Conor McGregor Backs Joe Rogan in Criticism of Stephen A Smith's Claim That Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone Quit
By Mark Powell
From one UFC fighter to another, Conor McGregor has Cowboy Cerrone's back.
Stephen A Smith is catching heat for his criticism of Cerrone's performance against McGregor at UFC 246, in which he essentially stated Cowboy quit on the fight.
“Here’s the deal: 15 seconds in, ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone was done. He got hit with those shoulders in the clinch, and he was done. It look like he gave up. It was just an atrocious performance on his part,” Smith said at the time.
Joe Rogan has since come out against Smith's comments, and the 'First Take' analyst responded in a Twitter video on Saturday.
You're wrong on this one, @joerogan. pic.twitter.com/eU140zXlcW
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 26, 2020
Smith doubled down on his comments, which he tends to do given his outspoken nature. Pardon our pun, but the fight wouldn't end there.
Cerrone's opponent and adversary, Conor McGregor, chimed in to set Smith straight. While the Irishman is known for his sometimes unstable personality, he's been surprisingly down-to-earth in recent months. McGregor's response to Smith was professional, and ought to end the conversation entirely.
The call you discuss here is A+. I didn’t show enough. I’m not paid by the hour though. Joe’s comments however, come from you saying the opposition fighter quit. Broken nose/orbital bone say different. Fighting is vicious. Those who make the walk deserve full respect!
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 26, 2020
Apologise.
Maybe Stephen A. just has something against all Cowboys? In this case, it's simply not warranted. Cerrone is a UFC legend, and deserves more credit than he's been given by a pundit that, by all accounts, does not understand the sport nearly as much as he should to speak on such matters.