LAS VEGAS – There are hundreds of ways Donald Cerrone vs. Conor McGregor could play out Saturday night at UFC 246. Fighting is a game of inches, after all.
If his welterweight headlining bout was a novel and Cerrone (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC) was the author, though, he would write the script in one specific way. When speaking to MMA Junkie on Tuesday, “Cowboy” described the ideal manner in which he could possibly beat McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC).
“The best way? Head-kick knockout in the fourth round,” Cerrone said. “I want to (expletive) go in there and be tested, test him, and drag and drool and get some. I train hard for this. I’m here for this. There’s a lot of glory with knocking someone out right away. There’s more glory for me fighting and having to answer those questions in your mind.
“When you get wobbled, you get hurt, and you have to step back and bite to keep going? That’s the (expletive) sickness that I have that I love. If I could write it perfectly, it’d be a hard-ass, drag-him-through-the-dirt fight.”
Cerrone’s perfect UFC 246 scenario centers around him standing and trading with McGregor, who’s been submitted on multiple occasions. While some likely question this line of thinking, Cerrone has an answer for the critics. It’s his fight – not yours.
“I’m not fighting for any of you guys out there,” Cerrone said. “I’m fighting for me. That’s what I want to do. Then, everybody says, ‘Why don’t you just take Conor down?’ You don’t think Conor trains jiu-jitsu? You don’t think he’s got somewhat (of a ground game)? (Maybe) ever since he got submitted he’s been like, ‘Maybe I should work on that. Maybe I should work on my wrestling.’
“You think I can just walk out there and trip him like (that) and he’ll fall down? I’m sure he’s got good takedown defense, but I’m going out there to fight for me – not for anybody else. If I want to go out there and stand, can I take the (expletive) left hand? That’s for me to decide, and I can’t wait.”
UFC 246 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
