Conor McGregor made history this past weekend by being the first man in UFC history to simultaneously hold two titles in two different weight divisions. He did so by dominating former Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and finishing him in blistering fashion.
A big part of Conor’s unprecedented success in the cage is that piston-like straight left hand punch of his. However, there is a lot of technique that goes into landing that punch and it is not as simple as it may seem to the untrained eye.
This YouTube video from popular martial arts channel fightTIPS breaks down Conor’s ‘money punch’ and shows how you can throw one just like it.
Before we begin an important point to make is that Conor throws this punch famously with his left hand from the southpaw stance but to most right-handed people using an orthodox stance this will be thrown with the right hand.
Shane firstly breaks down the precision of Conor’s punch and explains that simply keeping your eyes open and being aware is a great first step. Also, you can increase your precision by bringing your rear shoulder forward closer to your opponent which Conor tends to do.
Secondly, Shane goes over a technique normally seen in traditional martial arts – ensuring your fist is as tight as possible upon impact. It makes sense as a loose fist has some give to it whereas a tight fist is a more solid object which is likely to cause more damage.

Baiting your opponent to attack is another strategy employed by McGregor. This will open up countering opportunities and when your opponent is moving forward into your punch it will cause more damage.
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Lastly, McGregor also makes use of hand trapping to set up his knockout blow. This is done by quite literally grabbing one of your opponents hand with your front hand. This prevents him from attacking with it and opens him up to receive the heavy straight punch.





