Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone was hoping for a Mega Bout against former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor in 2019 until the bottom fell out on the potential fight.
Shortly after Cerrone’s win over Alexander Hernandez this past January, Cowboy exchanged messages with McGregor on social media with both agreeing that a fight between them made a lot of sense. The UFC of course attempted right away to seize on the potential match up with a date for the fight expected in the summer.
But before thje deal could get close to being a realty, McGregor declared he would not be interested in anything other than the main event on a pay-per-view card and without a championship around his waist or on the line, the UFC didn’t want to give him headline status.
That ended the negotiations for the fight and Cerrone ended up facing and defeating Al Iaquinta in one sided fashion in May instead.
Cerrone has had his chances at UFC gold in the past, but, of course, it was one that he was completely dominated in, as the former lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos needed only 66 seconds to finish Cerrone.
Now, Cowboy, after a streak of impressive wins, finds himself on the verge of a title shot and also linked to the biggest star in the sport, Conor McGregor.
Speaking to the media (via MMAJunkie), Cerrone explained that the so-called ‘red panty night’ that comes with a fight against the Irishman would pale in comparison to the prestige of fighting for the lightweight title at this point in his career.
When asked if he would be willing to take a fight with Conor upon beating Tony Ferguson instead of competing for a UFC Championship, Cowboy made it clear that the buzz surrounding him and McGregor was over and done and not on his radar any longer.
With that being said, Cerrone should not be overlooking the challenge in front of him. With his experience and age, and sudden prioritizing since bcoming a father, he most likely is not looking past Tony Ferguson.
Tony Ferguson is one of the most in shape, always ready, fighters in the UFC, holding one of the longest and most impressive win-streaks in the history of the sport.
A relentless, non-stop action offensive nightmare, Ferguson could be seen as the worst matchup possible for Cowboy.
With that being said, Ferguson has also shown areas where his defense is week and Cerrone feels can be the man to put him away.
If both men are focused on this match up, this could be a Fight of The Year, and the longer McGregor sits on the sidelines, the less people care about seeing him fight.