UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has finished opponents 18 times inside of two rounds, and while that might intimidate most people, Rafael dos Anjos’ coach sees it as a golden opportunity.
Rafael Cordeiro says he expects the fight to go well past the 13 seconds it took McGregor to dispatch Jose Aldo at UFC 194, into the championship rounds where the lightweight champion will make the Irishman quit.
“From my perspective, Rafael will do well and is going to fight very well,” Cordeiro told The Mirror. “He is very excited for this fight and we are going to put McGregor in deep waters. He’s never fought anybody on the same level as Rafa.”
If McGregor’s resume of 19-2 with five consecutive UFC stoppages is impressive, dos Anjos is on an equally head-turning run, defeating his previous five opponents in dominant fashion with wins over Donald Cerrone and former WEC and UFC lightweight champions Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis.
Despite the quick knockout of Aldo, Cordeiro isn’t intimidated by McGregor’s boxing prowess, suggesting the Brazilian could still defeat the Irishman in a rematch.
Fluke gonna fluke?
“The fight against Jose Aldo was unfortunately a quick fight. We knew if it had gone to the second, third and fourth, we knew Jose Aldo could have beat him but unfortunately, it was a knockout but a fight is a fight and we are going to do everything to make sure Rafa raises his arm at the end of the fight and we are going to work hard for that.”
Those comments suggest that dos Anjos is expecting to take this one to the judges, however Cordeiro added McGregor might not want to suffer five rounds of damage.
“Maybe it’s going to be the first time that [McGregor] is going to ask to stop the fight.”
The “Notorious” fighter has only asked for a fight to be stopped twice in his career, both quick submissions early in his MMA career. The sole time anybody has required the services of judges after a McGregor fight was against Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night 26, a bout dominated by McGregor despite the fact he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the second round.
McGregor vs. dos Anjos will anchor the UFC 196 pay-per-view in Las Vegas on March 5, 2016.