The consensus seems to be that Conor McGregor will defeat Donald Cerrone later this month, after all, there’s been no shortage of talk regarding who the controversial star will fight after “Cowboy”. But recently one of Cerrone’s coaches outlined why the rugged vet has more ways to win on January 18th than McGregor.
Cerrone’s coach says McGregor has a “lot to worry about”
Since it was reported that Cerrone – McGregor was in the mix for UFC 246, the bout was met with mixed reaction and or commentary. On one hand, due to the abilities of each man and because both are big stars, there’s been plenty of buzz regarding the fight.
On the other hand, some have argued the UFC has gone with a warm-up bout for McGregor, in an effort to help secure even bigger fights for him in 2020. Most observers understand that Cerrone is a very dangerous fighter, but, “Cowboy” is 36 now and he’s coming off back-to-back losses to Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje.
Well, one man who clearly likes Cerrone’s chances is his coach Jafari Vanier. While talking about the match-up in “Cowboy’s” new video series about the upcoming fight, Vanier said this (quotes via MMA Junkie):
“If I were to look at the two, he’s got a lot more to worry about than we do,” said Vanier. “We’ve got multiple submission victories, head-kick knockout victories, we’ve got decisions. He just has a left hand. You don’t see Conor submitting anybody, you don’t even see the guy going on the ground – very rare, right? Not saying we’re going to force the fight to the ground, but what I’m saying is he’s got a lot more to worry about than we do.”
“We just have to worry about a left hand in that first round – him coming out on fire,” Vanier said. “You’ve never really seen ‘Cowboy’ ever gas. After the first round and a half for Conor, (he) fades. There’s not a lot of pop in that left hand any more, footwork goes down, his hands are heavy. So I mean these are all things that you watch and see, so these are no secrets to what’s going on.”
Is Vanier right?
It’s a take that others have made about McGregor, ahead of his other bouts, and there’s some good reasons for making this argument. At the end of the day, McGregor’s biggest weapon is his big left, and it’s true we haven’t seen the former champ finishing fights in the UFC many other ways. In terms of his cardio, some would point to McGregor’s rematch with Nate Diaz as evidence he can fight five rounds. But, there’s no denying McGregor’s much more dangerous in the first round.
Cerrone, meanwhile, has scored wins in a variety of ways as Vanier noted, and few would argue that “Cowboy” has a more comprehensive offense than McGregor. The big question is, however, can Cerrone avoid taking any of McGregor’s booming lefts in the first and second rounds? If he can’t, “Cowboy” could be in real trouble.
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