Stephen A. Smith Doesn’t Care What McGregor, Rogan Say: I Will Not Apologize
Stephen A. Smith landed in hot water with the mixed martial arts (MMA) community last month during his broadcast coverage of UFC 246.
Smith was on site for the pay-per-view (PPV) event from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event of the night, Conor McGregor took out Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in just 40 seconds after a masterful performance. After the show, Smith said he was “disgusted” by Cerrone’s performance, accusing the longtime veteran of quitting. Smith took a ton of backlash from the MMA community for his comments, with Joe Rogan and Conor McGregor even chiming in.
McGregor even suggested that Smith should apologize for his comments about Cerrone. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on ESPN Radio, Smith said he won’t apologize for suggesting that the lights were too bright for “Cowboy.” (H/T MMA News)
“If you’re telling me to apologize for using the word ‘quit’ or whatever, fine that’s no problem but don’t tell me that the guy wasn’t in over his head, don’t tell me the guy didn’t look like the bright light was just too big or too great for him. Don’t tell me that it didn’t illuminate on him so much that he didn’t seem to be able to handle the pressure of the moment. I’m not apologizing for that.”
Smith went on the praise McGregor, who he labeled as an “elite” competitor despite his several submission losses throughout his career. The ESPN analyst appreciates that McGregor never fails to truly “show up” when the lights are brightest.
“Conor McGregor as far as I’m concerned, despite four losses on his resume is elite. And one of the biggest reasons he is elite even though he’s tapped out a couple of times or so is this reality, he shows up. He shows up for the big events and the big events never seem to be too much for him. Conor McGregor’s not gonna be somebody that goes out there and beats himself. You wanna beat him you’re gonna have to literally do that, beat him.”
Even with the likes of McGregor, Rogan, and more giving him flack, Smith remains firm on his stance. Smith maintains he has a tremendous amount of respect for both Rogan and McGregor, even when the UFC commentator suggested he’d prefer a fighter to take Smith’s place in the UFC broadcast, but they’ll simply have to agree to disagree on this topic.
“I will not apologize and I will not backtrack from my position. I don’t care what Conor McGregor or Joe Rogan says, although I profoundly respect both. We will just have to respectfully disagree on what we saw.”
McGregor didn’t call anyone out after UFC 246, unlike how he usually does. Initially, fights against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jorge Masvidal, Kamaru Usman, and more were discussed. Given McGregor wants to compete before this summer, the only likely opponents available at the moment are Nate Diaz and Justin Gaethje. It will be interesting to see if McGregor decides to wait and see how things play out for the next several months before fighting again.
What do you think about Smith saying he won’t apologize for his comments about Cerrone?
