Tag: Donald Cerrone

Michael Bisping, Paul Felder suggest Donald Cerrone’s UFC return opponent

Michael Bisping and Paul Felder would like to see Donald Cerrone rematch a former UFC foe in his return.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] would like to see [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] rematch a former UFC foe in his return.

Cerrone (36-17 MMA, 23-14 UFC), 41, announced that he has re-entered the drug testing pool and plans to come back from retirement for two more UFC fights. His aim is to complete 50 fights under the Zuffa banner.

Bisping suggested the skidding [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC), who’s lost a UFC record eight-straight fights. Ferguson and Cerrone fought in June 2019 at UFC 238, where Ferguson scored a Round 2 doctor stoppage TKO of “Cowboy” in a Fight of the Night battle.

“The one matchup that I think most people would sign off on if he’s even still not retired, it would be a rematch with Tony Ferguson,” Bisping said on his “Believe You Me” podcast.

Cerrone said he’s targeting a summer return at middleweight, but would also be open to 170 pounds. With Cerrone also winless in his past seven fights, Felder likes the idea of a rematch against Ferguson.

“Yeah, but that would have to be at least at 170, right? That could make sense,” Felder said. “And that’s a guy like, alright, you lost to him years ago. Tony’s been on a really rough skid. Really, really rough skid for a long time. It’s two guys that the UFC doesn’t really even want to be fighting so, what better way to get them both their fights on their contracts than to give them that?”

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Spinning Back Clique LIVE (noon ET): Fighter of the Year awards review, 2025 MMA predictions, interview with Eddie Alvarez

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses our Fighter of the Year awards, 2025 MMA predictions, plus we interview Eddie Alvarez.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Dan Tom, Matt Wells, Mike Bohn will join host Danny Segura live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • We chat with former UFC and Bellator champion [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag], who returns to the ring on Jan. 25 to headline BKFC Knucklemania 5 against fellow veteran Jeremy Stephens. We discuss his return fight and career, along with some of the recent things happening in MMA.
  • Last week, we announced the winners of MMA Junkie’s 2024 Male and Female Fighter of the Year. We reflect on the winners’ years, who were UFC champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and PFL’s [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag], and discuss what could be in store for them in 2025.
  • Keeping the 2025 theme. The panel gives their bold predictions and wishes for MMA in 2025. We also discuss each chance of the current UFC champions being able to hold onto their belt till the end of the year.
  • Lastly, to end the show, we go over some of the recent headlines in MMA, including [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] returning to the UFC’s testing pool in hopes to make a comeback from retirement, [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]’s callout of [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] for BKFC fight, [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]’s comments on a potential move to light heavyweight, and much more.

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Donald Cerrone targets summer UFC return after re-entering drug testing pool

Donald Cerrone is taking the proper steps to make his UFC return a reality in 2025.

[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] is taking the proper steps to make his UFC return a reality in 2025.

Cerrone (36-17 MMA, 23-14 UFC), who at a time held UFC returns for fights, wins, finishes and bonuses, retired from competition in July 2022. He went winless in his final seven octagon appearances and admitted his love for the sport had fizzled.

Three years later, however, “Cowboy” is preparing a comeback. There is a process to be followed, however, and is started with Cerrone putting himself back in the UFC’s anti-doping program.

“I just re-entered the testing pool,” Cerrone told “Pacman Jones Show” in a recent interview. “I have to be six months clean. Probably June, July we will make the comeback. Coming back for two more. Just two more. I want 50 fights in the UFC (under Zuffa). I promised the wife no matter what happens, no matter the outcomes – two more and that’s it.”

Cerrone, 41, getting through the drug testing window is a key element in clearance for a return, especially because he has openly admitted and bragged about using performance-enhancing drugs during his retirement.

Many in the industry have spoke against Cerrone returning after what’s been described as a “steroid vacation,” but it doesn’t appear the UFC is taking a stance against him if he’s re-entered the testing program. In fact, according to the testing database for Drug Free Sport, Cerrone has already submitted one clean sample.

Cerrone spent the entirety of his past UFC run fighting at lightweight and welterweight. His next UFC fight, however, could come in the middleweight division, he revealed.

“I think it’ll be at ’85 is what I’m coming back at,” Cerrone said. “We’ll see my weight as I start to pick up my training.”

