Ray Longo reveals why the odds are stacked against Conor McGregor in "Cowboy" Cerrone fight

There have been many different opinions about the upcoming fight between Conor McGregor and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. It's an interesting situation because both men are coming off a loss (one for McGregor and two in a row for Cerrone).

The consensus seems to be that McGregor is the favorite and that Cerrone is merely a "tune-up" fight for him. This sentiment has surprised UFC President Dana White, who was appalled at the "level of disrespect" shown to Cerrone.

World Class coach Ray Longo, appeared on the Anik & Florian Podcast (H/T BJPenn.com) and was one of the few to give a bigger chance to Cerrone over Irishman Conor McGregor. He believes that Cerrone being active is a huge advantage:

“I really like Cerrone’s chances in this fight. The only thing that could beat Donald Cerrone is just father time. He’s getting up there a little bit, but I’m saying the Donald Cerrone of a couple of years ago is winning that fight and I really believe he’s winning this fight. I think he’s got more ways to win and he’s definitely competitive. He’s been active. I think he’s taken enough of a break where he should come in fresh and we’ll see what happens.”

Longo said that McGregor's 15-month layoff may be unfavorable to him and that there's a lot more pressure on him to win than Cerrone.

“You know McGregor’s had a long layoff,” Longo continued. “He hasn’t had a win in a couple of years. I think the pressure’s on McGregor more than it’s on Cerrone by all means.”

There are going to be more opinions dividing fans but heading into the fight, one would imagine that McGregor is the favorite. It'll be interesting to see how differently the Irishman approaches this fight. If he wins, the floodgates open to many new possibilities.