



It’s been just over 8 months since Makwan Amirkhani left the Allstars gym in Stockholm, Sweden.Since then he’s split his time training in his home country of Finland as well as the Straight Blast Gym in Dublin, Ireland. Over the past two weeks he’s had his first opportunity to train with current UFC featherweight champion, Conor McGregor, helping him prepare for his rematch with Nate Diaz which goes down at UFC 202 on August 20th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.Amirkhani believes McGregor is taking a much different approach than he did in his first go with Diaz.“I think for this Nate Diaz fight it’s good for him to have sparring with a lot of wrestling and grappling," Amirkhani said. "He’s taking it seriously. Eating food immediately while training at the gym, always on time, you can see he is more prepared for this fight than last time.”In the first fight with Diaz, McGregor was generally criticized for an apparent lack of cardio and seemed to gas out relatively quickly in the second round. Looking back he was quite open about some of the mistakes that were made when he spoke at the 'Win or Learn – An Evening with John Kavanagh' event last week."I was a little heavy around the midsection and I was over trained,” says McGregor. “My diet wasn't great and it came back and bit me in the ass so as the coach says 'you win or you learn' and I learned. This time, I'm staying on my nutrition and I'm very fight orientated and I'm not swinging on gymnastic rings too much anymore."In the time Amirkhani has spent training with McGregor, he's been impressed with the focus the Irishman has put on improving his technique, footwork and cardio.“Keeping it simple might be the best word," Amirkhani said. "Much faster, footwork is better, lighter. I think of course there will be a lot of exchanges in the striking and I hear people say that he gassed out but I think for this fight he knows that it’s not just about that. He will be faster, more technical and keep it simple.”Last week also saw the return of movement coach Ido Portal who has now become an integral part of McGregor’s training camps. Amirkhani hasn’t yet had the opportunity to be coached by Portal, but does admire and appreciate this type of training.“Everybody has their own opinion on that. I think it’s good," Amirkhani said. "Sometimes you are in a position, you don’t even need to know any techniques, and you just need to know the best way to get out. Usually it’s the easiest way, but sometimes people don’t have the master of movement. Sometimes when you are taken down and on your ass, so for those kind of things and ducking head kicks it’s good. What Conor has that other fighters don’t have is the footwork and distance management. And training movement only makes him better.”Diaz vs. McGregor 2 is arguably the most anticipated bout of 2016. Everyone has an opinion on how they think it will go down in the sequel including Amirkhani who gave his thoughts and a prediction.“If Conor can keep the fight standing he will take the win and I hope he does," Amirkhani said. "I think it will go the distance because if you want to fight smart and keep it simple, then you just hit and don’t get hit. I think it will be a war.”