Las Vegas, NV – Hopefully third time’s the charm for UFC lightweight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone as he’s set to fight Jim Miller at UFC 276 on Saturday night.
Cerrone (36-16) was first slated to take ok Joe Lauzon at UFC 274 in Arizona, but fell ill the night before the fight and was unable to compete. Fast forward to UFC Austin where the fight fell out after Lauzon locked his knee after weigh-ins canceling the fight.
Now Cerrone hopes to actually make it to the octagon when he faces Miller on the ESPN prelims.
“The night before a fight is the absolute worst. You don’t get any sleep so all this was doing was just a little bit of practice. Going through the motions, getting ready, but then not. Getting ready and then not. After the Joe thing two weeks ago Dana was like, ‘Nah, go have the weekend. Go enjoy the 4th with your family’. So I go to the lake, start building a house, drinking much beer and eating BBQ,” Cerrone told Cageside Press among other media on Wednesday.
“And then they call me like, ‘Hey!’ and I’m like, ‘Oh God. Well it has to be at 70 because I’m beer-bellied up now.’ They’re like ‘Yeah, no problem’.”
Cerrone held the all-time UFC wins lead at 23 until Miller tied it in February with a KO win over Nikolas Motta. Now Cerrone and Miller will fight for the win and the all-time wins lead.
“This is going to be one of those fights where ‘Someone’s 0 must go!’ right?,” Cerrone said.
“Looking back we’re legends man. It’s cool to be in that state so to fight another guy in the same category and we’re setting more records. My plan I want to put records where people can’t even touch you know. 50 fights under Zuffa,” said Cerrone.
“To me that’s cool. To put statements down. This is huge, this is legacy fighting, that’s what it’s all about now.”
Legacy fighting, all-time wins lead, records galore for the living legend, but one thing on Cowboy’s mind is the after party. Sort of.
“I think people think I’m like an alcoholic and I like to party and drink. I think I put the wrong impression out there. My after-fight Saturday night is go get something to eat, and go to bed. All my friends are always like, ‘Where’s the party at?!’ I say ‘Mother f*cker I don’t know where you’re going, but I’m going to bed.’ There’s not really an after party,” said Cerrone.
“Sunday I’ll drive home. Monday I’ll go back to the lake and I’ll be at the lake. That’s kind of my after party. As far as going out and partying and chasing women, I’ve got a mama at home and I’ve got two boys that’ll want to go swimming so we’ll probably just go do that.”
Watch the full UFC 276 media day appearance by Donald Cerrone above. Cerrone takes on Jim Miller in the prelims of UFC 276. The event takes place this Saturday, July 2, 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
