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Anyone who’s followed Donald Cerrone over the course of his storied combat sports career understands that it doesn’t take much to motivate “Cowboy” ahead of his UFC fights, making life easy for matchmakers in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions.
That said, his upcoming bout against Anthony Pettis at UFC 249 on May 9 may be an exception to the rule. Not only is Cerrone (36-14, 1 NC) attempting to rebound from his first-round destruction at the hands of Conor McGregor, “Cowboy” is looking to avenge his brutal 2013 loss to “Showtime.”
“I think anytime you lose to somebody, there’s always a little revenge factor going into it to try to get that back,” coach John Wood told MMA Fighting. “That may be in the back of his head. I’m positive this fight’s going to go a little bit different. I know right now that he’s fired up coming off a couple of losses. He wants to get back there and in the winner’s and he’s definitely saying, doing the right things. I believe you’re gonna see a fired up Cowboy ready to open up a can of whoop-ass, that’s for sure.”
On paper, it looks as though Cerrone, 37, is caught in a downward spiral, but his three straight losses have all taken place within a span of seven months. For now, it’s too early to tell if we’re looking at a bump in the road or the beginning of the end.
As for Pettis (20-10), four years his junior, things haven’t exactly gone the way “Showtime” was expecting. The former lightweight champion has dropped two straight and hasn’t won back-to-back fights in nearly six years.
For the rest of the UFC 249 fight card and line up click here.