Cruz: How McGregor could win

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has arguably the most innovative style in MMA. And he developed in no small part from watching tapes of great boxers like Muhammad Ali. Thus he’ss a tremendous choice to analyze how McGregor could win.

Realistically, the time that Mayweather’s the most open when you study some of his film, it’s only when he’s being offensive himself, said Cruz, as transcribed by Damon Martin for MMA Weekly. When he’s being defensive and knowing that you’re throwing, he sees things coming. So it’s tough, but if you can counter him, that’s probably the best tactic. Counter for counter, power for speed against Mayweather.

So any time Mayweather touches you, just counter back real nasty with a two- or three-punch combination as hard as you can. All he has to do is touch you. Just put one little hand on you and just wing as hard as you can a three-punch combination if I’m McGregor.

He’s got to get his offense in line with his range. He’s got to make sure he’s ripping the body of Mayweather and not leading to the head too much. Because that’s where all Mayweather’s offense comes off of counter ability, it’s off of the head most times. He’s going to slip your offensive head shots and counter back to the body and to the head.”

So McGregor has to go to the body early, look to set up the big head shots in the second and third and fourth round and keep that range. He’s got to keep that range, that southpaw range.

His best bet is countering. We’ve seen Mayweather pretty much only get caught when he’s coming in for his own offense. You’ve got to read that offense and counter him. McGregor does have that power and he does have that skill set. That’s something we’ve seen in his match-ups.

We saw it with Eddie Alvarez and we saw it with Jose Aldo. He can time one good shot and finish from there. We’ve all seen it. That’s what we’re all counting on. We’re counting on the big upset against one of the greatest boxers of all time.

I know I’m hoping for an upset just because I’m part of the MMA community and this is huge. McGregor’s doing a lot for us in terms of notoriety, crossing over the fans and everything else.

I give my best wishes with McGregor out there in a very tough matchup and I hope he can pull it off and get an upset for all of MMA.

While Mayweather says he will be aggressive, which would theoretically make possible some of Cruz hopes for, Mayweather and his camp also say he has been going to his strip club every day, has a hand injury, was knocked out in training, among other yarns. This is Mayweather attempting break the cursed Marciano 49-0 record, and ascend into legend. Expect him to fight smart, and win handily.