Retired UFC legend and Hall-of-Famer, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone wants to return to the Octagon for two more fights, but Dana White hates the idea.
White was asked for his opinion on the subject during the post-event press conference on Tuesday following the Contender Series Season 8 finale.
“I hate it,” White responded. “Love him, hate that.”
“What’s left to prove,” White asked rhetorically.
White made it clear that he believed Cerrone retired for a reason. He wondered aloud why Cerrone would need to come back.
“If it’s about money, he can do something else,” White suggested the promotion would help him figure out another way to earn income. “Cause he ain’t gonna fight for the rest of his life, he’s always gonna need to make money. So let’s figure that out now instead of three years from now.”
Here is a look at the clip.
Cerrone retired in July 2022 after losing to another veteran, Jim Miller. Because he’d been out of action for more than two years, it seemed he might be settling into retired life.
Cerrone had been trying out bull riding, and he suffered a fairly serious injury earlier this year on that side mission. While White made it clear he’d prefer to help Cerrone earn money some other way, he did not completely close the door on the possibility of Cowboy’s return.
The 41-year-old has a professional MMA record of 36-17 with two no contests. He’s had 48 fights in the UFC (or under the promotion’s banner) and would like to get to 50. I wrote about a potential matchup between Cerrone and another UFC legend, Tony Ferguson, who White has also said should retire.
The two men met in June 2019 in Chicago at UFC 238. Ferguson stopped Cerrone, badly swelling his right eye. The Octagon doctor ruled Cerrone could not continue, and Ferguson prevailed via TKO.
That win was the last one Ferguson has enjoyed in the UFC. He’s lost a UFC record eight fights in a row but refuses to retire.
White is right; both Ferguson and Cerrone should call it a career, but if the promotion allows them to continue, a fight between them would seemingly make the most sense.
Other UFC News – Dana White Contender Series Results
The eighth season of the Dana White Contender Series ended on Tuesday. Four of the five winners earned contracts for their performance. Here is a look at the results of the fights. The contract winners’ names are in bold.
- Nick Klein defeated Heraldo Souza via submission at 0:37 of Round 1 (Rear-Naked Choke)
- Luis Gurule defeated Nick Piccininni via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Yadier Del Valle defeated Antonio Monteiro via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Julieta Martinez defeated Leslie Hernandez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jonathan Micallef defeated Mohamed Ado via submission at 3:01 of Round 1 (Triangle Choke)
The UFC is back on Saturday at the Apex for a fight night event featuring Michel Pereira and Anthony Hernandez in the main event. Stay tuned for fight week coverage for the UFC and the PFL’s first SuperFights PPV card.
