Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has developed a reputation as one of MMA’s most active fighters, always ready to take a fight on short notice with his familiar “I know a guy” tweets, but it seems that UFC has put Cerrone on the shelf for the time-being.
In an interview with ESPN’s “Five Rounds” podcast, Cerrone said that he was forced into hiatus by UFC President Dana White following his TKO loss to Jorge Masvidal back in January. “After the [Masvidal loss], [White] 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.'”
And while the “timeout” may not be exactly what Cerrone wants, he understands that the loss to Masvidal was a rough one. “When the doctor tried to look at me and make sure I was okay, 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.”
“Cowboy” will be thrown right back into the lion’s den when he returns, though, as he will be fighting former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 213 in July. Based on his history, Cerrone should be more than ready for the fight. And it sounds like he might already have plans for his winnings.
“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.”
Hiscoe’s Analysis: It’s relieving to see that Dana White and UFC will keep fighters on the shelf when it’s appropriate after a bad loss. Cerrone is one of those guys who will take a fight before he’s ready and that attitude could lead to significant long term damage. Commissions do hand out medical suspensions after fights, but it’s easy for fighters to get cleared from those so having the promotion back up a medical suspension is a good move in many cases. The Cerrone-Lawler fight is a fun fight and important for both men who will be looking to get back on track. Lawler was on top of the world less than a year ago, but he’s been through some wars and it will be very interesting to see how he rebounds from a tough knockout loss to Tyron Woodley last summer.
SUNDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-Dana White was in attendance at last night’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. boxing match. After Alvarez won a one-sided unanimous decision, it was announced that he would be fighting Gennady Golvokin next on September 16, the same date that had been earmarked for a Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight. “We just lost our date to Canelo and GGG, but that’s a good fight,” White told Fight Hub. “I’ll be at that one too!”
-Kelvin Gastelum has accepted a 90 day suspension and 20 percent fine from the Brazilian commission after testing positive fur marijuana following his win over Vitor Belfort in March. The win will be overturned to a no contest and Gastelum still awaits sanctions from USADA for the failure. (SOURCE)
-Tyron Woodley told TMZ Sports that he earned $16,000 by acting as a stunt double for former NFL star Barry Sanders in a Pepsi Max commercial.
-World Series of Fighting athlete Jake Shields told MMA Fighting that the promotion’s transition to the Professional Fighters League “sounds really cool.” “WSOF wasn’t that bad, but it was kind of like the group was staying the same,” he said. “Shaking it up and doing something different, it’ll be good because it had potential to be great, but it was close. It’s not quite there. I think hopefully this is the step they need.
-Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva told MMA Fighting that he is back on TRT ahead of his fight with Vitaly Minakov for Fight Nights Global. “Thanks God I’m using it again,” he said. “My life is better, way better, because my testosterone levels are back to normal. I feel with more energy in my day to day life.”
-Saturday’s Cage Warriors show on UFC Fight Pass was headlined by former UFC fighter Che Mills vs. Lewis “The Foot” Long. Long won the fight in 18 seconds after he went for a takedown and Mills suffered a leg injury forcing him to tap immediately.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ROUNDUP
-Angela Hill vs. Ashley Yoder at the Ultimate Fighter Finale on July 7 from Las Vegas.
-Marcel Fortuna vs. Jordan Johnson, also for the Ultimate Fighter Finale.
NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: SATURDAY NEWS DIGEST 5/6: Dana White says no Interim Title shot for Anderson Silva, McGregor news, Gegard on Rousey (w/Analysis)
(MMATorch’s Daily News Digest features the top story of the day with added analysis, plus smaller tidbits in the News Notes section. Mike Hiscoe, who writes the News Digest Sundays through Thursdays, has a background in film criticism and previously wrote for the DVD Town and Movie Metropolis websites. His passion for Mixed Martial Arts goes back to 2005, but it was in the promotion for UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie that he really got hooked.”This is my house, I build it,” is still among the all-time great UFC promos. You can follow Mike on social media under the tag @mikehiscoe. He now provides his experienced writing and perspective on live MMA events for MMATorch.)
Leave a Reply