Smith Shocked And Disappointed After UFC 246
Conor McGregor enjoyed a triumphant return to action when he defeated Donald Cerrone via first-round TKO at UFC 246 last night.
Coming off aggressive right off the gate, McGregor hurt Cerrone with some shoulder strikes as they clinched up. The Irishman would later land a head kick that would ultimately spell the demise for “Cowboy” who shelled up before hitting the canvas.
McGregor is now back in the win column as a result. As for Cerrone, it puts him on a three-fight losing streak while it was another big fight that he particularly didn’t show up for — something he has been criticized for regularly.
ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith mentioned that fact as he was shocked at how quickly the contest ended.
“I’m shocked and disappointed,” Smith said on the UFC 246 ESPN post-fight show. “I thought Conor McGregor would win this. I thought he would take him out in two rounds. I thought obviously, Cowboy Cerrone has been knocked out six times in his career, the last two times [he fought]. So I knew he had a questionable jaw. And coming in there and swearing that he wanted to strike against Conor McGregor, I thought he was right there to be had so I expected it to end in round two. I didn’t expect it to end in 40 seconds.”
Smith went on to add that he felt the combat sports world didn’t really learn anything new about McGregor given how quickly the contest ended. He also feels Cerrone could have done a lot more to avoid getting blitzed by the former two-weight champion.
“We’re all happy he won,” Smith added. “If you love this sport, you got to be happy that Conor McGregor won. But you didn’t learn anything from tonight’s fight because Cowboy Cerrone just didn’t show up. I could have ran for 40 seconds.
“… My lord. You couldn’t back up, Cowboy Cerrone? You couldn’t catch a deep breath. You couldn’t circle the Octagon? Just a little bit? Get your bearings? You couldn’t do anything? 40 seconds? 40 seconds!”
A lot of harsh words from Smith, however, Cerrone could have certainly performed better.
