Donald Cerrone is the favorite pick for McGregor’s return to the UFC.
With McGregor’s January 18th return to the UFC fast approaching, all eyes are on his camp to see who and how he’ll be fighting. He hasn’t participated in any UFC events since getting brutalized by Nurmagomedov back at the UFC 229 in October. The favorite pick to fight is Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
In an interview with MMAJunkie, McGregor’s coach, Owen Roddy, said McGregor was not in peak conditioning during his last fight: “It was a tricky fight, and take nothing away from Khabib, he came in with a great gameplan. He got off, and he executed. But I just don’t think Conor was anywhere near the best of his ability. He wasn’t as good as he can be, and Conor on a night, at 100 percent, can beat anybody in the world.”
It stands to reason that, with just over a years’ worth extra training under his belt, McGregor would be more than ready to face a new foe. Cerrone could be a real challenger to McGregor’s title. He’s known for his signature kicks to the head that have knocked out more than a half dozen of his opponents. It’s hard to place where McGregor’s at as a fighter right now because of how long he’s been out of the ring, but if he comes back in fighting shape, he could easily have Cerrone beat in terms of punches and jabs.
For now, McGregor’s coaches have only one goal in mind: get their man in the UFC again.
“I think everybody just wants to see Conor back in the UFC, bring back that spectacle that is his fights. Nobody does it like Conor, and for me, I just want to see him back in there. Whatever happens after that, who knows?”
