Donald Cerrone said he was hurt by Dana White’s comments after his last fight.
After Cerrone and Niko Price fought to a draw, which marked Cerrone’s fifth straight fight without a win, White said he would have to talk to “Cowboy” about retirement.
“The win for him tonight was he was on his way out in the first 30-seconds of the first round,” White said of Cerrone. “He fought back, he’s tough, he’s durable and I love Cowboy and I know this is going to f***ing crush him and break his heart but it’s time to have a conversation with him… I need to talk to him. Me and him need to have a conversation.”
After those comments, many wondered if Cerrone would get another UFC fight. Yet, he ended up getting one more as he was booked against Diego Sanchez at UFC Vegas 26. Unfortunately, Sanchez was released from the UFC and Alex Morono stepped in on short notice.
With Morono stepping up, Cerrone says he’s looking to put him away early. He knows the pressure is still on him to get a win and prove to White he still can be a high-level UFC fighter.
“Hell yeah it hurts,” Cerrone said at media day. “What do you mean? Of course. We took a little slower approach this year, but I don’t know. I am getting old. I am. I need to slow my fighting down a little bit, for sure. Let my head heal – but sh*t, we’re ready.
“Doing that grappling tournament with (Rafael dos Anjos) was like the best thing I ever did. It got me excited into jiu-jitsu again,” Cerrone added. “It got me excited and training and fired up. I shouldn’t say fired up, because it’s not like the fire ever left. I hate that term. In a way, I got excited about it again.
“I fell back in love with jiu-jitsu, and I’m excited to go out there and participate. I keep trying to find something to fill the void,” Cerrone continued. “Racing, I do it every day all day long, and I get excited, nervous. Saturday I get to do the most exciting and nervous thing I’ve ever done, and every time I love it. I feel good. Team’s good. Body’s good. Can’t wait.”
Prior to the draw with Price, Donald Cerrone has a controversial decision loss to Anthony Pettis at UFC 249. He suffered TKO loss to Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, and Tony Ferguson before that. However, those are three of the best lightweights in the world, so it’s hard to know if Cowboy is past his prime.
Regardless, Cerrone is looking to put on a show on Saturday and remind everyone including White he is here to stay.
Do you think Donald Cerrone will beat Alex Morono?
