White: Win Over Cerrone ‘Crucial’ For McGregor’s Future

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor has high hopes for his return to action in 2020 as the Irishman aims to win three fights next year ending with a rematch with undefeated lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov.

McGregor, who has fought just once inside of the Octagon since knocking out Eddie Alvarez back in 2016, has always reached for the stars in his combat career. From his early success in UFC to his massive super fight with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., “Notorious” has a long track record of cashing in on his goals.

That said, if McGregor wishes to fight three times in 2020 and end his comeback campaign with a title fight opposite “Eagle” he must first get past Donald Cerrone next month at UFC 246. According to UFC president Dana White, McGregor’s performance against “Cowboy” will dictate everything else moving forward.

“He has been training hard, he has been getting ready for this moment,” White said on the Stephen A. Smith show. “The problem is, Stephen A. you’ve seen this, not just in fighting but in other sports, when a guy has 100 and something million dollars, he’s young, he’s famous and now he is unbelievably rich, it is hard to keep the train on the tracks for some guys. That has definitely been Conor McGregor.

“I think he is at a point now where he realizes he needs to get his act together. This win over ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone if he can pull it off is crucial in his career right now and his future. So, he is taking it very serious, he wants to stay active. That is why this fight is at 170 and hopefully we will get three good fights from him this year.”

McGregor, who has made more headlines for his actions outside of the cage than inside of it over the past few years, is trying to re-insert himself into the UFC pecking order and prove that he still has what it takes to be a successful MMA fighter at the highest level. Losing to Khabib last year wasn’t the most disappointing thing McGregor could have endured, but it has seemingly lit a fire under his butt to focus solely on fighting in 2020.

We’ll find out one way or another if “Notorious” can regain his stranglehold on the competition, take out “Cowboy” next month at UFC 246, score a massive superfight with Jorge Masvidal, and then land his awaited rematch with Nurmagomedov.