Cowboy Cerrone is a man who loves to fight. That much is well known. Yet he’s been out of action since January, which feels like years given the pace Cerrone fights at. That’s mainly because, after losing to Jorge Masvidal earlier this year, UFC President Dana White decided Donald Cerrone needed a break. In essence, he put him in a time out.
Today, at the UFC’s Media Lunch event for UFC 213, featuring Cerrone and UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, Cerrone (32–8 (1)) shed a little more light into his approach to fighting at this point in his career. And, truth be told, not a lot has changed for Cowboy, who simply loves to fight. And he’s really looking forward to fighting his next foe, Robbie Lawler.
“There’s no place I’d rather be than in that motherf*****” Cerrone said of the octagon. “And then throwing down with one of the greatest? I’m loving it, every minute of it.” Cowboy has an upcoming bout in July at UFC 213 against former welterweight champ Lawler. So with a win, what about the possibility of a title shot? Is Robbie someone on the backside of his career? As Cerrone himself pointed out, Lawler is “number two” in the division (currently he’s ranked second in the division by the UFC).
“I don’t give a f***, I just like fighting man” was Cerrone’s blunt and honest reply. “At the end of the day, if I end up getting that belt then f***ing great. If I don’t, then I had such a good run, I love it” he continued. “I love it, it’s my passion. For me that’s the highest pinnacle of my life, doing what I love every f****** day.”
“I’m doing it my way. This is what I want to do. I feel like I’m retired now, I’m living my life backwards. Once the UFC says no more, I’ll go get a real job.” It’s hard to imagine Cerrone in a real job.
It’s unlikely that will happen any time soon. Even should his welterweight run stall, there’s plenty of opportunities remaining back at lightweight as well. Especially for a guy as willing to fight as Cowboy Cerrone. The fighter explained that he was practically begging for a fight, only to be told no repeatedly. When he finally got his wish, “they gave me the date way before I found out, I didn’t know who I was fighting. Then they called me and said “Robbie”, I was like ‘yup.'”
And on Dana White and the UFC giving him that time out? “You have to protect me from myself sometimes.”
