Conor McGregor Accepts Donald Cerrone’s Callout: “I’ll Fight You”

After notching an impressive win at UFC Fight Night 143, Donald Cerrone is eyeing a fight with Conor McGregor. It turns out, the former UFC champ wants a piece of him too.
Conor McGregor Accepts Donald Cerrone’s Callout: “I’ll Fight You”
Conor McGregor Accepts Donald Cerrone’s Callout: “I’ll Fight You” /

You always have to take something said by a fighter with a grain of salt (see: every retirement ever), but if tweets are to be believed, we may see Conor McGregor fight Donald Cerrone in the Octagon sometime soon.

Shortly after notching an impressive secound-round submission of Alexander Hernandez at UFC Fight Night 143 in Brooklyn, “Cowboy” Cerrone called out McGregor as an opponent he’d love to face. 

“I want top five now. I’ll take Conor if he agrees to it," Cerrone said. "I’m coming for the belt. I’m on a roll. Here I come.”

It didn't take long for McGregor to respond. And as it turned out, he loved that idea.

While Cerrone (35-11) is an unlikely contender, he is a fan favorite and would provide a big name for McGregor to match up with. The 35-year-old has won his last two fights, beating Mike Perry by submission back in November, but lost four of his previous five fights before that.

McGregor is coming off a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October and has been looking for his next match. While many assume a rematch with Khabib is inevitable, the two fighters remain in limbo following their brawl at UFC 229. The Nevada Athletic Commission is currently conducting an investigation to determine who should be punished and for how long. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 29.

After UFC Fight Night 143, UFC president Dana White said he was open to the idea of McGregor-Cerrone, especially if it's what the fans want.

Cerrone also earned Fight of the Night honors from White on Saturday for his second-round TKO of Hernandez.


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Matt Dollinger
MATT DOLLINGER

Matt Dollinger is the NBA editor for SI.com. An Indiana University graduate and Bloomington, Ind. native, Matt joined Sports Illustrated in 2010.