Chael Sonnen has his money on Donald Cerrone to pull off a win over Conor McGregor.
On Jan. 18, Cerrone and McGregor will collide inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The welterweight clash is set to headline UFC 246. “Cowboy” is hoping to avoid a third straight loss, while McGregor wants to nab his first victory since Nov. 2016.
Sonnen Sees Cerrone Beating McGregor
Going into UFC 246, oddsmakers have McGregor as the favorite. Taking to his YouTube channel, Sonnen expressed his belief that “Cowboy” will pull off the upset (h/t Bloody Elbow).
“We’re gonna know after the first round who’s going to win the contest. If Conor loses the first round, he is losing the contest,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel.
“(Conor’s) a great starter. Many people have said that Cowboy is a slow starter, (but) I haven’t seen that. I don’t really know where that dialog comes from. I have never thought of Cowboy Cerrone as a slow starter, but I hear that out there.”
Sonnen went on to say that he feels Cerrone will be able to get the jump on McGregor early.
“You are going to have a little bit of a speed deficit,” Sonnen said about Cerrone. “Donald Cerrone is going to have to use tactics and techniques. He’s going to have to circle in certain ways. He’s going to have to push in certain ways to take some of the emphasis and some of the power and timing off of Conor’s left hand.
“If Donald goes out there and does that all in the very first round, he will be able to carry that through the night. You want a prediction? Straight up I believe Cowboy Cerrone finds an upset.”
