Donald Cerrone has his hands full with a welterweight scrap opposite Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 205 on Nov. 12 from New York City. Out of all the high-profile bouts scheduled to go down at UFC 205, “Cowboy” was able to get himself on the massive pay-per-view (PPV) main card, which includes three Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title fights.
Still, despite a massive hurdle staring him in the face, Cerrone has his sights set on a future matchup with welterweight title threat Demian Maia. According to “Cowboy,” he’d be willing to lock horns with the legendary Brazilian by the end of 2016.
“What I really want to do (after UFC 205), which I think makes the most sense right now is Demian Maia,” said Cerrone during a UFC 205 media scrum earlier this week (captured by MMA Fighting). “Let’s see if Demian will be ready to fight on December 30th. He’s up there kicking ass, so that’s what I want to fight.”
Maia, 38, has recently leaned on his grappling skills more than ever en route to capturing a six-fight win streak, including submission victories over Carlos Condit and Matt Brown. While a bout opposite Cerrone would serve as a tantalizing matchup of styles, the Brazilian may be risking his spot in line if he scrapped with “Cowboy.”
“He’s probably the guy to fight next for the title, right?” added Cerrone. “He’s crushing everybody. A lot of those people get scared of people when they’re good. I like it. So, bring that sh-t on.”
Benson Henderson remains the only person to have ever submitted Cerrone, but Maia is in a completely different league when it comes to ground wizardry. It’s a potential pairing worth watching, but not one that will come to fruition if Cerrone isn’t able to get past Gastelum at UFC 205.
For what it’s worth, “Cowboy” is the king of quick turnarounds.