UFC Veteran Believes Conor McGregor’s Mindset Could Influence Islam Makhachev’s Defeat

Islam Makhachev slams Conor McGregor

Islam Makhachev and Conor McGregor

With Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, Islam Makhachev now looks just as unstoppable, leaving fighters, fans, and analysts searching for a way to beat him. UFC commentator and former fighter Paul Felder believes the answer could be found in Conor McGregor’s approach. He sees Makhachev as an incredibly strong and dominant fighter, but even he might struggle against the kind of relentless pressure McGregor once brought to the cage. According to Felder, many fighters simply can’t handle that level of intensity.

Paul Felder believes that the right mindset could be the key to defeating Islam Makhachev. He points to Conor McGregor’s early career as an example. He explains that a fighter needs strong wrestling defense, knockout power, and the ability to hurt Makhachev multiple times during a fight.

More importantly, they must have unshakable confidence—similar to McGregor’s self-belief when he first rose to the top. According to Felder, mentality plays just as big a role as skill in this challenge.

He said, “You’ve gotta be able to wrestle — not at his level… but enough to at least counter it. You have to be a phenomenal striker with real power. And you need to be able to hurt him multiple times throughout the fight…I think you’ve got to have a mentality and self-belief similar to what Conor had when he was first starting out.”

Josh Thomson Predicts Big Challenges For Islam Makhachev At 170 Pounds

Team Khabib's manager hypes about Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev

Josh Thomson and former ref Jon McCarthy recently shared their wild ideas about Islam Makhachev’s future at 170 pounds on their podcast. Thomson warned that fighters like Sean Brady and Shavkat Rakhmonov could really test him.

He compared Makhachev to Jon Jones, saying that when fighters face someone the same size, it shakes them up. Shavkat’s height and reach might be the second toughest challenge for Islam. Indeed, UFC is in for some exciting battles, and fans can’t wait to see if he stays on top or finally meets his match.