4 reasons why Conor McGregor will beat Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone at UFC 246

4. Cerrone is a slow starter who doesn’t deal well with pressure-fighting

McGregor will look to replicate the gameplan of Darren Till, who corralled Cerrone before beating him

Another of Cerrone’s well-known weaknesses is his penchant for a slow start. Although it doesn’t always cost him fights – he came back against the likes of Melvin Guillard, Yancy Medeiros and Edson Barboza in impressive fashion, for instance – it often puts him in danger in the early going.

When Robbie Lawler fought ‘Cowboy’ in 2017, for instance, he swarmed him from the opening seconds of the fight, having him on the verge of a TKO at one point – and it was largely this assault that allowed Lawler to win the fight. Rafael Dos Anjos and Jorge Masvidal were also able to finish Cerrone in the early going.

Add in the fact that Cerrone also struggles to respond to an opponent willing to pressure him and walk him down – witness his 2017 loss to Darren Till, who corralled him against the fence before breaking him down with strikes – and it all adds up to a worrying conclusion for him against McGregor.

‘The Notorious One’ is a known quick starter, having numerous fast finishes to his name including his legendary 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo. He’s also highly adept at pressuring his foes, as we saw in his fight with Chad Mendes and in particular, his second fight with Nate Diaz. When he feels he has the upper hand, the Irishman simply doesn’t give his opponent any room to breathe.

If McGregor can force Cerrone onto his back foot early in this fight and force him backwards towards the fence, he becomes much less of a threat – and far more susceptible to the big punches of ‘The Notorious One’.