Coach Rafael Cordeiro is helping Beneil Dariush to get ready for an important match against Charles Oliveira on May 6. Even though Conor McGregor has not won any fight at the lightweight division since 2016, Coach Rafael expects that if he ever returns to 155 pounds and fights any of the top-ranked fighters now, he will have a really hard time.
Cordeiro said on Wednesday’s episode of MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca that there are a lot of fighters much tougher than the famous McGregor. People like Arman Tsarukyan, Mateusz Gamrot, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev are ready to challenge him. So people don’t want to fight Conor just because he is tough or good at knocking out people. The reason for facing him now is more about money rather than his strength as a fighter.
People don’t think Conor is as powerful as the other top-15 fighters nowadays. His time away, leg surgery, lack of motivation, money, drinking too much alcohol and he also looks very drunk make him lose his interest in fighting a bit. He’s popular again because of The Ultimate Fighter show but it isn’t like when he was serious training in the mountains to be the champion. When media become the top priority in life too fast you start to get hungry for success less easily.
Cordeiro is an experienced coach, helping famous Brazilian stars and even preparing Mike Tyson for his boxing return in 2022. He believes that champions need to keep pushing themselves and stay uncomfortable so they do not lose their passion or ambition. In the case of McGregor, Cordeiro are doubts if it’s too late to bring back his performance up to a UFC championship level.
Cordeiro said that it took Conor Mcgregor a lot of hard work and dedication to become successful. He was talking more than he was actually fighting which made people lose their respect for him. That’s why other people have to be there to tell him when it is enough and say ‘talk less’. Otherwise, his efforts won’t be worth much in the end.
It’s important to try and prevent the virus from happening in the first place. If it does happen, then it takes a lot of effort involving everyone to fix it. Everyone should be treated equally – no one should get special treatment or privileges. Finally, martial arts needs to come first in the gym and everyone should work together to help out.
McGregor could get a chance to fight for the lightweight championship if he beats Michael Chandler in their upcoming fight. However, Cordeiro doesn’t think that beating Michael Chandler is necessary to show that McGregor deserves this opportunity.
“Conor just needs to win one fight,” he said. “If he does, it could lead to a championship title for him – maybe against ‘Benny’ or Charles. In the end, I think Conor will beat Chandler later this year.”
Cordeiro said that Chandler puts on a show, but he’s the type of person who either has to kill or be killed. He didn’t mean to disrespect him, but there are lots of other people ranked higher than him who could beat Conor in this fight. So, for Conor, this fight is kinda like practice.
I believe Conor will be victorious in his upcoming fight with Chandler. Even though Chandler has strong punches, he fights with his hands low and sometimes turns it into a wild brawl. If that happens, Conor will counter that move and win. After the fight, Charles and ‘Benny’ may have the chance to try out for the next title shot, if that is what Conor wants..
Chandler has the chance to make a lot of money by competing against McGregor, but Cordeiro worries that it could affect Chandler’s career negatively.
People really enjoy watching Chandler fight, but Cordeiro wonders if it will help him achieve the belt. Even though Chandler may get paid a lot to put on a good show, it isn’t enough if he wants to become champion; he needs to be smarter in picking his fights. Conor is great at strategically selecting which fights to do so he can reach his goal of winning the belt.
