@TheNotoriousMMA
I know your last fight was not your best showing, stand tall you
are a legend & will continue to have more legendary success! It
looks to be cowboy for my UFC finale. Sanchez versus McGregor will
always be in the ether! HMU in the dm I might Have a bone for
you.— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC)
February 4, 2021
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Two grizzled veterans and former training partners are
going to dance in May. Diego
Sanchez (30-13) first posted
the news of his upcoming match when calling out Conor
McGregor on Twitter on Thursday, stating that his final MMA
bout would likely come against Donald
Cerrone (36-15-1, 2 NC). While Sanchez regretted that he would
not face the Irishman, his claim was substantiated by an
MMA Fighting report and confirmed by ESPN
shortly thereafter. The two, who trained together in the past at
Jackson-Wink MMA, will tangle at welterweight on a previously
unannounced UFC
event on May 8. That does not yet have a location nor a
specification of whether it will be a Fight Night or pay-per-view
card.
“[Conor
McGregor] I know your last fight was not your best showing,”
Sanchez wrote.
“Stand tall you are a legend & will continue to have more legendary
success! It looks to be Cowboy for my UFC finale. Sanchez versus
McGregor will always be in the ether! [Hit me up] in the dm I might
have a bone for you.”
Cerrone has not won in any of his last five bouts, with two
knockout losses to Tony
Ferguson and Justin
Gaethje that prompted a shift back to welterweight. “Cowboy”
met McGregor at the beginning of 2020, losing by knockout in 40
seconds. He bounced back with a close decision loss in a rematch
with Anthony
Pettis a few months later. That September, the BMF Ranch
founder clashed with Niko Price
and fought to a draw that was later overturned to a no contest
after Price failed a post-fight drug test. Although “Cowboy” is on
an unsuccessful run as of late, he remains the promotion’s
recordholder in a myriad of categories including the most fights,
the most post-fight bonuses, and is tied for the most finishes with
Charles
Oliveira, among many other accolades.
The original winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” at middleweight,
Sanchez has alternated wins and losses in his last four. In that
span dating back to 2019, “The Nightmare” knocked out Mickey Gall
and escaped with a disqualification win over Michel
Pereira. Along the way, Sanchez dropped decisions to Michael
Chiesa and Jake
Matthews in one-sided affairs where he lost the third round by
10-8 scores on each. Through his hall-of-fame career – Sanchez was
enshrined for his 2009 battle with Clay Guida in
2019 – the TUF winner has notched wins over the likes of Takanori
Gomi, Kenny
Florian, Jim Miller
and numerous others.
