Cerrone says he wants to test Conor’s standup but surely to win this fight he just shoots from the start and tries to submit him?
Nah he's just not very smart about the business side of things. He would have a lot more leverage if he beat Conor but we're talking about a guy who celebrates in the octagon after getting beat down and is 3-7 in his last 10. He's just happy to be a knockout victim of the week if it pays quick and easy cash. Guy is so short sighted he claimed he didn't even have his eye on a title until he fought Ferg even though he's been in the UFC since forever.
Does Cowboy want to be the traditional company man he always has? If he does, he avoids the ground game entirely, and gives Dana a happy ending.
Him and his coaches have probably worked hard on a game plan to get through the first two rounds. Whether he can implement it and stick to it is the question.
I think if he knocks Conor down with a strike then he will happily follow him to the floor, but as in actual shooting? I don't see it.. I think he is just gonna stand and throw lots of kicks.. if he gets beat though then everyone will just say its a work or he threw the fight. I just know thats gonna happen if he loses.. I can see a lot of the comments already and the fight has not even happened.
Conor probably has good enough TDD to stuff a telegraphed TD attempt from Cowboy, so who's to say it's a great idea? Could he sub him? Yeah, sure. But it definitely won't be easy getting it there and doing it (maybe in the past)
I'm actually curious to see if that's true and to what extent, because Cowboy does have an underrated TD game and has definitely taken down fighters who are better wrestlers on paper than Conor, who has been taken down by pretty much every TD artist who shot in on him in a non-panic wrestling scenario (though not to say that he's a free TD). Of course I'd love a stand up battle, but I'd like to see if Conor just stuffs Cowboy if he shoots in. Part of me thinks he'll defend the TDs easily, and another part thinks Cowboy can put him on his back even if he's fresh if he times it in any way decently.
Can you think of any times when Cowboy really powered through on someone with a double? I know he had a few nice TD's when he first moved up to 170 (VS Rick Story, decent wrestler, and someone else too I think?). But he hasn't done a whole lot of it recently from what I remember (again, could be wrong). I think Connie really learned a lot in the lead up to the Khabib fight. He's not amazing, but he did some good work defending Khabib until he was spent. I don't know if Cowboy can force that energy drain (and certainly not like Khabib can) and I don't think there will be as many openings for a reactionary shot VS Conor as there would be VS someone else. I think Conor basically does to him, what Gaethje did. Be patient, wait for your spot, and go big when it's there. I wouldn't be shocked if body shots from Conor really play a role.
Cowboy just wants to have the record for most fights in the ufc. Hes padding his record so he can be a hall of famer.
I would think that the game plan is to wrestle and than BJJ and/or GnP, asap. Here is an example against a hard puncher, right from the bat :
no, he is just company man doing everything he can to earn money he will get (already has gotten ?) there are so many ways he wins the fight but only one where he looses and that is why he will be "testing" Colon’s standup
