In just a few short weeks, UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor will step into the ring with Floyd Mayweather for a highly anticipated showdown that is being dubbed the ‘Fight of the Century’ by the combat sports community. The fight will see McGregor look to make his successful professional boxing debut, while also looking to hand Floyd Mayweather his first professional loss in the ring.

Ahead of the fight, Tristar gym head coach Firas Zahabi gave his final pre-fight analysis during a YouTube video, explaining that while Conor McGregor is a “sniper” he also isn’t used to the pace of boxing, at such a close distance.

“McGregor is a sniper. He’s going to snipe the first few rounds, but there’s going to be a point where in my opinion, he won’t be able to keep up with the boxing pace,” Zahabi explained.

“The distance is different. McGregor is not used to having somebody so close to him, because there’s no kicks allowed. So when there’s no kicks allowed, we’re a little bit closer to each other and in boxing and in fighting, an inch is a mile. There might be just a few inches of difference but that’s a mile in fighting.”

“When Mayweather gets close, he better tie him up,” he said. “Use his physicality, use his background in wrestling to push him back out and keep the fight at a distance. Not to try to do what Maidana did.”

“He’s going to have to control the range, but there’s going to be a boxing range and in fighting range where Mayweather is just going to be lightyears ahead, and McGregor has no chance in that range. McGregor has to use tie-ups, his experience in wrestling, his physicality of wrestling, his athleticism that he built from wrestling, to push Mayweather out, use his distance and reach, and beat Mayweather conceivably from the outside.”

Will the lightweight champ be able to shock the world on August 26th?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 8/5/2017.