Getty Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone during a press conference ahead of his UFC Fight Night bout against Leon 'Rocky' Edwards.
The UFC 246 press conference has come and gone, but the conversation about Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s best chance of winning against Conor “Notorious” McGregor is still here.
It sounds like Cowboy is tired of hearing that he needs to take McGregor down and use his world-class ground game to beat the Irishman.
John Morgan from MMA Junkie asked Cerrone during the press conference, “I keep hearing you say ‘I’m going to stand and trade. I’m going to give the fans the fight that they want to see.’ But a lot of us believe that your Jiu-Jitsu is probably superior [to McGregor’s]. Can you tell us where Jiu-Jitsu ranks, or grappling ranks, in the game plan? Like is it plan B, or is it anywhere in there?”
Well, Donald Cerrone has strong feelings about people thinking that he should take McGregor down in the fight.
He answers, “For all you analysts and experts that are asking these questions, you would be f—king stupid to think that [McGregor] doesn’t have wrestling defense or some kind of grappling defense. So for me just to walk in and be like ‘oh I’m just going to take him down and submit him,’ get a f—king real life man. We gotta go in there, and we gotta fight our a—ses off. That’s what’s gotta happen.”
Judging just from this quote from Cerrone, it sounds like he won’t be relying much on his ground game Saturday night. However, when the cage locks and the action presses, Cowboy may change up his game plan to give himself the best chance of winning.
Follow the Heavy on UFC Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
UFC 246 Is a Massive Night for the Cowboy
The fight on Saturday night has the potential of being a career-defining moment for Cowboy. If he gets his hand raised in victory, he will prove a lot of doubters wrong, get a win over the biggest MMA star in history and make a ton of cash.
The outcome of Cerrone’s last two bouts has been a factor in many fans’ and journalists’ eyes when determining who has the best chance of winning. Cowboy has been finished twice since June 2019, which has made some people skeptical of the 36-year-old’s chance of withstanding the left hand of McGregor.
If Cowboy gets past Notorious at UFC 246, he will show many people that his losses haven’t defined him. He will also earn a victory over a highly-ranked opponent, which will keep him in the conversation of a top-contender fight.
READ NEXT: Real-Life Cowboy Cerrone a Real Problem for McGregor?