UFC: Donald Cerrone admits ‘I didn’t wanna be there’ vs Conor McGregor – ‘I knew it two days before the fight’
- ‘Donald showed up, ‘Cowboy’ wasn’t there,’ says Cerrone of 40-second TKO defeat at UFC 246 in January
- ‘It was just hard. When I showed up there that morning, I wasn’t feeling it’
Donald Cerrone has opened up for the first time on the humiliation he felt in his 40-second defeat by Conor McGregor at UFC 246 in January.
Former featherweight and lightweight champion McGregor (22-4) made quick work to finish “Cowboy” (36, 14, one no contest) via TKO by strikes at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, on what was his return to the Octagon following a 14-month lay-off.
“No I didn’t [feel good],” Cerrone told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. “Donald showed up, ‘Cowboy’ wasn’t there. The wrong guy showed up. I couldn’t get going, couldn’t get excited, couldn’t get fired up.
“Didn’t wanna be there. Biggest fight, all the attention. My time to shine. I didn’t wanna be there. It was crazy, man. And I don’t know why. I don’t know how to change that. But it sucks. Sometimes I show up there and I’m ready, I’m fired up. Sometime I get there and I don’t even wanna be here.
“I knew it two days before the fight. It was just hard. But when I showed up there that morning, I wasn’t feeling it. If I had the answer I would’ve pulled out of it. I didn’t have the answer. I went there with my thumb in my ass, made it 40 seconds. So it was a f****** up deal. It sucked bad.”
Cerrone, who turned 37 last month, was heavily criticised for his performance in the welterweight bout, particularly by ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith, who said the American was “atrocious” and “gave up” after 15 seconds. Smith, in turn, received fierce criticism from MMA fans saying he did not understand the sport.