Future UFC Hall of Fame inductee, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, has confirmed his upcoming plan to return to the 155-pound division, will bring with it, his final run in professional mixed martial arts.
The veteran fan-favourite, last weekend, announced plans to return to the lightweight ranks next year – as he attempts to make one final run to a so far eluding UFC title reign.
Cerrone, a one-time challenger to the undisputed UFC lightweight throne is without a win since May of last year, where he picked up a comfortable unanimous decision victory over ‘Ragin’ Al Iaquinta in the main event of UFC Fight Night Ottawa.
In a staggering five Octagon outings since then, the BMF Ranch owner has dropped four losses, before a majority draw opposite Niko ‘The Hybrid’ Price at UFC Vegas 11 in September, after the latter was deducted a point for an accidental eye poke. In the least successful vein of form in his fourteen-year career, Cerrone suffered knockout losses to Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, and a unanimous decision rematch defeat to Anthony Pettis.
The Muay Thai ace and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, who turns 38-years-old in March, recently spoke on his YouTube channel, where he detailed his career is close to its final curtain, claiming his upcoming lightweight run will mark his final sprint to Octagon gold.
“This is the last run,” Cerrone explained. “This is it. I don’t have much left in me, timewise. If I’m going to really say this is my last run, really give it all. I’d rather go out when I want to. Go perform, enjoy it and then kick off the boots while I’m still flying through the air, call it a day. Not get cut, or everyone telling me I need to slow down or stop.“
“I want to retire when I want to retire,” Cerrone said. “I don’t care about what everyone else wants to say. Realistically, I’ve probably got a couple years left. That’s probably four or five fights left in me.“
“Now I can see the end of the tunnel – it’s there,” Cerrone explained. “We’re at the end of the tunnel. So now it’s at the point where we’re talking legacy and we’re talking what do I want to look back on. So no longer am I in the middle kind of doing it, now I’m at the end.“
Cerrone would go on to explain how he’s hoping to call time on his career with his hand raised in the Octagon, although, seemed to accept the fact that it may prove an easier said than done feat.
“Like all right now, I don’t want to end like this. I want to end kicking ass. I’m going to do everything in my power to end like that. Now if it doesn’t go like that, it doesn’t go like that, but at least I can tell the kids, ‘Man, that’s all I had, kids.’ But I don’t think that’s going to be the case.” (H/T MMA Fighting)
Cerrone’s calls for one final run under the UFC’s banner and back at his usual lightweight home follows a recent UFC Vegas 11 statement from promotional president, Dana White who insisted it was time for him to have a conversation with the Denver native regarding the possibility of him hanging up his gloves.
Do you think Donald Cerrone has one last title run left in him?