While many are already ruling the UFC 246 headliner as a foregone conclusion, Donald Cerrone is not too bothered by it. Cerrone welcomes Conor McGregor back to the Octagon when they meet in the UFC 246 main event on January 18 in Las Vegas. There is already talk of McGregor getting the next lightweight title […]
While many are already ruling the UFC 246 headliner as a foregone conclusion, Donald Cerrone is not too bothered by it.
Cerrone welcomes Conor McGregor back to the Octagon when they meet in the UFC 246 main event on January 18 in Las Vegas. There is already talk of McGregor getting the next lightweight title shot if he defeats Cerrone.
Others also feel it’s a guaranteed win over the Irishman considering Cerrone is on a two-fight losing streak. Despite all of that, “Cowboy” feels he’s a better mixed martial artist than McGregor and will pose plenty of problems given his overall experience:
“Do I feel like a better mixed martial artist? Absolutely,” Cerrone told MMA Fighting. “I feel like I’ve been in the trenches. I’ve been in the big fights. I’ve walked this path many, many times.
“This is my 51st MMA fight coming out of that tunnel. Literally, I’ve done it more than anybody.”
Cerrone will notably battle McGregor in a welterweight contest with UFC president Dana White labeling it a lightweight fight where both competitors don’t have to cut weight.
The idea was McGregor’s and Cerrone was completely fine with it as it will bring out the best in the duo:
“I didn’t care. They called and said Conor wants to fight you at 170,” Cerrone explained. “I said hell yeah let’s do it. It wasn’t a beat other than that.
“We’re both going to have a healthy, fat camp. How about that? We don’t have to worry about battling with diet and all that sh*t. We just get to go be who we want, train hard and show up healthy and I’m excited. All in all to get the best Conor, the best ‘Cowboy,’ this is the only way to do it.”
Not having to cut weight before their fight at UFC 246 just guarantees we see the best fight possible, says ‘Cowboy.’ When the UFC announced Conor McGregor’s comeback fight at UFC 246 on January 18th, it wasn’t just the opponent that made h…
Not having to cut weight before their fight at UFC 246 just guarantees we see the best fight possible, says ‘Cowboy.’
When the UFC announced Conor McGregor’s comeback fight at UFC 246 on January 18th, it wasn’t just the opponent that made headlines but the weight class. Donald Cerrone is the man that wins the red panty night this round, and their fight will take place at welterweight.
Why 170 pounds, when both fighters are better known as lightweights (with McGregor doing most of his best work at featherweight)? Because neither man is a big fan of cutting weight. McGregor more so than Cerrone, and fortunately for both, Conor still has enough pull with management to make them accept a lightweight bout contested at welterweight.
We’ve heard a lot from Dana White about the unusual situation, and some from Conor McGregor in his recent interviews. Now “Cowboy” Cerrone is giving his thoughts on the situation, which are pretty simple and straight forward.
“I didn’t care,” Cerrone told MMA Fighting. “They called and said Conor wants to fight you at 170. I said hell yeah let’s do it. It wasn’t a beat other than that.”
“We’re both going to have a healthy, fat camp,” he continued. “How about that? We don’t have to worry about battling with diet and all that sh*t. We just get to go be who we want, train hard and show up healthy and I’m excited. All in all to get the best Conor, the best ‘Cowboy,’ this is the only way to do it.”
Honestly, it’s so simple, it makes you wonder why everyone has to go through the grueling weight cut process for the other 99.99% of fights held in the UFC.
‘Platinum’ did not take kindly to actor insinuating he could teach the late Kimbo Slice about martial arts. Kevin Ferguson — or as he was commonly known: ‘Kimbo Slice’ — is one of the most well-known names …
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
‘Platinum’ did not take kindly to actor insinuating he could teach the late Kimbo Slice about martial arts.
Kevin Ferguson — or as he was commonly known: ‘Kimbo Slice’ — is one of the most well-known names in combat sports. Ferguson grew to fame in popular culture after his backyard boxing videos went viral on the internet. Ferguson also had multiple bouts in professional boxing and Mixed Martial Arts, before tragically passing away in 2016 due to heart failure.
TUF would not be his only stint in front of a camera. Ferguson leveraged his tough guy image to feature in several movies such as The Scorpion King 3 (2012) and Blood and Bone (2009). It was on the set of Blood and Bone where he would meet the actor: Michael Jai White.
White is a practitioner of multiple martial art styles and has been the leading star of several martial arts flicks, including depicting Mike Tyson in the HBO biographical film: Tyson (1995).
In a recent exclusive, Michael Jai White posted a video on his YouTube channel making comments about Ferguson becoming frustrated after not being able to comprehend techniques showcased by the actor.
“I told Kimbo I’d teach him some pointers, the same way I’ve done with a lot of champions in the past.” White said. “Kimbo became a little too frustrated with the process. He was still a little too freaked out and felt dominated. And sometimes that messes with a fighter’s psyche.”
This is not the first time an actor has attempted to teach techniques to a professional fighter. Steven Seagal showed Muay Thai specialist: Anderson Silva the infamous front kick, and took credit for that highlight-reel knockout over Vitor Belfort. More recently, Jean-Claude Van Damme revealed how the Diaz brothers could integrate kicking techniques into their arsenal.
However, this has drawn the ire of UFC welterweight ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry — who has a very clear message to other actors looking to “teach” combat sport athletes.
