UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver - 3 things you need to know
Outspoken Irishman Conor McGregor is hoping to treat veteran Dennis Siver like a stepping stone as he continues his quest for the featherweight title at UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston, Mass. on Sunday night.
Here are three things you need to know:
McGregor is fighting for a title shot
Judging by the ridiculous marketing machine loudly chugging along behind the brash Irishman, it's obvious the UFC is in the Conor McGregor business. And business is good.
As such, they've given him a favorable matchup in Siver. A warm body with enough experience to make the fight relatively legitimate, but without the skills or style to derail the "Notorious" hype train (though anything can happen in MMA, see: Serra vs. St-Pierre I).
Unless he looks completely inept in victory, McGregor will be the next man to vie for Jose Aldo's featherweight crown. A potential scrap the could take place in a soccer stadium in either Ireland or Brazil.
"Again, tradition is, I enter the contest, remove a head and I carry it backstage with me. I place it on the table with the family: Lorenzo, Uncle Frank, Dana, and we toast to whiskey and discuss big business," McGregor told MMAFighting's Ariel Helwani. "On Sunday night when I do that and we toast that whiskey, I will discuss big business. I will hear what they have to say on the stadium matter because I haven't spoken to them yet. I will give my opinion on maybe what route we can go."
Donald Cerrone faces Benson Henderson for a third time
The friendliest foes face off for the third time in their careers when Donald Cerrone prepares to chuck knucks and exchange debilitating kicks with fellow WEC alum, Benson Henderson.
Showing the kind of brass balls normally reserved for brass statues, Cerrone agreed to step in for an ill-stricken Eddie Alvarez on just two weeks notice. Keep in mind that "Cowboy" accepted the fight mere days after dominating Myles Jury via unanimous decision.
That's right, you read that correctly. Donald Cerrone, in his second fight of the month, is facing a man who has already beaten him twice.
"Why not (take the fight)?" Cerrone asked reporters, according to BloodyElbow's Karim Zidan. "I'm in shape. Ben (Henderson) is a dangerous guy. I shouldn't take him on short notice, but it kind of works against him as well. He doesn't expect me on short notice."
That's a terrifyingly manly dude right there.
Parke's lightweight climb
Norman Parke isn't quite among the lightweight elite like Cerrone or Henderson, but a convincing victory over division stalwart Gleison Tibau could push him into the top-15.
The talented Irishman is 4-0-1 in the UFC, and is looking to take a gigantic leap in competition if he escapes Boston with a victory on Sunday night.
"I feel like nobody wants to fight the Russian, like they're dodging him," Parke told Ariel Helwani of his 155 pound contemporaries ducking Khabib Nurmagomedov. "If I get past Tibau, that would be perfect. No one is going to rag-doll me about."
At this point, a meeting with the Dagestani buzzsaw is unlikely. Khabib is in line for a title shot, while Parke sits outside the upper echelon, hungry for a chance to prove himself on a larger scale.
Still, Parke's ambition and willingness to step in the cage with Nurmagomedov is refreshing, and it's that kind of drive that should see him face a few elite 155-pounders in 2015.