Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Kamaru Usman gives his take on the upcoming welterweight bout between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.
The majority of MMA fans think UFC 246 will be a walk in the park for Conor McGregor, but former UFC title challenger turned ESPN analyst Chael Sonnen believes Donald Cerrone will pull off the upset on Jan. 18.
Reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman isn’t willing to go that far, but ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ agrees that ‘Cowboy’ has more ways to win the fight and says McGregor must put Cerrone away inside the first two rounds.
“Man, I think it’s a big fight,” Usman said in a recent fan Q&A on social media (h/t Fernando Quiles Jr. of MMA News). I think if McGregor can jump on Cerrone early those first two rounds, I think he might have a chance to get that fight over with. But the longer the fight goes, the more it favors Cerrone. Cerrone just has I think more ways to win and his leg kicks start to add up and it’s only a matter of time before he actually finds that head kick. So I’m gonna say under two McGregor, over two Cerrone. That’s my pick.”
McGregor is one of the best pressure fighters in the game and arguably the most dangerous striker in the featherweight and lightweight divisions, but ‘The Notorious’ has shown to fade in the later rounds at 170. Cerrone, however, is proven in five-round fights and the crafty veteran only gets more dangerous as the fight goes on.
UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone takes place this Saturday, Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.