Conor McGregor (left) and UFC president Dana White (right) laughing at a press conference.
Dana White targeting Conor McGregor’s return fight vs Cowboy Cerrone in summer
If Conor McGregor is ready to return and fight, UFC President Dana White has the perfect opponent in place and a timetable for when the fight will take place. During a media scrum ahead of UFC 234, White talked about the former champ-champ’s return and sounds ready to give a fight that will please the fans.
As he prepares for his return, Dana White says he’s ready to make Conor McGregor vs Donald Cerrone and he credits both guys for their willingness to step up and fight anyone, any where, no matter what. When asked about a potential fight between the two, White not only sounded ready to make the fight, but also said that he would like to make the fight for this summer.
“I’d like to see Conor return this summer so if those two want to fight each other, they both earned it. Cowboy has fought anybody we’ve ever put against him. We throw this young killer Hernandez at him, Cowboy’s the underdog and goes in and does it the way he did it. Then, Conor has fought everybody, if these two want to fight, I’m down.”
In Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s last fight, he defeated the rising Alex Hernandez at UFC Fight Night 143 this past January. Hernandez was coming into the fight with a lot of hype and push behind him and was viewed by many as the young rising star who was getting matched up against a veteran that he felt he was sent after. Cerrone brought a halt to Hernandez’s hype for at least one night when he was able to secure a second-round TKO victory over Hernandez, handing him his first loss in the UFC and just the second of his professional career.
The matchup between Cerrone and McGregor would bring some clarity to the bunched up lightweight division which is currently being held up by champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s suspension. Nurmagomedov was suspended for 9 months after his post-fight melee with McGregor following his victory over “The Notorious” at UFC 229, while McGregor received a 6-month suspension. Two teammates of Nurmagomedov received one-year suspensions retroactive to October 6, 2018 so Nurmagomedov’s manager has said that the champion will be on the sidelines until his teammates are eligible to return.
With the champion Nurmagomedov on the sidelines, there have been rumors of a potential interim title fight between Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson but nothing has been made official for a fight between the two. McGregor’s last appearance in the Octagon was his loss to Nurmagomedov at 229 last October, his second loss in his UFC career. While it’s unlikely that the fight against Cerrone would be a title fight, it would help clear out the title contention in the lightweight division.
It’s a fight the fans want to see, a fight that both fighters want, and a fight that Dana White seems ready to make. If comments from the boss himself mean anything, it’s likely we will see this fight in the summer of 2019.
