Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has never been one to lay down without a fight, and the UFC mainstay insists that won’t change at UFC 246.
There is no disputing the fact that Conor McGregor is the biggest star and the highest-grossing athlete that has ever competed in the UFC, which means there is money to be made in keeping the golden goose alive, kicking, and winning. So when Dana White publicly says that it is “crucial” for Conor McGregor to defeat Donald Cerrone if he wants to have lucrative fights against Jorge Masvidal and Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020, the conspiracy theorists began to see red flags and conclude that Cerrone would be taking a dive against McGregor to make those fights possible. Cerrone vehemently denies this theory (Via MMA Fighting)
“Hell no, I’m not bowing down,” Cerrone said. “There’s a bunch of sh*t going around, people keep telling me ‘I heard you’re getting paid to take a dive.’ There wouldn’t be enough money in the world for someone to pay me to take a dive. I could never look myself in the mirror if somebody paid me to take a dive. Sh*t, never happen.
“I’d rather fight for free than take money to f*cking lose. That’s not me. I’m going to fight my ass off like I do every time.”
Another reason a portion of the public is suspicious is the fact that the fight was even made in the first place. After all, Cerrone has lost two consecutive fights, first to Tony Ferguson and most recently to Justin Gaethje, who many believe should have been McGregor’s opponent instead of Cerrone. Cerrone believes that the fight makes sense due to what he has accomplished in the sport and also because of where he sits in the rankings.
“I’m still No. 4 or 5 or whatever the hell I am. It’s not like I’m getting beat up by bums, somewhere down there getting tumbleweeded in the rankings pool,” Cerrone said. “I don’t know where I’m sitting but I’m still at the top of the list.”
“I expect the best Conor you guys have ever seen. I really do,” Cerrrone said. “He has so many doubters and questions that he needs to answer. I think he’s training extra hard, he’s coming, and I think he’s going to be the best Conor you have ever seen.”
UFC 246 takes place January 18 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in what is already a sold-out event.
What do you believe the odds are that Donald Cerrone would take a dive at UFC 246?
