‘Cowboy’ Donald Cerrone was supposed to be fighting ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor in his next fight. The two were in talks about the fight with the UFC, but after coming close it failed to materialise. ‘Cowboy’ turned down the fight when he realised that it was getting pushed again and again. As a result, Cowboy is competing this week against former UFC Lightweight Title Contender Al Iaquinta at UFC Ottawa.
Recently, Cerrone spoke out about a misconception that is prevalent in the world of MMA. He clarified that fights against Conor McGregor did not mean huge paydays for everyone involved. He admitted that while McGregor might be getting paid, his opponent might only get a little bump.
Since the buys of the pay-per-view were already done with the new ESPN deal, the fighter would be paid according to the contract they had signed with the company.
“Everyone thinks you fight Conor, you get paid. We’re under contract, man. Now with the ESPN thing, the pay-per-view buys are already done. It’s not like we get – so it’s a big misconception. Conor might get paid. ‘Cowboy’ might get a little bump, but it’s not a $10 million night for me by any means.” – h/t MMA Junkie
‘Cowboy’ has a clear vision for what he needs to do in the UFC, and none of it involves sitting around. He wants to make money, but he feels he knows how to do it — a fight against Conor McGregor isn’t it.
“I need to go get this belt. That’s where the real money is. Aside from the money, I love it – fighting three, four times a year. I enjoy the training camp. I enjoy this. The whole process to me, I’m going to miss the (expletive) out of it when I’m done. Right now I’m in it, and I love it.” h/t MMA Junkie
It’s good that Cerrone likes fighting because he is in for a hell of a fight against Al Iaquinta at UFC Fight Night 151. The two will battle it out in the main event of the night.