An actor recently was saying how he was trying to teach kimbo something too difficult for kimbo to grasp. I think you actors better stay in the movies. 1 knee make your nose look like special effects
“An actor recently was saying how he was trying to teach kimbo something too difficult for kimbo to grasp. I think you actors better stay in the movies. 1 knee make your nose look like special effects.”
The 28-year old — who had his own nose badly disfigured by a vicious flying knee in a split-decision loss to Vicente Luque — elaborated on his earlier thoughts and specified the actor he was referring to, explicitly mentioning Michael Jai White.
I just feel like #KimboSlice would beat the fuck outta @MichaelJaiWhite and his tone in the video really bothered me. He should fight me backyard bare knuckle because I would like to learn this “prison movie technique” he was talking about #PPV#Or#For#Free ???
“I just feel like #KimboSlice would beat the f*ck outta @MichaelJaiWhite and his tone in the video really bothered me. He should fight me backyard bare knuckle because I would like to learn this “prison movie technique” he was talking about #PPV #Or #For #Free.”
While there is a greater chance for Perry to star in the sequel to ‘Blood and Bone’ than this bout to come into fruition, ‘Platinum’ has made it clear, it’s not about financial gain and he would gladly fight the 52-year-old actor for free.
Despite coming off a loss to Geoff Neal at UFC 245, Perry (13-6) has remained a popular fixture among UFC fans due to his wild and unrelenting style. His outlandish personality outside of the octagon makes a call out of this nature unsurprising to many.
John Kavanagh and the McGregor coaching staff are committed to taking a hands-off, “don’t mess with the chef” approach to Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 246. Conor McGregor has reached the pinnacle of mixed martial arts as the first simultaneous double ch…
John Kavanagh and the McGregor coaching staff are committed to taking a hands-off, “don’t mess with the chef” approach to Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 246. Conor McGregor has reached the pinnacle of mixed martial arts as the first simultaneous double champion in the history of the UFC. He was able to land a flawless […]
“With Conor’s fighting IQ, with Conor’s understanding of the game, really, this training camp is about all of us getting out of his way.” John Kavanagh might be Conor McGregor’s head coach at SBG Ireland…
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
“With Conor’s fighting IQ, with Conor’s understanding of the game, really, this training camp is about all of us getting out of his way.”
John Kavanagh might be Conor McGregor’s head coach at SBG Ireland but, according to Kavanagh, McGregor is the one calling the shots in the training room.
Speaking to The MAC Life ahead of McGregor’s welterweight bout with Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, Kavanagh said ‘The Notorious’ gets to decide how hard he wants train and claims the Irishman knows more about the fight game than all of his coaches put together.
“With Conor’s fighting IQ, with Conor’s understanding of the game, really, this training camp is about all of us getting out of his way,” Kavanagh said, per MMA Fighting. “Provide him an environment where he gets different looks, different feels, and support him. Where he wants the training camp to go, with intensities, and listening to him – where he has days where he has days where he wants to push hard, and days where he wants to slow down.
“It’s not so much about us coaches sitting down to game plan and then filling Conor in. Conor knows more about fighting than the rest of us put together.”
This is a very unorthodox — and possibly dangerous — training strategy for McGregor, as most — if not all — fighters and athletes are subordinate to their coaching staff.
“It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off.”
UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone takes place on January 18 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Donald Cerrone explains why he can’t live without his extreme extra-curricular activities. Donald Cerrone often lives up to his ‘Cowboy’ nickname. From wakeboarding during fight week to a cave divi…
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
Donald Cerrone explains why he can’t live without his extreme extra-curricular activities.
Donald Cerrone often lives up to his ‘Cowboy’ nickname. From wakeboarding during fight week to a cave diving mishap that nearly killed him, the 36-year-old MMA veteran is living on the edge.
And if he was forced to live the normal life of a fighter, of just training and competing, Cerrone says it would drive him up the wall.
“I’d be one miserable son of a b-tch if all I had to do was wake up and train,” Cerrone said in his Amazon documentary series “More Than a Cowboy” (transcript by MMA Fighting). “Go to bed, think about training, that would drive me through the roof. When you’re out on those mountain bikes, or you’re out playing paintball and we’re shooting the guys and we’re riding the horses, riding the snowmobiles, it’s just a release.
“You just let everything else go and you just focus on that one moment or that thing that you’re doing, then we come back and we train and we keep playing harder.”
Cerrone says he is contractually barred from engaging in such activities. But he is able to continue do so because he always showed up to fight.
“There are clauses [in my contract] like I can’t ride horses, but I ride horses all the time,” Cerrone explained. “There’s a bunch of things in the clause – you can’t ride motorcycles, can’t jump mountain bikes – but I have never not shown up to a fight in my life.
“I’ve never missed weight. I’ve never been injured and not made it. I’ve been injured and still fought, of course. But I’ve never called and said, ‘Oh I can’t make it,’ or you call me with an opponent and [I] say, ‘Man, I just don’t know if that guy’s really going to work for me right now.’
“The answer’s always yes, and we show up and we fight, so I think they just let ‘Cowboy’ be ‘Cowboy,’ because I’m f—ng coming no matter what,” he added.
Cerrone will headline UFC 246 against the returning Conor McGregor on January 18 in Las Vegas.
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