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“In professional sports, the day starts to come where all of our heroes start to get old, and ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone is getting there.”
UFC veteran Donald Cerrone plans to leave the UFC on his own terms, but head president Dana White says ‘everything is on the line’ for ‘Cowboy’ later tonight in the UFC Vegas 11 co-main event.
Speaking to MMA Junkie ahead of Cerrone’s welterweight bout with Niko Price at UFC Fight Night 178, White implied that Cowboy’s career could be at stake if he doesn’t pick up a win against ‘The Hybrid’.
“I would say everything is on the line for Cowboy,” White told ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” according to MMA Junkie. “In professional sports, the day starts to come where all of our heroes start to get old, and ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone is getting there. He needs a win. He needs a win badly.”
Cerrone is on a four-fight skid but doesn’t feel he needs to prove his worth to anyone. With that said, the 37-year-old is planning to put on a hell of a show in what could be his final fight in the UFC.
“This fight’s for me, man. All the naysayers, all the people that say, ‘You’ve lost four in a row, you don’t belong, you should be retired.’ … I don’t give a shit,” Cerrone said (h/t MMA Fighting) “I don’t care if I need to prove anything.”
“Just go and fight my fight and love every second of it and have fun and enjoy it. And that’s why I’m gonna be victorious.”
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley takes place later tonight, Sept. 19 at the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.