UFC 246: Conor McGregor Vs. Donald Cerrone In-Depth Breakdown

Although it would be extremely interesting if McGregor and Cerrone went to the ground, it's more than likely that this fight will stay entirely standing. Looking at the striking styles of these two and how they can combine, we can't really complain about that at all.

Donald Cerrone's coach, Jafari Vanier, recently said that all they have to look out for is McGregor's left hand. While this is partially true, as it is his most dangerous weapon, it's not like he's only throwing one punch every time he attacks. The real strength behind McGregor's striking is not the end product, but the set-ups that lead to whatever left handed attack he chooses to use to try and damage his opponent.

McGregor is a brilliantly creative striker who has found a number of ways to mask his inevitable kill shot. It's almost the striking equivalent of Khabib Nurmagomedov's grappling. Opponents know that it's coming, but how it arrives is a mystery and one that they'll have to figure out before it's too late.

Due to how regularly he fights, it's near impossible for a fan of mixed martial arts to have not seen Cerrone compete yet. However, if you haven't, then you should know that he is an exceptional striker with brilliant Thai boxing. As you'll see in the video above, Cerrone has three regularly utilised techniques to keep the fight in an area which best suits him.

The key weapon for his fight against McGregor will be the knee he throws to his opponent's body to stop them from getting into boxing range. McGregor's threat comes from his ability to get into that range and land the strikes that will get him the win and Cerrone's best chance at stopping that will be by using his knee to punish him every time he attempts to get inside.

The best performances from Cerrone have been when he's patient with his opponent and picked his shots. He'll need to have that sort of poise when fighting someone as masterful with his set-ups as McGregor.