Cowboy Cerrone says gold will be on the line when he and Conor McGregor face off later this year.
The horses appear to be storming out of the gate. After both men expressed interest in facing each other, Conor McGregor and Cowboy Cerrone look destined for a showdown later this year. UFC President Dana White has hinted as much, saying that is the fight to make. Now, Donald Cerrone himself has come out and said the fight is on — this summer, and for the title. Interim, anyway.
Cerrone made the claim on Instagram. While a fight between the two seemed to be a given, the talk of an interim title will certainly raise eyebrows.
Recently, both McGregor, the former featherweight and lightweight champion, and rival Khabib Nurmagomedov learned their fates following the UFC 229 brawl. McGregor was handed a six month suspension, while Khabib got nine months — but the chance to reduce that to six months was made available to him, should he participate in an anti-bullying PSA.
It appears, however, that the lightweight champion will pass, bemoaning Nevada’s gambling and prostitution industries. Instead, he’ll sit out the full suspension period, and possibly longer, showing solidarity with teammates Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov, who were suspended a full year.
In any case, that paves the way for a fight between Cerrone and McGregor, sure to be a fan-pleaser. However, adding a belt to the mix will rub many of those fans the wrong way. After all, both Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier are in the mix. Either would be viable options to fight Khabib before McGregor gets another chance, although the Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor 2 rematch is the biggest fight the UFC can make, money-wise.
And a fight between the two would make more sense for an interim belt. Alas, money talks.
