Donald Cerrone has earned every ounce of his reputation.
The hard-charging lightweight’s “anytime, anywhere” approach to the fight game has made him somewhat of an anomaly in the current realm of mixed martial arts, where the large majority of competitors attempt to strategically make their way up a variety of ladders. Yet, that’s just not “Cowboy’s” way, and his willingness to trade leather with any fighter who signs on the dotted line to face him has been a key aspect to his rise to become a fan-favorite.
His love for the scrap and the 31-year-old Albuquerque transplant’s ruckus-heavy fighting style have made him a must-see attraction come fight night. When you factor in the unique stat that Cerrone has never pulled out of a scheduled bout, and has made all 15 appearances he’s been contracted to make in his three years under the UFC banner, the picture starts to take shape that the Jackson/Winkeljohn-trained fighter is truly a rare breed in the chaotic environment of MMA.
Yet, while Cerrone‘s work inside the cage has been well documented, so has his love for adrenaline-based endeavors on his downtime. Where other fighters are grinding out several sessions a day inside the gym, the Colorado native has made a habit out of deviating from that particular approach, and the results have shown when it’s time to compete under the bright lights.
His methods may not be suitable for all, but for Cerrone himself, mixing pleasure with the rigorous work that is done inside the gym has allowed him to strike a balance in his life. Cerrone is just as full throttle as he’s ever been, but finding that rhythm has helped him turn a corner in his career and morph into a different type of monster.
Cerrone has notched five consecutive victories with all but one of those wins coming by way of finish. The only man to make it to the cards against him was Eddie Alvarez at UFC 178 back in September, but even then, the former Bellator lightweight champion took a battering for his troubles. The scrappy striker will look to make Myles Jury his sixth straight victim at UFC 182 this Saturday night in Las Vegas, and with his co-main event approaching on the horizon, the perennial title contender has never felt better.
“I put it all together this year,” Cerrone told Bleacher Report. “My coaches and everyone I train with are down there together and they don’t hold me back from being me. If I want to go out duck hunting until two in the morning, they are like whatever. If I want to go snowmobiling or jet skiing, I do it. They are like, ‘Do it…but we are gonna get work in.’
“We have a lot of young fighters who come out to the house and I try to teach that to them. You start grinding your body in training to the point where you need to take time off and I’ve learned how to balance those things. Your body needs to recover and on those days I go hunting and then come back fresh and ready to go hard. In the back of your mind you have those thoughts that you have to be in shape and there are all of these high expectations, but on the other end your body can’t keep up. Training four times a day definitely takes a toll and mixing in some pleasure in the middle helps to take the edge off all that.”
While Jury has been shaking up the ranks of the lightweight division since coming off The Ultimate Fighter, and is looking to battle his way into title contention, Cerrone sees their upcoming collision as just another day in the office. Following his victory over Alvarez, the versatile knockout artist refused to leave Las Vegas before UFC President Dana White had another fight lined up for him. Cerrone prefers to keep things moving and he made his way back to his ranch with another matchup locked and loaded.
Nevertheless, there would be some twists and turns in the road, and the fight would get pushed back a bit, but Cerrone and the undefeated prospect are going to step into the Octagon to handle their business this Saturday night. While Cerrone is notorious for not watching tape on his opponents and admittedly isn’t well-versed on his opponent, he knows Jury is a talented fighter and is expecting fireworks at UFC 182.
Cerrone can say those things because he knows what he brings to the table, and he’s looking to make another impressive addition to his resume on Saturday night.
“I don’t know much about him other than he’s undefeated,” Cerrone said. “He’s a good kid and he’s like the new breed or new generation of fighter where they are pretty good at everything. We’ll see. I feel like I’m still young in this sport too so we’ll see.
“I don’t care who I fight and people seem to have a hard time believing that. When I fought Eddie Alvarez he was saying that I’ve seen tape on him and whatever and I told him, ‘No…I’ve never seen you fight.’ It’s the same thing with Myles. The only fight I’ve ever seen of his is when he fought Diego [Sanchez]. I’ve seen zero tape on him and the only time I ever watch UFC is when I’m watching teammates or people I know fight. I just live my life and get it done.”
Should Cerrone emerge victorious at UFC 182, his red-hot winning streak will make a strong case for a shot at the UFC lightweight title—one that has seemingly eluded him for a long time. That said, chasing championships isn’t what motivates Cerrone because those particular situations always seem to come with a lot of “wait and see,” and he isn’t much the type for waiting for anything to come around to him.
Cerrone is in the UFC to fight, and if that doesn’t line up with how a title shot rolls out, then he’ll just catch it on the next pass. Again, just another detail that makes Cerrone‘s path through the highest level of MMA unlike any other fighter in the sport, but there’s only one Donald Cerrone.
“I don’t really look who is above me for a title shot or anything like that,” he said in conclusion. “If Khabib [Nurmagomedov] is ready then let’s fight. I can tell you that I definitely wouldn’t be one of those guys who are at No. 1 and is just gonna sit there and wait for his title shot to come around. No way. If Dana White told me I’m next for a shot but had to wait, I wouldn’t do it. I have money to make and a legacy to uphold.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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