Retirements in MMA last about as long as they do in professional wrestling. Exhibit #9999, fan favorite Cowboy Cerrone says he’s returning to action, chasing 50 fights in the UFC (well, under the UFC/WEC/Zuffa banner).
Cerrone, who retired following a loss to Jim Miller in 2022, announced on social media on Tuesday that he was coming out of retirement. There seems to be at least one catch, however, and that would be drug testing.
In a written statement alongside a video clip, Cerrone posted the following:
I’m chasing greatness 50 @ufc fights
Not only do I want a win
I want a finish
I want a bonusMost wins in ufc history
Most finishes
Most bonuses
Most walks to that cage
The aforementioned drug testing situation is where things get interesting. Cerrone has been vocal about using TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) in retirement, saying it has made him feel like an 18-year old again. In the wild west days of the UFC prior to USADA and out-of-competition drug testing, fighters like Vitor Belfort utilized TRT to get an edge over the competition.
Things were much stricter under USADA, but they have since been replaced by the CSAD (Combat Sports Anti-Doping). The rules, Cerrone believes, have been relaxed enough that he can stop taking any non-approved substance and fight within months.
“I want to go back and get two more fights,” Cerrone stated in Tuesday’s video clip. “When I retired, I told you I was getting my hair done and get on steroids. The number fifty has been sitting in my mind for a while. So, I’ve been working with Transcend the last two years, taking TRT and a bunch of peptides. Now we got a protocol for all you people that, ‘Oh, what if you get on it, you can’t ever come off?’ Well, I now have to come off and piss clean, fight in a few months. So, watch this.”
Cowboy Cerrone (36-17, 2NC) finished his fighting career on a six-fight skid, though a draw with Niko Price originally made that 6-0-1 until it was overturned to a No Contest due to Price failing a drug test for marijuana.
Under the UFC’s Anti-Doping Policy, Cowboy will have to be subject to drug testing for 180 days if returning from retirement, unless an exemption is granted. Per the ADP, “An Athlete who gives notice of retirement to UFC, or has otherwise ceased to have a contractual relationship with UFC due to Athlete-Initiated Inactivity, may not resume competing in UFC Bouts until he/she has given UFC written notice of his/her intent to resume competing and has made him/herself available for Testing for a period of 180 days before returning to competition. UFC may grant an exemption to the 180 days written notice rule in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an Athlete.”
