The Conor McGregor clock rule

Bad boy of MMA, Conor McGregor, has weighed in on rules allowing too long for grappling opponents, saying they should implement his new ‘McGregor Clock’ rule.

McGregor is calling for fighters to be penalised for running down the clock by keeping opponents in a hold position after failing to lay them out on the canvas. His comments come after having watched Saturday’s José Aldo versus Mario Bautista bout, in which the younger American, Bautista, tried slowing his older opponent down with grappling moves later in the fight. Aldo lost out by one point as a result of the move.

The notorious 36-year-old McGregor plans to make his big comeback in 2025. Watching his fiercest opponent to date, the 38-year-old Aldo, he must have seen a potential threat to his own comeback hopes with younger fighters employing holding techniques to slow down older fighters such as himself. 

Mcgregor says ‘the ref needs to be on point’

He said on his Twitter feed that the hold period should be reduced to stop stalling and that the ref ‘needs to be on point here’ and separate the fighters. He said, ‘Referees need to implement the ‘McGregor Clock’ method and allow less time. 

The veteran 38-year-old former champion, José Aldo, took on the American Mario Bautista on Saturday, October 5, and proved he still had plenty of fight in him, but the judges decided that his story would not have a happy ending. Aldo dominated in boxing and endured the attempts by his rival to knock him down with 10 blocks. Despite that, the judges determined that the winner had been the American in a split decision, giving 29-28 in favour of the young Bautista, who looked just as surprised as everyone else.

McGregor was clearly excited by what possibilities veterans still have in UFC. He has just celebrated his 36th birthday, and after three years out through injury, he continues to be confident of a successful octagon return next year. However, he clearly won’t suffer time wasters gladly.