Cerrone and McGregor will finally clash at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada — and the fight is officially less than two weeks away.
UFC 246 is coming up on January 18th, 2020 and it’s definitely going to be one of the season’s fight highlights. The much-touted bout between Cerrone and McGregor has become the stuff of legends over the years since the two fighters have been wanting a match for awhile now, as reported by both camps. Early last year there were talks about a Cerrone McGregor match-up, but Dana White said such a fight was “nowhere close” and that McGregor was more interested in a rematch with Khabib. Oops.
With that embarrassing defeat behind him, it looks like McGregor is going to step back into the ring and show us what he’s got left in him. It’s an interesting match with the Cowboy, who is definitely getting up there in terms of age as a fighter. Here’s a look at what experts are saying about how the fight might shake out.
A shorter match probably works in McGregor’s favor, while a longer match favors Cerrone.
Maybe this is obvious, but McGregor’s fighting style these days just doesn’t reflect the endurance and flexibility he had earlier in his career. Cerrone is also on the decline, according to some, or at the very least getting older as a fighter, but Cerrone’s ability to wear down an opponent is much higher than McGregor’s. So, if McGregor lands a devastating hit early in the match, or scores a quick KO, that would obviously be his game. But that’s only one way things could play out. If McGregor gets quagmired in the ring with Cerrone, it’s unlikely he would be able to last the laster rounds, and that might mean a win for the Cowboy.
McGregor is the favorite to win.
The betting in Vegas is currently set at -320 for McGregor and +260 for Cerrone. That means that someone who gambled $320 on McGregor would only win $100 on that, reflecting his status as the more “establishment” fighter. McGregor is a harder hitter than Cerrone and has a more aggressive style, but Cerrone outmatches him in wrestling, so the outcome of the fight will more than likely depend on whether the fighting is on the ground or up in the air.
The welterweight division favors Cerrone, at least in terms of years of experience.
As a former featherweight and lightweight champion, McGregor is used to fighting at a slightly lighter weight than Cerrone. Cerrone has competed more frequently at the welterweight level and might have a slight advantage there. This isn’t to say that McGregor can’t be McGregor in the ring at a lower weight class, just that in terms of muscle memory and years of fighting experience, McGregor is used to playing a slightly different game. Donald Cerrone is 6’1 while Conor McGregor is 5’9, so it’s probably a lot easier for him to pack on muscle mass in anticipation of a heavier fight.
What are your predictions for UFC 246? Let us know in the comments below.
*All images courtesy of Instagram.
