A few years back, there was some serious heat for a possible bout between Donald Cerrone and Conor McGregor. Now, Cerrone is hinting that the matchup could come to fruition.
According to a recent social media post from “Cowboy,” he’s simply “waiting” on the former two-division UFC champion. The post was accompanied by a photo of McGregor and Cerrone side-by-side.
Cerrone is coming off a first-round submission of Mike Perry in the UFC Fight Night Denver co-main event this past Saturday. Following a 10-bout stint at 170 pounds, the Colorado native is planning on returning to lightweight for his next Octagon appearance.
McGregor, meanwhile, began his promotional tenure at featherweight before competing at 155 pounds for his last two fights. He returned to the Octagon following a nearly two-year hiatus at UFC 229, where he was submitted in the fourth round by Khabib Nurmagomedov in a lightweight championship bout. McGregor is still facing discipline from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his role in a post-fight brawl that occurred after the fight.
Cerrone and McGregor traded jabs at a special UFC press conference in 2015. At the time, McGregor was gearing up for a featherweight title shot against Jose Aldo, while “Cowboy” was set to challenge Rafael dos Anjos for lightweight gold. The “Notorious” one had already begun to hint at a future move to 155 pounds, and Cerrone had some choice words for the Irishman regarding that decision.
“He’s real good at talking out in front of the public, but when we all stand in the back he ain’t got nothing to say,” Cerrone said. “I stood back there for 30 minutes right next to him, and [he had] nothing to say to me, but he was very cordial with my man Chad [Mendes] next to me.
“Of course we get out here he wants to run his mouth, but it’s good, you know, he sells the fights. But if he comes to 155 I’m gonna bend his little ass over.”
McGregor, of course, had his own thoughts about Cerrone’s skill set at lightweight.
“You’re too slow and too stiff. You’re as stiff as a board. I’d snap you in half,” McGregor said then. “And that’s it. I see stiffness when I look in that 155-pound division. I feel like they’re stuck in the mud almost.”
It’s unclear if the UFC would book its biggest pay-per-view star against Cerrone, who has won just two of his last six fights. However, “Cowboy” did tell media following UFC Fight Night Denver that the Las Vegas-based promotion had already presented him with an interesting fight at 155 pounds.