Does Conor McGregor use Taekwondo?

If you’ve ever watched Conor McGregor in an MMA fight, then you’ll probably be aware of the styles that he blends. Like many mixed martial artists, he combines various disciplines to devastating effect. Generally speaking, the Irishman uses a combination of Boxing, Karate, Taekwondo, and Wrestling when fighting. As a result, the answer to the question is yes, Conor McGregor does use Taekwondo. This isn’t just speculation or hearsay either. There’s literal proof that McGregor is trained in the Korean martial art.

Who is Conor McGregor’s Taekwondo coach?

Conor McGregor has been photographed training with John Dargan, who is an Irish Taekwondo black belt and general TKD expert. There are also a few videos of McGregor training alongside Dargan, who is also wearing the dobok on occasion. Here, McGregor is seen practicing a variety of different kicks inside Dargan’s dojo.

Sadly, Dargan actually killed a man with one punch during a heated argument back in 2016. He was sentenced to manslaughter as a result of killing the other man and was given a five and a half year jail sentence as a result. Since the death, he has not trained with McGregor for obvious reasons. It should also be noted though, that McGregor’s main coach is John Kavagnagh who is primarily a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA coach. Nonetheless, McGregor has trained under Dargan over the years.

What Taekwondo kicks does Conor McGregor use?

Conor McGregor is probably best known for his explosive left hand which is his main weapon. However, on occasion, he has put his Taekwondo to good use. One example of this was his win against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. Here, McGregor successfully knocked out the American in the first round with a brutal roundhouse kick. This was a testament to McGregors Taekwondo skills.

However, it wasn’t just Cerrone that felt McGregors kicks either. In his first fight (and win) against Dustin Porier, McGregor once more showed off his impressive TKD skills – landing a hook kick and spinning kick that eventually led to victory. As mentioned, whilst many will focus on his brutal punches, his kicks are fairly under-rated and can also do some serious damage.

What Taekwondo stance does Conor McGregor use?

When fighting, McGregor often doesn’t use a typical MMA stance, which may have been a key to his earlier success and multiple UFC Championship belts. Instead, he often opted for a Taekwondo back stance (also known as dwi kubi in Korean). This is a stance that is similarly used in Karate and is when the fighter crouches on their lead leg, resting on their opposite leg with the same arm withdrawn and placed near the hip.

In MMA, this had multiple benefits for McGregor. For instance, his forwards arm would be used as a jab, both offensively and defensively. However, the arm situated near his hip was his knockout punch. This was his left arm, which was ready to strike when the opening was there to do so.

In terms of footwork, McGregor would also lean on his forwards leg for balance and defensive kicks, and strike with his left leg which was again where the knockout blows would most likely come from when looking at his feet. As a result, it’s fair to say that McGregor’s stance dictated much of his striking and was heavily in favor of his left side which was the most powerful.

How good is Conor McGregors Taekwondo?

This answer really depends on your perspective. On the one hand, many people believe that McGregor was mostly a boxer who relied on his left handed punch. Whilst this is true to a large extent, it also doesn’t tell the whole story. Sometimes, other people argue that McGregor was at his best when he used a hybrid style of Karate and Taekwondo and used that stance instead.

Ultimately though, it depends on your opinion. Having said this, anyone with 19 career knockouts is no joke and so you could say that based on this, his Taekwondo is very skillful. Whilst McGregor isn’t the greatest Taekwondo practitioner ever, and neither is he the best kicking artist ever in MMA – his TKD is still very dangerous and maybe due to his punches, it’s also a little underrated too.

Conclusion

Overall, Conor McGregor is highly skilled in Taekwondo and although it’s not his main source of knockouts, it’s still a viable fighting strategy that he has relied on over the years. Whether to set up strikes with his fists, or simply kick his opponents in the head, you can’t deny that Conor McGregor has legitimate Taekwondo skills. Remember, this man fought in the best MMA promotion in the world against some top fighters and used his TKD to bring in champion belts, which says all you need to know about his striking skills.

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