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Joel Alvarez wants to welcome Donald Cerrone back to UFC: ‘It would be a dream’

If Donald Cerrone returns to the UFC as he’s teased, he has at least one taker in UFC Tampa winner Joel Alvarez.

TAMPA, Fla. – [autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] thinks the odds are that a move to welterweight is next.

At UFC on ESPN 63 at Amalie Arena, Alvarez (22-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) knocked out veteran fighter Drakkar Klose early in their bout and immediately indicated his days at lightweight could be over due to the difficulty of the weight cut.

There are circumstances that would keep Alvarez from making this move, such as a home country fight. But in most scenarios, Alvarez said his next fight would be at welterweight.

Regardless of class, Alvarez hopes his return can come against UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-17 MMA, 23-14 UFC), who recently announced his un-retirement and has bounced between the two weight classes.

“I said if there’s going to be UFC Spain, that would be my last dance at 155,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “… Listen, I wouldn’t have an opponent in mind. But for my last dance, I’d fight somebody, whoever is coming back there. I heard he might be coming back at 155 or 170, but that would be ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.

“To me, it would be a dream. I heard it might be a possibility he comes back and wants to have a couple fights. It would be a dream for me to get a photo with him. Imagine to fight him? It would be an amazing thing if he’s coming back. I’m not sure if that’s happening.”

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Cerrone, 41, retired after a July 2022 loss to Jim Miller at UFC 276. The loss moved him to 0-6 with one no contest in his most recent seven outings.

Alvarez, 31, has won three fights in a row. His only two UFC losses have come against Arman Tsarukyan and Damir Ismagulov.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Johnny Eblen rips Donald Cerrone wanting UFC return after steroid use: ‘It’s not a good look’

Bellator champ Johnny Eblen has a firm stance against steroid use and fighters competing past their prime.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Bellator middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] is not a fan of UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] eyeing a comeback to MMA.

Cerrone (36-17 MMA, 23-14 UFC) retired after a submission loss to Jim Miller, and was quickly inducted as a part of the UFC’s 2023 Hall of Fame. Retirement from professional fighting can undoubtedly have its perks, and Cerrone discovered something he thoroughly enjoyed: PEDs.

“I mean, right now, all the good sh*t after the non-USADA approved sh*t, I feel like I’m f*cking 21 again,” Cerrone told reporters last year on the UFC Hall of Fame red carpet. “You know what I’m saying? I’m telling you, guys – any of you fighters, when you’re done, go ahead and get on the TRT and put your wife in a bind because that’s when you’ll feel like an 18-year-old boy again.”

At the time, Cerrone said it would take “a crazy number” monetarily to bring him out of retirement. However, in recent days, Cerrone said he wants to return to the UFC for two more fights to reach 50 Zuffa fights across his WEC and UFC careers.

Considering his admitted use of steroids and other PEDs, Eblen is firmly against “Cowboy’s” return to action.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea to like retire, take a bunch of steroids, and then come back and fight again,” Eblen told reporters at a post-fight news conference. “It’s not a good look, man.”

Eblen also believes Conor Mcgregor, who hasn’t competed since breaking his lower leg in a trilogy fight against his American Top Team teammate Dustin Poirier, has started a trend of getting on PEDs while out of the drug testing pool in order to get ready for a big return.

“I think Conor paved the way, and I think he’s influencing a lot of other people to do it,” Eblen said. “I think people are trying to fight past their prime and use all these substances, and it’s just not natural. It’s not good. Your brain doesn’t heal from steroids, so all that CTE just adds up.

“I’m very against steroids. I’m very against people fighting past their prime.”

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Daniel Cormier on steroids loophole in Donald Cerrone’s desired UFC return: ‘I’m against it’

Daniel Cormier is not a fan of Donald Cerrone coming back to the UFC after openly taking steroids.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] is not a fan of [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] coming back to the UFC after openly taking steroids.

Cerrone, who retired in July 2022, announced that he plans on returning to the octagon for two more fights. During his time off, Cerrone enjoyed the perks of no longer being drug tested, taking TRT and a bunch of peptides.

Although Cerrone (36-17-2 MMA, 23-14-1 UFC) will have to be clean prior to a potential UFC return, Cormier has an issue with “Cowboy” using performance-enhancing drugs during his time off.

“The one thing about ‘Cowboy,’ is that it’s very refreshing to watch how open he’s been with all of this,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “He never lied. He never lied about what he was doing, what he was going to do, and how he was going to apply it to his life, and I’m all for a guy that has personal goals. … But at the end of the day, for years now, he’s been openly using steroids.”

