James Gallagher predicts Conor McGregor will KO Khabib Nurmagomedov inside 2 minutes

In the opinion of rising Bellator MMA star James Gallagher, Conor McGregor will knock Khabib Nurmagomedov out in the very first round of their anticipated UFC 229 title fight.

Gallagher, who trains alongside McGregor at SBG Ireland, made his prediction for this October 6 fight in a recent interview with MMAjunkie.

“He’s going to get stiffened in about a minute-and-a-half,” Gallagher said of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

So how does James Gallagher envision Conor McGregor getting it done so quickly at UFC 229? In his eyes, the UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov will rush forward and attempt to tie up with his Irish foe. It’s in this reckless pursuit of the takedown that Gallagher feels Nurmagomedov will be punished.

“[Nurmagomedov] is going to rush in and try to get ahold of Conor,” Gallagher said. “You can’t fire sloppy shots to try to close the distance. He’ll take one clean shot on the chin, and he’ll hit the floor.”

Conor McGregor will enter this UFC 229 title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, which has the MMA community divided right down the middle, having not competed in mixed martial arts since he knocked out Eddie Alvarez in November of 2016. This win earned McGregor the UFC lightweight belt.

Since then, however, McGregor did compete in a headlining-dominating boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr, which he lost by 10th-round TKO.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, last fought in April, when he defeated last-minute replacement opponent Al Iaquinta to capture the UFC lightweight title, which was simultaneously stripped from MCGregor for inactivity. Nurmagomedov was originally expected to battle Tony Ferguson on the card, but Ferguson was forced to withdraw with an injury.

What do you think of James Gallagher’s prediction for the UFC 229 main event? Who do you think comes out on top when the cage door closes on Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/13/2018.