Conor McGregor vs Rafael dos Anjos: McGregor will 'ask for the fight to be stopped', claims trainer Rafael Cordeiro

Cordeiro has revealed that Dos Anjos will look to utilise his submission game to try and make McGregor tap out for the third time in his career

Conor McGregor fights Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196 (Getty Images)

Conor McGregor will lose his UFC 196 champion vs champion fight against Rafael dos Anjos and “ask for the fight to be stopped”, according to the Brazilian’s coach Master Rafael Cordeiro.

Irishman McGregor will bid to become a two-weight champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship when he takes on Dos Anjos on 5 March, four months after he defeated Dos Anjos’ compatriot Jose Aldo at UFC 194 with a knockout victory coming in just 13 seconds.

Having secured the featherweight title in defeating Aldo, McGregor will bid to add the lightweight crown to his collection when he takes on Dos Anjos in Las Vegas, but the man in the opposite corner believes UFC fans may see McGregor tap out for the first time in his UFC career.

Both of McGregor’s career defeats came via submission before he joined the UFC, and Cordeiro has hinted that Dos Anjos, who is a specialist in Brazilian jiu jitsu, could look to utilise McGregor’s supposed weakness in a bid to make him tap out.

“The way I see it, Rafael will do just fine,” Cordeiro told Combate.

“He's very excited about this fight and will drag McGregor to deep waters. He has never faced anybody like Rafael.

“We believe he can beat Conor up badly. It may even be the first time Conor will ask for a fight to be stopped [in the UFC].”

Master Rafael Cordeiro, trainer of Rafael dos Anjos (Getty Images)

McGregor has maintained his outspoken ways ahead of the fight, and after threatening to “behead” Dos Anjos, he continued his verbal assault by labelling the Brazilian’s California-based King’s MMA gym a “bum gym”.

The Dubliner has also criticised Dos Anjos’ stable-mate Fabricio Werdum for turning down a last-minute replacement fight in the defence of his heavyweight championship against Stipe Miocic after Cain Velasquez withdrew from the original bout with injury.

Rafael dos Anjos could look to utilise his submission game against McGregor (Getty Images)

Cordeiro though believes that McGregor’s tactic to verbally unsettle his opponent ahead of fights will come back to haunt him this time around, and back his fighter to give McGregor a beating on a scale he has never experienced before.

“I believe McGregor, he crosses lines a lot of times with [his] talk,” Cordeiro added. “He never shows respect with his opponents buts he has to because now he [is] going to fight against somebody tougher than him and [for] mistakes like that he's going to pay inside the Octagon.”