After being forced out of UFC 274 this past weekend due to food poisoning — UFC President Dana White let the media know some bad tacos were to blame — Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is apparently on the mend.
He’s also addressed his fighting future in a new post to social media, suggesting he’ll be hanging up the gloves after two more fights. Which would bring his career to an even 50.
“This is not the way I wanted this fight to go. 48 fights I’ve never had to pull OUT. Thanks you UFC and like I just said probably 50 is my number!!!! 2 more fights then I ride off into the sun set,” Cerrone (36-16, 2NC) wrote on his verified Instagram page. In an accompanying video, Cerrone added that “My heart is broken and torn because I had to make that call. If you know me, you know I only made that call because I had to.”
Cerrone was supposed to face fellow veteran Joe Lauzon in the opening fight of Saturday’s UFC 274 Pay-Per-View card. However, just one fight into the prelims, UFC officials announced that the fight had been scrapped due to a “non-COVID related illness,” which as it turns out was food poisoning.
It remains to be seen whether the promotion keeps the match-up with Lauzon in place. Between them, the pair have 33 post-fight bonuses. Cerrone has had 37 fights in the UFC octagon, which puts him third all time. Two more fights would tie him with current leader Jim Miller, who also remains active. It would, as Cowboy noted, bring his career total to 50 fights.
Cerrone, 39, has not won a fight since a 2019 decision win against Al Iquinta in Ottawa.
There had been some speculation that UFC 274 might have been Cerrone’s retirement fight, though it appears that was off the mark, based on his desire to compete two more times.
