UFC News: Donald Cerrone will finish Conor McGregor if the fight goes beyond first round, says Cowboy's head coach
Is Conor McGregor all about that hammer of a left hand? Is the Irishman capable of going past the first two rounds of a fight and coming out victorious? These questions loom large ahead of the former two-division champion's return to the Octagon against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone.
Ahead of the fight, Cerrone's coach Jafari Vanier called the Irishman a 'one-trick pony' and stated that Cowboy only needs to be aware of McGregor's iconic left hand and his potency in the first round of the fight to emerge victorious when the pair finally meet on 18th January in the headliner of UFC 246. (h/t MMA Fighting)
Speaking about the imminent fight on Cerrone’s “More Than a Cowboy” series on Amazon, Vanier said that McGregor is the one who should be worried heading into the fight with Cowboy and not otherwise.
“If I were to look at the two, he’s got a lot more to worry about than we do. We’ve got multiple submission victories, head kick knockout victories, we’ve got decisions. He’s just got a left hand. You don’t see Conor submitting anybody. You don’t see the guy going on the ground, very rare. 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 and that first round, him coming out on fire."
Vanier also went on to question McGregor's gas tank and doubts whether 'The Notorious One' will be able to last too long once the fight goes past the second round.
"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.”
Vanier also believes that if Cowboy manages to stay away from the left hand of Conor for the first round, he will make quick work of the Irishman.
“For us it’s just a matter of capitalizing on those things,” Vanier said. “Making sure we’re very aware, eyes open in that first round, stay away from that left hand. We stay away from that left hand, it’s going to be a short night.”