UFC News: Conor McGregor Analyzes Defeat To Khabib Nurmagomedov For First Time

Conor McGregor analyzed what was a "great fight" with Khabib Nurmagomedov for the first time since UFC 229 earlier this month in Las Vegas.

The two rivals battled for the lightweight title in the biggest UFC event in history, garnering a reported 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, as it was Nurmagomedov who came away with the win with a fourth round neck crank submission.

While McGregor had the consolation of becoming the first fighter to win a round against the Russian during the fight, he was otherwise thoroughly dominated for the duration of the contest.

Similar to his loss against Nate Diaz two years ago though, the Irishman refused to shy away from the media, but this time, he is certainly more active with his social media and public appearances.

He is currently promoting his "Proper Twelve" whiskey, having appeared at a Dallas Cowboys game, and was recently in attendance at the TD Garden in Boston over the weekend to support his compatriot Katie Taylor who was in boxing action.

And on Monday night, the 30-year-old gave his first in-depth analysis of the fight with Nurmagomedov.

"Round 1. I believe from a sport standpoint, round 1 was his," McGregor wrote on his social media. "Top position against the fence. Zero position advancement or damage inflicted. But top position. From a fight standpoint the first round is mine. Actual shots landed and a willingness to engage. Straight left early. Knee to the head on the low shot. Elbows in any and all tie up scenarios. Opponent just holding the legs against the fence for almost the entire round."

"Round 2 he is running away around the cage before being blessed with a right hand that changed the course of the round, and the fight. It was a nice shot. After the shot I bounced back up to engage instantly, but again he dipped under to disengage. That is the sport and it was a smart move that led to a dominant round, so no issue. Well played. If I stay switched on and give his stand up even a little more respect, that right hand never gets close and we are talking completely different now.I gave his upright fighting no respect in preparation. No specific stand up spars whatsoever. Attacking grapplers/wrestlers only. That won’t happen again. I also gave my attacking grappling no respect. To[o] defense minded. Lessons. Listen to nobody but yourself on your skill set. You are the master of your own universe. I am the master of this. I must take my own advice," he said.

"Round 3. After the worst round of my fighting career, I come back and win this round. Again walking forward, walking him down, and willing to engage. Round 4. My recovery was not where it could have been here. That is my fault. Although winning the early exchanges in 4, he dips under again and I end up in a bad position with over 3 on the clock. I work to regain position and end up upright, with my back to the fence. A stable position. Here however, I made a critical error of abandoning my over hook at this crucial time, exposing the back, and I end up beaten fair and square," he added.

Most interestingly though, while he initially said he was looking forward to the rematch, with many suspecting the UFC would proceed with it because it was the most lucrative option, McGregor says he is open to facing another contender first.

"What can I say? It was a great fight and it was my pleasure," McGregor concluded. "I will be back with my confidence high. Fully prepared. If it is not the rematch right away, no problem. I will face the next in line. It’s all me always, anyway. See you soon my fighting fans I love you all."

That serves as good news for Tony Ferguson who many believe should be next in line to face Nurmagomedov.