Putting Jackson-Wink MMA on blast, Donald Cerrone pulled no punched about the state of the gym on the Joe Rogan Experience this week — but Mike Winkeljohn and Diego Sanchez have fired back.
Cowboy Cerrone is coming out shooting. Cerrone, who was a longtime member of Jackson–Winkeljohn MMA Academy, is livid after he says Mike Winkeljohn chose to train Mike Perry ahead of their upcoming bout. As a result, owners Greg Jackson and Winkeljohn asked Cerrone to leave the gym. Cerrone aired the grievance on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.
“I stuck by Greg, even when the gym started going down,” Cerrone said of the fight camp. “When Winkeljohn merged over, all the big pros left, it turned into like a puppy mill.”
“Back when Greg had it, and it was its own school, you couldn’t turn up to a pro class. Some guy couldn’t just come here and knock on your door…” Cerrone explained, saying Greg Jackson no longer runs the gym. “Next thing you know he has shin pads on and he’s sparring.”
With Jackson stepping back, Cerrone created the BMF Ranch, but had still hoped to train at Jackson-Wink. He was stood up in his tracks by Winkeljohn, however, Cowboy said.
“‘You know what, I thought about it and if we don’t have Perry, then I don’t get paid, and I need to get paid for this,’” Cerrone expained on the show about what he was told at the gym. “Basically [Mike Winkeljohn] tells me I’m no longer welcome in the gym.”
“If it was Carlos Condit [a longtime Jackson-Wink member], I agree, we’ll figure it out. Alright Carlos, you go that way, these are your times, these are your hours.”
Mike Perry, however, was a newcomer. Saying he has nothing against Perry, Cowboy Cerrone sees it as an issue of loyalty. He also took issue with the gym’s wrestling coach, Chad Smith, among other gripes.
Winkeljohn’s reponse, via MMA Junie, was blunt. In part, he said that “What would ‘Cowboy’ do if it was his gym? Well let me think.”
“If I wanted to go into his gym use it when I wanted to, not be respectful, not help others, pull people and coaches away from the gym, and do things for myself, and then tell the new gym not to work with this person they’ve been working with because it’s all about yourself, what would ‘Cowboy’ do?” he questioned. “I know what ‘Cowboy’ would do: The same thing I did, and that was basically, ‘Sorry kids, (expletive) that.’”
Jackson-Wink MMA Academy team member Deigo Sanchez, meanwhile, seemed to side with the gym. He also offered to step in to fight Cowboy Cerrone should Perry get hurt.
