Cerrone Not Taking A Dive
Donald Cerrone has no intention of throwing his upcoming fight with Conor McGregor.
Cerrone welcomes the Irishman back inside the Octagon when they meet in a welterweight clash in the main event of UFC 246 which takes place January 18. Many have claimed that Cerrone — currently on a two-fight losing streak — was the perfect opponent for McGregor to bounce back against.
“Cowboy” even heard a rumor that he was being paid to throw the fight for McGregor. But if there’s one fighter who would never do that, it’s him.
“Hell no, I’m not bowing down,” Cerrone told MMA Fighting. “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.”
All these claims are highly disrespectful to Cerrone who, if anybody needed reminding, is the current leader in wins and finishes in the UFC. And although he’s on a losing skid, it’s not like there’s any shame in losing to the likes of Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje.
“I’m still No. 4 or 5 or whatever the hell I am,” Cerrone added. “It’s not like I’m getting beat up by bums, somewhere down there getting tumbleweeded in the rankings pool. I don’t know where I’m sitting but I’m still at the top of the list.”
Instead, Cerrone expects all the pressure to be on McGregor when they eventually clash. After all, the former two-division champion hasn’t won a fight since his lightweight title win over Eddie Alvarez all the way back in November 2016.
That said, he’s expecting the best version of McGregor.
“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.”
We will all find out in a matter of weeks.
