The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) division is starting to get busy again, as Khabib Nurmagomedov was recently booked to defend his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi.
And former division champion Conor McGregor is also nearing a return, and could be facing the winner of Khabib vs Poirier, according to company president Dana White. Donald Cerrone, however, is planning to ruin those hopes, as he says he should be next in line for a title fight if he defeats Tony Ferguson this Saturday (June 6, 2019) at UFC 238.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, “Cowboy” says his bout against “El Cucuy” is without a doubt a No. 1 contenders fight.
“This is a No. 1 contender, so this is undoubtedly the way (to the belt),” Cerrone said. “I think I can go in there and finish him. I really do. He’s got a kind of questionable jaw, and he’s just real looney and crazy. If you can beat crazy with crazy, let’s go.”
Since the birth of his son, Cerrone has been on a tear, winning three in a row over Mike Perry at Welterweight, followed by back-to-back wins at Lightweight against Alexander Hernandez and Al Iaquinta.
While fighting for your son is always great motivation, Cerrone says his recent resurgence has more to do with the maturity he’s gained now that he is older. While he is accustomed to taking any fight at any time, he’s more careful now as to which bouts he accepts.
“I don’t think that’s the secret weapon,” Cerrone said about motivation after the birth of his son. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, he has a kid now, now he’s fighting for something.’ No, just I think I’ve matured a lot with age and as a fighter. Now it’s time. Years ago I’d like, ‘I don’t care about the title, I just want to fight every weekend.’ Now it’s time. It’s what I want. I’m going to go get it, I’m going to keep it, then I’m going to jump off on top.”
Indeed, now that “Cowboy” is determined to win the UFC title, it puts all of his opponents on their toes. Ferguson is motivated, as well, as he’d love nothing more than to once again have UFC gold wrapped over his shoulder.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 238 by clicking here.