Conor McGregor ridiculed for picking ‘easy’ fight against Donald Cerrone in cheeky dig from manager of arch rival Khabib
CONOR McGREGOR is taking the easy option for his UFC return, according to the manager of his bitter rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.
After months of speculation from 'Mac' hinting at an MMA return, it was announced earlier this week that the Irishman will face Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at UFC 246 on January 18, 2020.
But that fight doesn't excite Khabib's manager Ali Abdelaziz.
McGregor called out Nurmagomedov and his camp on multiple occasions in the lead up to their infamous UFC 229 fight on Oct 7 2018.
The former two-division champion mocked the Russian fighter's culture and religion. He even went as far as to attack the Nurmagomedov team on a bus.
However, the Russian champion got his revenge in the Octagon.
He submitted McGregor in the fourth round via neck crank and successfully defended his lightweight title.
‘The Notorious’ hasn’t fought since their UFC 229 bout.
While Abdelaziz says he has no bad blood towards Cerrone, his recent Instagram image took a swipe at the level Cerrone is at.
He took aim at both lightweight contenders by implying that McGregor has taken the easy way out by agreeing to fight the 'Cowboy'.
And Abdelaziz believes a fight against Justin Gaethje would pose a greater.
WELTERWEIGHT BELT THE TARGET?
He said: "I’m happy for cowboy he got the fight. I still believe he is gonna win but @justin_gaethje was the fight to take if you want to fight for a LW title.
"When you fight Justin it’s kill or be killed and he knows it but it’s all good."
Gaethje was a rumoured opponent for McGregor and defeated Cerrone by KO during his last fight.
He is ranked number four in the lightweight division and is looking for the next fight opportunity to inch him closer towards the lightweight title.
Gaethje is also coming off three first-round victories, whilst Cerrone is riding back-to-back losses.
'The Notorious' is ranked number three in the lightweight division, one spot above Gaethje. Cerrone is currently ranked number five.
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Gaethje has also baited McGregor on countless occasions and has tried every tactic in the book to get him to fight.
However, the UFC 246 announcement this week proved McGregor’s sights are set elsewhere.
McGregor is also entering the 170-pound division to fight Cerrone. As a result, he may be looking for a shot at the welterweight title instead of the redeeming the lightweight belt.