Cormier thinks Cerrone doing that would only encourage other fighters to remove themselves from the drug testing pool and take advantage of their time away.

“I like Donald now, but it doesn’t matter what I feel about him as a person, as a buddy, or whatever it is our relationship is today,” Cormier said. “I don’t quite know what it is, but he’s not been clean. And even if he can come back, take tests, pass those tests, for him to get back, he has to do all of those things and all those enhancers to allow for him to feel like he can compete at that level again. So he would test clean, but isn’t that just a loophole? Isn’t it just a loophole like with the guys, when they get hurt, they get out of the testing pool? They recover from the injury, then they re-enter the testing pool.

“It’s not wrong. It’s not illegal. But is it right? Because you truly have been enhanced to get to where you are and how you feel, and feel good enough to come back and fight in the elite organization of the UFC. To me, it doesn’t feel right. … Remember also, ‘Cowboy’ lost six fights. He had one no contest in seven fights, and the last time he fought Jim Miller and got submitted. Imagine if he comes back and he looks like a world beater. I’m against it. I’m honestly against the idea that you could find a loophole, go in and use that loophole, feel better while using that loophole, come back and fight because you can pass a clean test.”

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Dana White on UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone’s desire to fight again: ‘Love him, hate that’

Dana White lauds Donald Cerrone’s warrior spirt but would rather he stayed retired: “It’s time to not go to war anymore, man.”

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] would rather UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] didn’t come out of retirement.

Cerrone (36-17-2 MMA, 23-14-1 UFC) announced that he plans on competing two more times in the UFC to reach his 50-fight milestone under the Zuffa banner, including his time in WEC. White is a big fan of “Cowboy” but not a fan of his desire to fight again. If it’s about money, White is willing to work something out with Cerrone.

“I hate it,” White said after Dana White’s Contender Series 76 on Tuesday. “Love him, hate that. He retired. It’s just for what? What’s left to prove? If you want to make money, let’s figure something else out. I hate it. When guys retire, they retire for a reason. They retire because they know it’s over. I think that – not just this sport but any professional sport, it’s hard to walk away from. Not just the money, that’s obviously a very hard part of it, but the feeling of walking out of that tunnel, the feeling of getting in the cage, and the place is packed.

“Every time we’re at a show, when you show ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone on the screen, the place goes nuts. He’s beloved. He’s beloved because the guy goes to war, and he’s been in wars for years. It’s time to not go to war anymore, man. There’s nothing left to prove for him.”

Cerrone hung up his gloves in July 2022 after a submission loss to Jim Miller at UFC 276. The former title challenger was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023.

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Donald Cerrone says he’s coming out of retirement for two more UFC fights to reach 50

The No. 50 means too much to Donald Cerrone, who said he will stop taking steroids to return to the UFC.

[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] announced that he intends to come out of retirement for two more UFC fights.

Cerrone (36-17-2 MMA, 23-14-1 UFC) hung up his gloves in July 2022 after a submission loss to Jim Miller at UFC 276. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023.

Cerrone has 48 fights under the Zuffa banner, which includes his time in the WEC prior to the UFC. He wants to compete two more times to reach a career milestone of 50.

“I want to go back and get two more fights,” Cerrone said in a video on his Instagram. “When I retired, I told you I was getting my hair done and get on steroids. The No. 50 (Zuffa) has been sitting on my mind for a while. So, I’ve been working with Transcend for the last two years, taking TRT and a bunch of peptides. Now we got a protocol for all you people that, ‘Oh, what if you get on it, you can’t ever come off.’ Well, I now have to come off and piss clean, fight in a few months. So, watch this.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBJaJ-svx4K/?igsh=MWptN2VsYnI0ejlmNA%3D%3D

“I’m chasing greatness 50 @ufc fights
Not only do I want a win
I want a finish
I want a bonus

Most wins in ufc history
Most finishes
Most bonuses
Most walks to that cage.”

Cerrone has openly said he’s enjoying the perks of no longer being drug tested while retired but knows what is required from him if he plans on competing in the octagon again.

“Cowboy” is currently ranked No. 3 for most fights in UFC history at 38, trailing only Andre Arlovski at 42 and Jim Miller at 44. He is tied at second for most UFC wins at 23, behind Miller’s 26, and is third for most finishes in UFC history.

