Farah Hannoun: Right fight, wrong weight class
Conor McGregor is back, and he’ll be taking on a very game Donald Cerrone. But I have one issue with this fight: It’s at welterweight. I’m not quite sure why it was booked at 170 pounds, whether it was short notice due to negotiations stalling, or what. But this fight should have been at lightweight. McGregor looks best physically at lightweight, and Cerrone is a former UFC lightweight title challenger.
McGregor has mentioned a specific path that entailed Jan. 18, followed by recent “BMF” belt winner Jorge Masvidal, then finally a rematch with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, which could be why this fight is at welterweight. But if the end goal is the 155-pound belt, and you’re taking on a guy who has competed at lightweight for the majority of his career, then why not just fight him at 155 pounds?
I do like the matchup, though, for several reasons. First of all, Cerrone does bring name value in regard to a pay-per-view main event opponent for McGregor. He’s been in there with just about everyone, and it’s nice to see him getting this big payday opportunity.
While he is coming off back-to-back losses, people have to remember that McGregor has only competed in MMA once in the past two years and has not been that active. Not that Cerrone is a tune-up fight of any sorts – he’s a dangerous striker with a very underrated ground game, and the ability to finish the fight anywhere – but putting McGregor up against a streaking Masvidal or Justin Gaethje right out of the gate wouldn’t have been the most logical move.
The one risky point for McGregor is he may not get that much credit for beating Cerrone and will likely be in a very tough spot should he lose. But since it’s been a while since he’s been active, I believe Cerrone is the right opponent for his comeback fight – just not at welterweight.
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