Conor McGregor fell to a comprehensive defeat against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, but one fan of the Irishman believes they now have footage that shows he was actually close to ending the fight himself.The 2018 bout was one of the most hotly anticipated events in UFC history and it certainly lived up to the billing with a punishing, attritional performance earning Khabib the victory.The bitter rivalry between the pair went beyond the Octagon and divided fans as well as the those in each fighter's corner.Discussion of the night's events continue to this day, and now a McGregor fan believes they have footage showing that the Irishman was a lot closer to victory than a lot of people think. The 20-second clip from the third round of the bout shows McGregor throwing his weight behind a couple of big left hands that Khabib narrowly avoids.It is clear that McGregor fans think a rematch between the pair could go very differently if 'The Notorious' manages to land one of these heavy shots.They also claim that if he was 'switched on and healthy', 'Khabib would have been dead'.McGregor openly admitted in a recent interview that he was not in the right place ahead of the Khabib fight, even drinking bottles of whiskey in the lead up to the fight, so maybe, just maybe, if he did have a proper camp and was in the right state of mind, things could've been different.That belief is not universal, however, and others have dismissed the footage, pointing out that nearly landing a shot doesn't win a fight.

Khabib has dismissed rumours of a lucrative rematch between the pair, stating that he has nothing to prove against McGregor, who he believes was outclassed in the Octagon.

However, with the first fight between the pair breaking all kinds of records for viewership and money taken, it is unlikely that Khabib will be able to avoid facing off against 'The Notorious' again.

McGregor fans will be hoping that next time around the Irishman can convert some of these near misses into hits landed.