‘It’s going to be a short night’ – Donald Cerrone’s coach
Conor McGregor (21-4) and Donald Cerrone (36-13) will face off on January 18 in Paradise, Nevada at UFC 246. Ahead of the bout, Donald Cerrone’s head coach, Jafari Vanier, has been speaking about ‘Cowboy’s’ preparation for what is one of the biggest fights of the veteran’s career.
Speaking to MMAFighting, Vanier detailed why he believes that McGregor is a one-dimensional fighter.
“We just have to worry about a left hand and that first round, him coming out on fire. You’ve never really seen “Cowboy” ever gas. After the first round, round and a half, Conor fades. There’s not a lot of pop on that left hand anymore. Footwork goes down, his hands are heavy. These are things that you can watch and see so these are no secret to what’s going on.”
Throughout his fighting career, McGregor’s cardio issues have been well documented. In his first bout with Nate Diaz, McGregor dominated the opening round, only to be outboxed and submitted in the second after fading shockingly fast.
Despite these criticisms, McGregor went on to beat Diaz in the rematch via majority decision after a five-round war. McGregor’s left hand is undeniably his most lethal weapon and has been the tool he has most utilised to achieve 18 knockout victories. Despite this, many analysts have criticized Vanier’s comments for being simplistic in its analysis. McGregor is one of the most diverse strikers in the sport, with his distance control and leg kicks leading to the destruction of Eddie Alvarez and beating of Diaz respectively.
Out of the spotlight
McGregor has been uncharacteristically quiet in the build-up to his first fight of 2020. However, the Irishman responded to the jibes of Cerrone’s head coach with an Instagram story alongside the caption:
“A reminder not to mess with the power in @thenotoriousmma’s left hand.”
McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh has described his form as ‘the best I’ve seen him’ telling fans that they are ‘in for a real treat’. If Kavanagh is correct, Cowboy has a lot more to worry about than a left-hand this January.
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