletic performance.
 

Gunfighter 09

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I think we learned a lot about the MMA last night for that very reason.
Of course, but we can just look at the long and distinguished track record of successful pure boxers (relative to other disciplines like BJJ, Olympic Wrestling, Kick boxing or Judo) in MMA to see the huge advantage that their boxing specific cardio gives them.
 
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Of course, but we can just look at the long and distinguished track record of successful pure boxers (relative to other disciplines like BJJ, Olympic Wrestling, Kick boxing or Judo) in MMA to see the huge advantage that their boxing specific cardio gives them.
Why would pure boxers abandon a sport for a traveling circus?
 

InstaFace

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I just thought a top tier 29 year old MMA fighter who has been training would be able to go 7-8 rounds before looking completely gassed instead of 4-5. I figured by 8-9 he'd be dead and Mayweather would take it from there. It just happened earlier than I thought.
To my eyes, McGregor's stamina held up fine until round 8. He started losing it in 8 (even though some people had him winning that round), was gassed throughout 9 and we all know what happened in 10. The snap wasn't there on his punches after 4-5, but he still had the ability to step into Mayweather, to counter, and kept his angles precise. He was still a threat.

At first, I thought the announcers were over-playing and over-stating the idea that McGregor's sport only has a maximum of 25 minutes of competition, which he'd hit after 8 rounds. (leaving aside that the vast majority of matches don't go the full 5x5'), but then as if by magic, once 25 minutes elapsed he turned into a pumpkin. They certainly weren't saying that about him in the 5th.
 

SumnerH

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To my eyes, McGregor's stamina held up fine until round 8. He started losing it in 8 (even though some people had him winning that round), was gassed throughout 9 and we all know what happened in 10.
I don't watch much boxing. To me, he was pretty obviously gassed by round 5-6.

By round 8 he was falling over to the point that anyone could see it, but you didn't have to be a massive fight fan to see that he was pretty obviously in the bag well before that.
 

garlan5

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by round 8 he could hardly walk. both legs were like jelly. He was gassed by 5 and by 8 a light wind would blow him over
 

Deathofthebambino

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If you go back and watch, starting in round 4, Floyd started winning and Connor started getting gassed in the last minute of the round. It was more prevalent in the last half of the 5th, and by the last half of the 6th, Connor was toast. After the beginning of the 5th round, he didn't throw a punch (never mind land one) that could have hurt Floyd if it landed flush and Connor wasn't wearing gloves (never mind 8 ounce gloves). That's what started to bother me about the rabbit punches or hammer fists (or whatever people are calling them now). It wasn't that they were illegal, it was that they were kind of pathetic. Almost like watching a high school girl fight. I don't think Connor could have damaged a below average professional boxer from the 6th round onward. Floyd was masterful, just like Floyd always is, as much as it hurts me to type that.

I will say this though, early on, Connor caught Floyd with an uppercut when he was coming in on him, and then pretty much never came back to that punch, even before he got gassed, and with the way Floyd was coming forward and bending over and putting his head into Connor's stomach, the upper cut was there. For a couple rounds, Connor had enough power, and he had the opening to knock Floyd out, but he just wasn't skilled enough or experienced enough to know it.
 

Montana Fan

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The fight felt "weird" because it was a glorified sparring session. The pace, intensity, everything. It felt like Floyd invited a guy into his gym and they had a good session. Before the Berto fight (for publicity), he let ESPN televise and release a sparring session he had. This had the same tone and Floyd fighting style as that. Only difference, he didn't clear 100 mill plus for that.
In retrospect, this seems exactly correct. A glorified sparring session is what I saw too.
 

Marciano490

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If you go back and watch, starting in round 4, Floyd started winning and Connor started getting gassed in the last minute of the round. It was more prevalent in the last half of the 5th, and by the last half of the 6th, Connor was toast. After the beginning of the 5th round, he didn't throw a punch (never mind land one) that could have hurt Floyd if it landed flush and Connor wasn't wearing gloves (never mind 8 ounce gloves). That's what started to bother me about the rabbit punches or hammer fists (or whatever people are calling them now). It wasn't that they were illegal, it was that they were kind of pathetic. Almost like watching a high school girl fight. I don't think Connor could have damaged a below average professional boxer from the 6th round onward. Floyd was masterful, just like Floyd always is, as much as it hurts me to type that.

I will say this though, early on, Connor caught Floyd with an uppercut when he was coming in on him, and then pretty much never came back to that punch, even before he got gassed, and with the way Floyd was coming forward and bending over and putting his head into Connor's stomach, the upper cut was there. For a couple rounds, Connor had enough power, and he had the opening to knock Floyd out, but he just wasn't skilled enough or experienced enough to know it.
Floyd moved his gloves closer to cover his chin instead of having them outside his face. The uppercuts wouldn't have worked after.

Also, Connor got gassed, true, but Floyd also gassed him. He was pumping hard straight rights into his diaphragm in the early rounds. Your boy here said at the time that they were gonna snatch McGregor's soul and they did.

Still, for a dude that's always talking about how hard he trains and how dedicated he is, CM seems to repeatedly have below average stamina.
 

djbayko

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Still, for a dude that's always talking about how hard he trains and how dedicated he is, CM seems to repeatedly have below average stamina.
True. Stamina was always one of the biggest doubts for McGregor. But I believe he did show improvement over his stamina in recent MMA bouts. The fact is that until recently, he hasn't really had to very deep into fights over his career. I give him credit for going over 9 rounds with Floyd Mayweather in his first ever boxing match.
 

Phragle

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Floyd moved his gloves closer to cover his chin instead of having them outside his face. The uppercuts wouldn't have worked after.
Yeah that punch was landing again. I want to see it again and see if it's something he can bring back to MMA. Actually I'll probably watch the whole fight again.

Also, Connor got gassed, true, but Floyd also gassed him. He was pumping hard straight rights into his diaphragm in the early rounds. Your boy here said at the time that they were gonna snatch McGregor's soul and they did.

Still, for a dude that's always talking about how hard he trains and how dedicated he is, CM seems to repeatedly have below average stamina.
Idk. 5 rounds is a lot longer than 3, and I'd say the average fighter never even gets a 5 round fight in the first place. The only times I remember him looking gassed are the Diaz fights, and Diaz is of course super hard on his opponent's cardio. The first one he was on antibiotics and in the second one I recall him looking good in the 4th and he was tired in the 5th but it was still a coin flip of a round. It's probably he most glaring weakness but it isn't below average.

Seemed low, then I saw this

 

Marciano490

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I don't recall ever seeing a fighter in a lower weight class as gassed as he was in the second Diaz fight, and he wasn't that active, nor was Diaz pressing him that much. He has very below average stamina.