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Tyron Woodley says UFC paid him similarly to Donald Cerrone, takes umbrage: ‘Motherf*cker never touched gold’

Tyron Woodley is furious that Donald Cerrone made the same amount of money as him and Demetrious Johnson without ever being UFC champ.

[autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] takes issue with the UFC paying him similar to [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag].

Woodley, a former UFC welterweight champion, defended the title four times during his reign from 2016 to 2019. He parted ways with the UFC in March 2021 after suffering his fourth consecutive loss.

Woodley revealed that he wanted to part ways with the UFC years prior and how fighter pay was the main reason for his departure. He said he made $500,000 for his final title fight against Kamaru Usman.

“I was going to leave the UFC after (fighting) Darren Till,” Woodley said on the “MIGHTYcast” with Demetrious Johnson. “I told them, ‘F*cking cut me, dog. Ya’ll don’t want me here. Why ya’ll keep holding on to me, dog?’ We (kept) fighting and sh*t every fight because you know how I was. I was a gorilla. … I knew the numbers so well. I knew what everybody was making. I’m not finna go out there and be making the same as ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.

“That motherf*cker ain’t never touched gold in his life. That’s just a principle thing. Sometimes when you’re an African-American in this game, they think you should just be appreciative. I’m not just appreciative. I’m thankful that you gave me an opportunity, but you didn’t give me the gifts. God gave me the gifts. I’m thankful to him.”

Woodley claimed that he fought with the UFC over former longtime flyweight champion Johnson’s pay, as well. Johnson recently revealed that it took three consecutive title defense for him to get a champion’s contract with the UFC, and he could never get pay-per-view points.

“I argued with them (UFC) over you a couple times,” Woodley told Johnson. “It ain’t have sh*t to do with me, but I was like, nah. I was talking numbers. I’m like, when you go to basketball, it don’t matter if Steph Curry throwing a Monster can at somebody’s dome or bust a window out. He can pull a three. He’s going to get paid top dollar.

“You got DJ who got (11) titles, but you going to pay ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone the same as him? Cowboy was making ($350,000). He never touched gold ever. So, your reason behind him making $350,000 per fight is that he never complains, he takes any fight that you offer him, he’ll even fight injured, he’ll even fight last-minute notice. That don’t work for me.”

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Anthony Smith: Wanting to be ‘bigger version of Donald Cerrone’ was my biggest mistake

Anthony Smith says his desire to replicate Donald Cerrone’s attitude has caused inconsistencies in his career.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] says his desire to replicate [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]’s attitude has caused inconsistencies in his career.

Smith (36-18 MMA, 11-8 UFC) rematches Ryan Spann (21-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 225 co-headliner at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The event streams on ESPN+.

“Lionheart” has had mixed results of late and will look to snap a two-fight skid when he runs things back with Spann. Smith has fought a who’s-who of the division – from current heavyweight champion Jon Jones, to former champ Glover Teixeira, and former title challenger Magomed Ankalaev. Like Cerrone, Smith has gone from challenging for the title, to giving lower ranked guys like Devin Clark an opportunity, which he thinks greatly contributed to his mixed results.

“I’ve just always had the mindset that if you want to be the champion you’ve got to be able to beat everybody,” Smith told ESPN. “I haven’t done that up to this point. I’ve had some hiccups. Here’s my biggest mistake: I’ve always said that I wanted to be like the bigger version of Donald Cerrone: ‘I’ll fight anybody, anytime, anyplace.’ I’ve lived up to that. I’ll take all comers. I’ll fight lower-ranked guys. I’ll fight higher-ranked guys. I’ll fight on short notice. I’ll fight across the world. It doesn’t matter.

“What I didn’t take into account is maybe I’ve absorbed some of the inconsistencies that Donald Cerrone’s seen at times, where I think sometimes I show up and I can beat anybody in the world, and sometimes I’m not as consistent. That’s really my issue. I don’t really care who the opponent is, I’m just worried about trying to be as consistent as possible. I’m on right now, and I can be on for two or three in a row. But for whatever reason, I don’t know if I get distracted or I take my eye off the ball or whatever, then I turn in some stinkers every once in a while, and it sucks.”

Smith’s most recent octagon win came over Spann in September 2021, when he submitted him in Round 1 to earn the “Performance of the Night” bonus.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 225.