Mixed martial arts veteran Donald Cerrone suffered a tough unanimous decision loss on June 23. That being said, “Cowboy” was open to fighting just two weeks after the stunning octagon performance.
Donald Cerrone faced off against Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC Fight Night 132 in Singapore, ultimately suffering a decision loss to the fighter. From there, Cerrone had an estimated 36 hour journey race home to make it back in time to experience the birth of his first born child.
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Cerrone’s coach Brandon Gibson revealed that “Cowboy” was immediately looking to replace Mike Perry’s opponent after hearing the news of Yancy Medeiros’ pulling out.
Perry and Medeiros were set to throw down at UFC 226 on July 7, but Medeiros suffered an injury. Paul Felder ultimately accepted the spot as Medeiros’ short notice replacement. However, Cerrone seemingly wanted the spot first.
“Friday morning after weigh-ins he ate a little bit and he didn’t feel good. Then Saturday he was feeling really ill, he hadn’t drank much, he couldn’t hold anything down. He was genuinely ill [but] we got to the arena and he was like, ‘Let’s cowboy up and do this.’ He was actually starting to vibe in the warm-up room. I could tell he wasn’t feeling good but was doing his best to get in that mindset. He was gonna go out there and compete.”
“He’s feeling great [now]. If the fight would have been a day or two later or earlier it probably would have been a much better window to see him perform closer to his best. But that’s not how things get to shake out in the sporting world some days.
“He got the phone call [this week] to fight Mike Perry and he said yes. He’s under a medical suspension right now so it’s kind of off the table. His son hadn’t been born yet. Lindsey was probably having contractions. They were at the hospital and he was like, ‘Hey, do you have time to do this? I’m feeling good. I’m ready. I just came off an awesome camp. Mike’s been training out of JacksonWink but no hard feelings. Let’s go put on a show. I’ll step up.’”
“I don’t want him fighting five times a year. I think those days are over, but he’s always gonna be that, ‘I’ll fight anyone, anywhere, anytime’ kind of guy. Some of these, you’ve just got to get up and ride with ‘Cowboy.’ That’s the life he’s gonna live.”
