Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone Has Signalled That He is Willing to Fight Conor McGregor in Hostile Territory… Could an Irish Homecoming be on the Cards for ‘The Notorious’?
It’s the potential match-up that has seized the imagination of fight fans across the world. The legendary Donald Cerrone, one of the UFC’s most loyal and dedicated veterans, against Conor McGregor, the promotion’s Enfant Terrible and biggest cash cow.
Now, before we go any further, we have to confirm that nothing official has been decided yet, and it won’t be until McGregor’s disciplinary hearing with the Nevada Athletic Commission is done and dusted. However, the hype is building, and for the first time, Dana White confirmed that if it was what the fans wanted, then he’d be willing to make it happen.
After dismantling Alexander Hernandez in a magnificent performance in Brooklyn at the weekend, Cerrone called out McGregor and confirmed that he’d be willing to travel overseas to fight him in Ireland. McGregor appeared to show his interest in a tweet. Let’s get it on!
Massive head kick!😮
🇺🇸 Donald Cerrone def. Alexander Hernandez 🇺🇸
Via. 2nd Round TKO!
•#UFCBrooklyn 🇺🇸
🎥- RT: @UFC— MMA Latest (@MMALatestNws) January 20, 2019
Pumped
Needless to say, the prospect of fighting McGregor has Cerrone very excited. He realizes that there is no more lucrative fight available for him than this, and the prestige that he would get from beating the Irishman would be massive. He said about McGregor:
“He dictates everything, man. I can say yes. Well, I can’t say I’ll fight anybody anymore because now I told my team I’ll take it easy. I want a top-five guy. Conor’s (No.) 2. That equals top-five to me. He’s the master of talking sh*t. I’m sure he’ll try and get under my skin. It will be fun.”
“March, April, May – the sun’s out. I can bring my boat and RV to (Las) Vegas. I’m sure it will be in Vegas, or Ireland. F*ck yeah. Let’s go.”
For a fight like that Donald, I’ll fight you.
Congratulations.— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 20, 2019
Dogs
Over the course of the last few months of 2018, Cerrone was regularly being linked – and linking himself – to a potential fight against McGregor. UFC president Dana White emphatically denied that any offers were on the table. However, for the first time, he sounded enthusiastic about the idea. He told media at the post-fight press conference:
“I mean, anything’s possible. If those guys want that and the fans want to see it, that’s what I do. Obviously, don’t run out there and say that’s the fight I’m making. I don’t know what I’m going to do. But I like the fact that two of these guys that are complete dogs and fight anybody are willing to fight each other. That’s fun.”
Fan Friendly
This is a very fan-friendly fight. Cerrone might never have won a title, but he’s definitely one of the most iconic fighters in the organization and a certain future Hall-of-Famer. He’s only the second UFC fighter to make more than 30 octagon appearances (the other being Jim Miller) and now holds the record for most post-fight bonuses (16). He also holds the records for most wins in the UFC (22) and most finishes (16).
He would make a very interesting opponent for McGregor. ‘The Notorious’ needs to be very selective about who he takes on next. One win should guarantee him a title shot against incumbent champion Khabib Nurmagamedov. On paper Cerrone is a good match-up for him. However, you cannot rule ‘Cowboy’ out. His height, slick striking and underrated ground game are devastating when they get going and he has never been more hungry.
Let’s hope it happens.
