UFC lightweight contender Donald Cerrone says that contract negotiations for a fight against UFC superstar Conor McGregor are ‘looking good’ and he expects something to get signed soon.

McGregor announced last week that he is targeting a return to the Octagon at UFC 246 on January 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cerrone and Justin Gaethje are the two fighters who are under consideration to fight McGregor, and at this time it appears that Cerrone has the inside track to get the fight.

Speaking to TMZ, Cerrone said he believes he’s close to getting a fight against McGregor booked after a possible matchup between them has fallen through in the past.

“I think it’s going to happen this time. I really do. Conor’s really serious about making a comeback,” Cerrone said. “I think Conor’s side and our team have reached out. We’re trying to figure it out, man. It’s looking good though.”

In the interview, Cerrone tells McGregor point-blank to sign the contract.

“Sign the damn deal, man. Let’s get this done,” Cerrone said.

With McGregor and Cerrone both coming off of losses, a fight between these two makes a lot of sense for the Irishman’s comeback fight.

Conor McGregor has not fought since a submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018. In fact, he hasn’t won a fight since a KO win over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016. However, he remains one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster.

As for Cerrone, 2019 hasn’t been a great year for him. He started off the year with an upset win over Alexander Hernandez back in January, but he lost by TKO to Tony Ferguson in June and then was knocked out by Justin Gaethje in September. Still, he remains a very popular fighter and one whose style makes for the perfect opponent for McGregor’s return.

Do you believe the fight between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone will eventually get signed?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/29/2019.