Conor McGregor is still being affected by his 2017 defeat to Floyd Mayweather and his possible participation in future boxing matches.
That’s the view of current unified female champion Claressa Shields.
Currently involved in MMA training outside her boxing camps, Shields is a prime candidate to air her views on the situation.
Her advice comes on the back of McGregor losing yet another high-profile UFC contest against Dustin Poirier.
The pair are said to be discussing a trilogy bout as McGregor won their first meeting.
“Yeah, Conor can avenge it. But it’s going to take some hard work. He’s been out of the MMA cage for a while. I know he had his last fight, but before his last fight, he’d probably been out two or three years,” Shields told Marc Gatford via the Betway Insider blog.
“I would say he needs to get out of the boxing mind frame to win that fight. He had his front foot too forward. There’s too much weight on his leg, more like a boxer’s stance.
“It’s like he needs to get back to having light feet. Quick and explosive, using all his attributes. Not just his punches; punches, kicks, knees, he needs to get back to being creative.
“But I tell you what. It’s hard to do. It’s hard to cut off the boxing switch and cut on the MMA switch.
“When you’re doing both, it’s hard. You have to be very mentally strong and say, ‘this is MMA. Everything goes.’
“Then you have to click that button and go to boxing and say ‘this is boxing, there are rules’ so it’s hard.”
On Poirier putting him to bed, Shields added: “I can imagine that after being out of the cage for so long that his mind was adjusting and still looking to land those big shots.
“He probably didn’t generate it in his mind. He needs to go his mind and click on the ‘everything’ switch and use every part of the body as a weapon.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER
“I know he was boxing against Floyd Mayweather, but he needs to cut off the boxing switch and focus strictly on MMA for at least three or four months.”
Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao fights are still on the cards for McGregor, provided he can avenge his reverse.
The original interview came via the Betway Insider blog, where you can find all the latest sporting insight and tips.
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