Donald Cerrone has always been honest about the experience of fighting, and recently opened up about the “scariest” and “most intense moments” that occupy his mind before entering the Octagon.
On Saturday, January 18, at UFC 246, the 36-year old will square off against Conor McGregor in one of the most monumental fights of his career. Not only is Cerrone facing one of the biggest stars in MMA history, but he will also be facing his fears.
During a 2019 interview with MMA Junkie, Cowboy described the experience of fighting.
“It’s what I love, man. I love fighting. It’s the scariest, most intense, fun feeling… I couldn’t even explain it to you,” Cerrone said.
Despite accumulating an extensive 36-13 record, Cerrone still experiences a range of emotions before each fight, which he elaborated on.
“From right now (on interview day) — can’t sleep at night. Eating’s hard,” Cerrone said.
“Make the weight – half the battle’s over. Fight day, (expletive), all your friends are like, ‘You’re gonna kill him.’ Uh, no (expletive). I’ve got to go in there and fight. It doesn’t just go like that. Scared … let’s go. Pack your (expletive), we’re in the arena.
“All your teammates are fighting, your coaches are there. It’s crazy,” Cerrone continued. “It’s scary. You go throw up in the bathroom – I do, anyway – then you’re standing and you’re walking in the hall and (expletive) light’s in your face, just like this. Now you’re live on TV, you’re walking down the tunnel, and you’re like, ‘Holy (expletive). Six weeks, and it’s here, and it’s now.’
“I’ve been on the edge of a plane, about to jump out. I’ve been on top of mountains. And nothing puts the hair on the back of your neck feeling like walking into that (expletive) octagon and they shut that door and you’re like, ‘Well, there’s only two ways this can go, right? In or out.’”
The hairs on the back of his neck will return to standing position in less than two weeks time when Donald Cerrone faces Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 246. Stay tuned on BJPenn.com for all UFC 246 news.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 1/7/2020.