Last year wasn’t the best of times for UFC veteran Donald Cerrone.
Despite another active campaign that saw “Cowboy” fight three times over the span of nine months, the durable star lost all three of those Octagon appearances. From individual knockouts at the hands of Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal to a one-sided defeat to former champion Robbie Lawler, Cerrone didn’t find much success in 2017.
As the 34-year-old enters a fresh year in search of new outcomes, he can’t help but wonder why 2017 was so unpredictable for him and his team at Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA.
“It’s just wild,” Cerrone said during a recent appearance on “UFC Unfiltered” podcast with Matt Serra and Jim Norton. “I mean, (expletive), it’s not a thing that’s the norm. When we step in there we’ve been a pretty successful squad, but lately we’ve had a bit of trouble. Look at me, I’m (expletive) three losses. The first I’ve had ever. It’s (expletive), I don’t know what the (expletive) is going on.”
As if a lack of production wasn’t enough for Cerrone and Jackson-Wink MMA to deal with, a team photographer called Cris Cyborg a “he” after the Brazilian defeated Holly Holm last month at UFC 219. It was a pretty pathetic attempt at post-fight trash talk and an in-house incident that Cerrone didn’t agree with.
“I know (Cyborg), but regardless of who it was – like if somebody wants to go say that, do it on your own time,” Cerrone said. “You’re not the (expletive) media person for one of the largest MMA schools in the country and then (expletive) start talking like a total (expletive) jackass, you know what I mean? That was my take off that.”
It’s safe to say that after three-straight losses (the worst span of his career) and bad team publicity, Cerrone is looking to take 2018 by the horns and make this year his. With a main event bout opposite Yancy Medeiros at UFC Fight Night 126 on the horizon, “Cowboy” may quickly cash in on the calendar change.
But if he’s unable to get past Medeiros on Feb. 18 then maybe Cerrone’s return to 155 pounds will come sooner than expected.