Former UFC fighter and commentator Dan Hardy thinks that “there’s a lot of ways Justin Gaethje can be a problem” for Conor McGregor in a potential matchup.
McGregor and Gaethje have been taking shots at each other, with Gaethje saying that McGregor is “ducking” him. If the matchup does happen, Dan Hardy believes Gaethje could take a page out of the Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes fight to find a path to victory.
Hardy outlined Gaethje’s power and wrestling as a potential problem for the Irishman.
“So, you’ve got Conor coming back down to 155, where the fight is most likely to be. He looked great at welterweight. I wonder how that transfers back down to 155 because I do feel like he put on muscle mass. The shoulders and triceps were a lot bigger,” Dan Hardy said on Submission Radio. “So there is a question on how that weight cut goes and how that reacts if Gaethje decides to wrestle. We go back to the Chad Mendes because someone with a skillset and a full training camp of Chad Mendes might have a bigger impact on Conor that night because he had a damn good go and he was stepping in on short notice.
“You have to think Justin Gaethje is a decent big bigger than Chad Mendes. He’s got that wrestling offensive if he needs it and can hustle for 25 minutes if he needs it. He also maintains that power late in the rounds,” he continued. “So there a lot of ways Justin Gaethje can be a problem for Conor. Especially if Conor struggles getting back down to 155 and he’s not the same fighter that he was against Cowboy.”
Although Hardy acknowledges that Justin Gaethje could give Conor McGregor problems, he admits that the Irishman could also win by knockout. He hopes the bout is made in the near future, as it would make for a very interesting and competitive matchup.
This article first appeared on CLOSEDGUARDMEDIA.com on 4th March, 2020.
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