Conor McGregor says ‘see you in 2020’ and tells Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone to enjoy Christmas dinner
CONOR MCGREGOR has sparked the first back and forth with Donald Cerrone by telling his rival to enjoy his Christmas dinner before he sees him in 2020.
The Notorious has not fought since his crushing defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018.
Yet the 31-year-old stunned fans by confirmed he will return to the Octagon in a welterweight non-title bout against Cowboy.
And the Irishman got fans excited for his January 18 comeback by leaving his rival a personal message on Instagram.
Cerrone uploaded a picture of himself relaxing in a swimming pool with the caption: "Let this Soak in! This will be my 51st MMA fight and I plan to add new numbers to all these list come January 18.
"I hold the all-time UFC record for wins with 23. I hold the all-time UFC record for finishes with 16.
"I hold the all-time UFC record for post-fight bonus awards with 18. I hold the all-time UFC record in knockdowns with 20.
"I hold the all-time UFC record with seven knockouts via kicks."
Happy holidays to you and the family, from the McGregor's here in Ireland. See you in 20/20 with bullseye vision
Conor McGregor to Donald Cerrone
Unlike the infamous verbal sparring McGregor engaged with Khabib ahead of their clash last October, the Notorious offered up some words of kindness to Cerrone.
He commented: "Good man Donald, enjoy the Christmas dinner. Happy holidays to you and the family, from the McGregor's here in Ireland.
"See you in 20/20 with bullseye vision."
One man who isn't so thrilled by McGregor's fight with Cerrone is rival Dustin Poirier, who was angling for a rematch against the Irishman.
The American, who was beaten by the Notorious at featherweight in 2014, had reckoned another bout between the two made more sense.
He told MMA Fighting: “I respect Cowboy and everything he’s done but I do think he’s on the back end of his career.
“It’s ‘Cowboy,’ he can show up and submit or knock out Conor as well. I’m not counting the guy completely out but I do think that is a more favorable fight for him on his return.
Most Read In Sport
“Fight a guy who’s been KO’d or TKO’d twice in his past two fights? I’m not a matchmaker. I think me and [McGregor] makes more sense.”
McGregor, 31, revealed he plans to fight three times in 2020, facing either Nate Diaz or Jorge Masvidal before again challenging lightweight king Nurmagomedov.
He also recently shared an incredible body transformation picture ahead of his UFC comeback.
