Gone are the days when a fight against Conor McGregor would earn you a life-changing amount of money, according to Donald Cerrone.
Cerrone was in talks to welcome McGregor back to the Octagon this summer but that fight fell by the wayside after ‘The Notorious’ reportedly refused to compete in a co-main event unless he was rewarded with shares in the company, resulting in McGregor’s bizarre retirement announcement which he quickly rowed back on.
Cerrone was not prepared to wait around for McGregor and instead accepted a bout against Al Iaquinta, which will take place on Saturday night.
And ‘Cowboy’ has explained why he’s not too disappointed by missing out on the McGregor fight, revealing that the UFC’s new deal with ESPN means that the payday that comes with a shot at McGregor is not as huge as it once was when the pay-per-view buy rate was the be all and end all.
“I don’t know about this payday talk,” Cerrone said at a media day for UFC on ESPN+ 9, via MMA Junkie. “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.
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“Conor might get paid. ‘Cowboy’ might get a little bump, but it’s not a $10 million night for me by any means.”
McGregor had previously taunted opponents with suggestions that everyone was calling him out for a ‘red panty night’, meaning that fighters’ wives would celebrate their husband getting a shot against McGregor due to the life-changing amount of money that would be guaranteed.
And while Cerrone would happily share the Octagon with the Irishman down the line, he’s not fixated on that fight and is instead looking at a different path to big money.
“I need to go get this belt,” Cerrone said. “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 fuck out of it when I’m done. Right now I’m in it, and I love it.”
