‘Cowboy’ says UFC president Dana White told him to take a timeout after his TKO loss to Masvidal.
Six months is a long time to sit on the sidelines for an adrenaline junkie like Donald Cerrone.
Cerrone, who is one of the most active fighters on the UFC roster and typically fights once every other month, is set to take on former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler on July 8.
‘Cowboy’ wanted to fight earlier, but claims UFC head promoter Dana White ordered him to take a ‘timeout’ after his brutal stoppage loss to Jorge Masvidal at UFC on FOX 23.
“I would have fought sooner, but [UFC president Dana White] put me in timeout for a while,” Cerrone told Brett Okamoto on ESPN’s Five Rounds podcast.
“After the [Masvidal loss], he said, ‘You’re in timeout.’ I asked if I could call him for a fight and he said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Come on. ‘ He said, ‘No.'”
Cerrone was on a tear prior to his loss to Masvidal, notching a four-fight win streak and cementing his position as a top-ten welterweight.
The Jackson-Wink product is still ranked at No. 8 but took a serious knock back against ‘Gamebred’. Masvidal’s boxing proved to be too much for Cerrone, as the former Strikeforce competitor overwhelmed him with a flurry of punches in the second round.
Cerrone humbly accepted his ‘ass-whupping’ and can’t wait to get back in the Octagon against ‘Ruthless’.
“Getting a win at home would have been awesome, but sometimes you’ve got to take an ass-whupping, I guess,” he said. “When the doctor tried to look at me and make sure I was OK — told me to take three steps forward or he’d stop the fight — I don’t remember any of that s—. So, yeah. It is what it is.”
“There’s no thrill like a fight in the world,” Cerrone said. “It’s the scariest roller-coaster ride of emotions, excitement and fun you can have. And I make a s—load of money doing it, so I get to go on a spending spree afterwards.”
Lawler vs. Cerrone is targeted for UFC 213 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 8.