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                                                                                                       SPORTS Tuesday 3 december 2019
            UFC's toughest 'Cowboy' set for career fight vs. McGregor




            By DAN GELSTON               only the second time in 38
            AP Sports Writer             months  and  the  first  time
            Donald  Cerrone  posted  since he was choked out by
            a  booze-fueled  photo  to  Khabib  Nurmagomedov  in
            hype  his  anticipated  fight  October 2018. Cerrone will
            against  Conor  McGregor:  continue to add to his leg-
            A  bottle  of  Cerrone's  pre-  acy as MMA's busiest fight-
            ferred  cheap  American-     er  —  he  fought  four  times
            style beer vs. the Irish fight-  in 2019 (2-2) and holds the
            er's own whiskey.            UFC career record for wins
            Cerrone has eschewed Mc-     (23)  and  most  finishes  (16)
            Gregor's Proper No. Twelve  in company history.
            whiskey, but the winningest  Cerrone  doesn't  necessar-
            fighter in UFC history finally  ily  believe  his  grind-it-out
            takes his shot at the hard li-  schedule  holds  an  ad-
            quor's founder in a January  vantage  over  McGregor's
            fight  at  least  five  years  in  elongated rest period.
            the making. UFC fans have  "I don't know if I believe in all
            buzzed for years about the  that ring rust stuff," Cerrone
            potential  brouhaha  be-     said.  "I  don't  know  if  that's   In this Jan. 18, 2015 photo Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone is seen after a fight at UFC Fight Night in
            tween  McGregor,  the  big-  an  actual  thing.  He's  very   Boston.
            gest  star  in  the  sport,  and  talented,  won  two  world                                                                    Associated Press
            the hard-living fighter better  titles,  went  in  there  with
            known as "Cowboy." Once  Floyd  Mayweather.  I  don't  wins and a regular fight of  Cerrone  said.  "Everyone  training camp home of Al-
            the  fight  was  announced  think a year or a couple of  the night winner).            would  get  their  hopes  up  buquerque,  New  Mexico.
            last  week,  the  prospect  of  years off is going to matter.  "I'm like my own worst ene-  and  then  it  wouldn't  go  "My pace, my cardio, I plan
            some four-letter-word trash  Who the (heck) knows? I'm  my, for sure," Cerrone said.  through.  It  was  like,  yeah,  on  really  putting  on  the
            talking between two of the  coming in full guns a blaz-   "My  coaches  say  all  the  right, it's not going to hap-  pressure." Cerrone signed a
            biggest mouths in the sport  ing, man. My camp's excit-   time,  don't  take  that  fight.  pen.  Then  the  contract  new mutli-fight deal as part
            was dimmed — at least for  ed about this fight."          I definitely could have had  came  sliding  across,  and  I  of the McGregor bout and
            now  —  when  McGregor  His cowboy hat always on,  better opportunities if I was  was like,  oh  (wow),  here  it  has no plans to slow down,
            went on social media and  Cerrone  has  grown  into  sitting  and  waiting.  But  I  is."                           no  matter  the  outcome.
            wished  Cerrone's  family  a  one  of  the  more  popular  love  it.  I  love  chasing  this  Cerrone is ready for a "fun  He's dabbled in acting and
            happy holiday. McGregor's  fighters in UFC with his fight  crazy feeling."             as  hell"  fight  night  in  a  says he wants to put his UFC
            friendly  acknowledgment  anyone, any time style and  He  waited  out  McGregor  matchup  that  might  have  records far out of reach for
            came with a steely caveat,  who always seems up for a  for  what  is  expected  to  been  more  enticing  two  the next generation of stars.
            " See you in 20/20 with bulls-  good time. The 36-year-old  be  the  richest  payday  of  or  three  years  ago.  The  He trains at the BMF Ranch,
            eye vision."                 Cerrone (a +190 underdog)  his career. The seeds were  fight  has  already  seem-      part  of  another  nickname
            "This is the fight that every-  has done it all, except win  planted when Cerrone first  ingly become more about  that's made him one of the
            one wants to see," Cerrone  a  UFC  championship.  His  called out McGregor when  how  McGregor  will  look  in  more respected fighters in-
            said.  "I  don't  even  know  method  of  cramming  as  they  shared  the  UFC  Fight  his  return  than  what  a  win  side the cage.
            why  we  have  to  have  a  many fights as he can into  Night card in January 2015.  would  mean  for  Cerrone's  Up next, the fight of a life-
            media tour. This fight is go-  the  shortest  window  has  They shared a dais in 2015  career. But while McGregor  time.
            ing to sell itself. He's done a  perhaps  at  times  prevent-  to promote upcoming UFC  has  been  caught  up  in  a  "What I want to do is get all
            great job of promoting him-  ed the patience necessary  cards  and  promptly  took  string  of  legal  woes  during  of America to back me like
            self  and  becoming  Conor  needed to wait for a major  aim at each other. Cerrone  his  time  off,  Cerrone  has  Ireland does him," Cerrone
            McGregor."                   title  shot.  Cerrone's  losses  continued   through   the  remained in about an end-  said, laughing. "That's what
            The  170-pound  bout  is  set  this year were to Tony Fer-  years to pressure McGregor  less cycle of training.     I  want.  If  there's  a  guy  for
            to  headline  UFC  246  on  guson  (on  a  12-fight  win-  to  kickstart  his  comeback  "My  wrestling  is  far  supe-  America  to  stand  behind,
            Jan.  18  at  T-Mobile  Arena  ning streak and set to fight  and fight him.            rior," Cerrone said Monday  it's  the  blue-collar,  beer-
            in Las Vegas. McGregor will  Nurmagomedov)  and  Jus-     "This fight was going to hap-  by  phone  on  his  way  to  a  drinking Cowboy. I think I'm
            fight inside the octagon for  tin  Gaethje  (three  straight  pen  three  or  four  times,"  swim  workout  outside  his  the man."q
               Manfred meets with Bernie Sanders over minor league proposal


                                                                       NEW YORK (AP) — Demo-      primarily  would  impact  done so prudently and for
                                                                       cratic  presidential  candi-  lower-level teams in short-  the  benefit  of  all  citizens.
                                                                       date  Bernie  Sanders  met  season  leagues.  Sanders,  "MLB  also  must  ensure
                                                                       Monday  with  baseball  a  senator  from  Vermont,  that minor league players
                                                                       Commissioner  Rob  Man-    sent  Manfred  a  letter  on  have  safe  playing  facili-
                                                                       fred  to  discuss  MLB's  pro-  Nov. 25 calling the plan "a  ties suitable for the devel-
                                                                       posal  to  that  would  drop  disaster  for  baseball  fans,  opment  of  professional
                                                                       42  minor  league  teams  workers  and  communities  baseball  players,  are  not
                                                                       from  their  leagues  after  throughout  the  country."  subjected  to  unreason-
                                                                       the  2020  season.  MLB  is  MLB  issued  a  statement  able travel demands, are
                                                                       negotiating a new agree-   Monday  saying  it  "under-  provided with compensa-
                                                                       ment with the National As-  stands  that  we  have  an  tion  and  working  condi-
               Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred speaks to the media at   sociation  of  Professional  obligation  to  local  com-  tions  appropriate  for  elite
               the  owners  meeting  in  Arlington,  Texas,  Thursday,  Nov.  21,   Baseball   Leagues,   the  munities  to  ensure  that  athletes,  and  have  a  op-
               2019.                                                   governing body of the mi-  public  money  spent  on  portunity  of  making  it  to
                                                      Associated Press
                                                                       nors.  The  initial  proposal  minor  league  stadiums  is  the major leagues."q
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