Cowboy: Red panty night doesn’t work like you think it does

On September 4, 2015, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and then lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos were taking part in a press conference.

“I can make you rich,” said McGregor to RDA. “I change your bum life. You fight me it’s a sell out. When you sign to fight me it’s a celebration. You ring back home, you ring your wife – ‘Baby we done it. We’re rich baby. Conor McGregor’s made us rich. Break out the red panties. We’re rich baby.”

A thus Red Panty Night became a thing. It’s shorthand for a cut worth millions of the pay per view proceeds. However, during a recent appearance on the Opie With Jim podcast, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone said it doesn’t work like that.

So, a lot of people say if you get the Conor fight, that’s the money,” explained Cerrone, as transcribed by Milan Ordoñez for BE. “Like, you hear people on the Internet, ‘That’s the money fight. He’s the money fight.’ It doesn’t work like that.

“I’m obligated under contract to make ‘X’ amount of dollars no matter who I fight. Unless you’re a champion, which Eddie is. Because when you’re a champion, you get the pay-per-view dollars.

If Eddie were to fight me, probably not as many pay-per-view dollars as bringing Conor in. So that’s smart fight for Eddie, 1000 percent not to pick me and to pick Conor. I understand that.

People are always telling me, ‘You need to take that Conor fight. That’s where the money is.’ I’m like, ‘Nah, it doesn’t work like that guys.’ I wish it did.

Donald Cerrone fights Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 205, on November 12, at Madison Square Garden, in New York City.