LAS VEGAS – One of the first people to congratulate [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] on his UFC 246 victory came from the opposing side.
After the official decision, McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] gave their post-fight interviews inside the cage. Cerrone, the bout’s loser, went second. As soon as he was finished, McGregor embraced him in a showing of respect. Moments later, Cerrone’s biggest fan, his grandmother, hugged the Irishman in the center of the cage.
Jerry Cerrone hugging the man who just brutalized her grandson in 40 seconds will likely be a powerful image for years to come. At the UFC 246 post-fight news conference, McGregor was asked about the embrace and what was said. McGregor voiced respect for Grandma Cerrone, who has become a staple of “Cowboy’s” fights.
“She’s just a phenomenal woman, that lady,” McGregor told MMA Junkie. “She’s there from the first fight of the night to the final fight of the night. Even after the bout, she came over and showed me respect. I showed her respect, and it was great to finally meet her.
“You see her. She’s a prevalent part of the game, isn’t she? Donald’s fought so much, and that lady is there from the start of the fight to the finish. What a lady. What a man she’s raised. I’m very, very, very honored to share the cage with Donald. I’m very proud. He’s a good man, and he’s got good people behind him. Much respect.”
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Check out the embrace in the video clip below:
Grandma Cerrone embraced @TheNotoriousMMA as well #UFC246 pic.twitter.com/nBfJrgAgSp
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 19, 2020
UFC 246 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
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