Conor McGregor has ‘just has a left hand’ and will ‘fade after first round’ says Donald Cerrone’s trainer

CONOR McGREGOR has “'just has a left hand” and will gas out after the first round on his octagon return, Donald Cerrone’s trainer claimed.

McGregor, 31, faces American veteran ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, 36, on his UFC comeback on January 18, having not fought since his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov on October 2018.

The Irishman will return at welterweight but bids to force through a rematch with lightweight champion Nurmagomedov, something UFC boss Dana White has promised if he beats Cerrone.

But Cowboy’s trainer Jafari Vanier reckons McGregor is the more limited fighter of the pair and his only chance of winning is landing another of his famous left hands.

Vanier said in Cerrone’s documentary-series ‘More than a Cowboy’: “If I were to look at the two, he’s got a lot more to worry about than we do.

“We’ve got multiple submission victories, head-kick knockout victories, we’ve got decisions.

“He just has a left hand. You don’t see Conor submitting anybody, you don’t even see the guy going on the ground – very rare, right?

“Not saying we’re going to force the fight to the ground, but what I’m saying is he’s got a lot more to worry about than we do.”

McGregor has 18 knockouts in his 21 MMA wins, with two of them securing the Irish star the featherweight and lightweight belts.

But the biggest blemish in the southpaw’s arsenal is his tendency to fatigue later on in fights, something the 31-year-old has admitted to suffering from.

Cerrone’s trainer predicted McGregor will “fade” by the first round, and believes the fight is there for the taking if Cowboy can survive the opening five minutes.

Vanier explained: “We just have to worry about a left hand in that first round – him coming out on fire.

“You’ve never really seen ‘Cowboy’ ever gas. After the first round and a half for Conor, (he) fades.

“There’s not a lot of pop in that left hand any more, footwork goes down, his hands are heavy.

“So I mean these are all things that you watch and see, so these are no secrets to what’s going on.

“So for us, it’s just a matter of capitalising on those things, making sure we’re very aware, eyes open in that first round, stay away from that left hand.

“We stay away from that left hand, it’s going to be a short night.”