Donald Cerrone has no plans to hang up the gloves ahead of his fight with Niko Price, which goes down at UFC Vegas 11 this Saturday.
Cerrone will enter the fight with Price on a four-fight skid, having come up short against Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor and Anthony Pettis in his most recent trips to the Octagon.
Given that three of those losses came by way of knockout or TKO, many fans have suggested that he could be nearing the end of his career.
Not so, says Cerrone.
“Hell no,” Cerrone said during Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 36 virtual media day when asked about potentially retiring (via MMA Junkie). “No. Not even in my train of thought. Wrong question.”
While Cerrone has no plans to retire from MMA, he does recognize that a fifth-straight loss could jeopardize his place on the UFC roster—even if he is one of the most popular fighters in the sport.
“I would like to say yeah (UFC will keep me forever), but also on the same breath, how many – I don’t even want to think about losing again because it could happen,” Cerrone said. “I’ve trained my ass off, I’m ready to rock and roll. I’m planning on being here for a long time. I’m going to leave when I’m done. I don’t ever want the walking papers. When ‘Cowboy’s’ done fighting, I’m going to bend my hat and I’m going to say, ‘All right boys, I’ve had enough. I’m out.’ I don’t ever want to have them call my manger and release me, that would totally suck. I’m going to keep fighting my ass off.”
Despite having an increased number of doubters after his recent losses, Cerrone doesn’t feel like he has anything to prove as his fight with Price looms.
“All the naysayers, all those people who say, ‘You’ve lost four in a row, you don’t belong you should be retired’ – I don’t give a (expletive),” Cerrone said. “I don’t care if I need to prove anything, I don’t need to prove something. This one’s just for me. I get to look myself in the mirror Saturday morning and go like, ‘Let’s go, baby.’ This is for you. I get to have all the fun I want with no expectations, no must-wins, no must-dos. No nothing. Just fight my fight and do what I do and love every second of it and have fun and enjoy it. That’s how I’m going to be victorious no matter how the fight goes for me. There’s no wrong way this fight can go.”
Do you think Donald Cerrone will return to winning ways this weekend?