Conor McGregor vs. Dennis Siver Fight Breakdown

The hype and talk is over and it’s almost fight night, as UFC Fight Night 59 is set to go down tomorrow night (January 18, 2015) live on Fox Sports 1 from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The main event features Irish sensation Conor McGregor taking on No. 10-ranked German featherweight Dennis Siver.

Leading up to the fight, all eyes have been on McGregor. Many are calling this a squash match in favor of the Irishmen, saying he is a complete mismatch to Siver. It has even been said that with a win, “The Notorious” one will be rewarded with the next shot at featherweight king Jose Aldo. But should McGregor over look Siver? Could this bout end up being closer than expected? Let’s take a look at the LowKickMMA Conor McGregor vs. Dennis Siver fight breakdown:

Striking:

This is the area where each man shines, their bread and butter so to say. In his young four fight UFC career, McGregor has shown an extremely diverse striking skill set. He uses excellent movement and footwork to keep his opponents on their toes, and may mix kicks and punches together better than anyone in the game. Coming up primarily as a boxer, the Irishman has shown precise combinations, great hand speed, and devastating power, but we can’t forget his kicks. We have seen McGregor evolve immensely as a kickboxer, throwing sidekicks, spinning kicks, and other tricky kicks from many different angles which is hard for opponents to deal with. Scoring 14 of his 16 wins by knockout, McGregor is definitely a force on the feet.

Siver is also a solid kickboxer, but his movement is nowhere that of McGregor’s. The German is more of a flat footed fighter, with good power and solid kicks. He has been able to land some devastating spinning kicks in his career just like his Irish opponent, however he only owns five knockout wins. When it comes down to it, McGregor is just on another level when it comes to striking. I’m giving “The Notorious” one a whopping 70-30 advantage in this department.

Takedowns:

When it comes to wrestling, neither man is known for their takedown skills, but that could be because they both prefer to keep the fight on the feet. Despite being more of a striker, McGregor actually has some solid takedown numbers. He averages 3.41 takedowns per fight as opposed to Siver’s 1.04. “The Notorious one” is also much more successful with his takedowns, boasting very impressive 83.33% accuracy rate over the German’s 36.11% rate. What may be even one impressive than his takedown accuracy rate, is McGregor’s takedown defense rate which is a perfect 100%. Siver also has a solid defense rate of 63.04%. Although I think this fight may play out on the feet, I’m giving McGregor the 60-40 nod in the wrestling area.

Submissions:

Although both men like to strike, both men are actually pretty accomplished grapplers as well and this may be Siver’s best chance to win the fight. McGregor, not known for his submissions only has one submission win throughout his career and his two career loses have actually been by submission. However, “The Notorious” one was recently awarded his brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has looked solid on the ground in the UFC.

Siver is only a purple belt in BJJ opposed to McGregor’s brown belt, but what’s important is that Siver actually has nine career submission wins to McGregor’s one. Like I said, I don’t see the fight going to the ground, but if it does The German could look to hit a submission and surprise the Irishman. I’m going to say 50-50 on submissions.

It should be a great night of fights, and the main event should produce fireworks. Will McGregor put Siver away early like he’s been saying or can the German upset “The Notorious” one and the Irish faithful?