In many ways, UFC 249 fits the [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] mold.
A short-notice fight against a friend? Driving across the country in his RV? Dozens of eyeballs on him in the arena, as opposed to the usual thousands? This sounds a lot like “Cowboy’s” world.
Cerrone’s UFC 249 opponent, Anthony Pettis, estimated the two fighters had approximately three weeks to prepare for their May 9 fight in Jacksonville, Fla. Known for his short-notice willingness and “anytime, anywhere” attitude, Cerrone (36-14 MMA, 23-11 UFC) said he has less time to get inside his own head.
“I don’t know what the switch was,” Cerrone said during a virtual pre-fight media day Thursday. “Short-notice fights are kind of my wheelhouse. I enjoy this. I guess with all of the quarantines, we’re going to walk right in and fight – then, leave. It’s kind of right up my alley. I won’t have any time to get scared or get in my own head. I’ll just go out there and hopefully have some fun.”
Historically, Cerrone has faced mental challenges when taking large-magnitude fights. In his most recent fight at UFC 246 in January, such difficulties were again insurmountable. Cerrone has admitted as much. That fight came against Conor McGregor, a man who brings more eyeballs to a fight than anyone else.
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The environment for UFC 249 couldn’t be more different. Cerrone and Pettis (22-10 MMA, 9-9 UFC) will fight in an empty arena. There will be no fans. As a result, Cerrone will be able to focus on what helps him thrive – having fun. Enjoying himself will be easier, predicted Cerrone – especially considering he’s friends with Pettis.
“Friendly-wise, I’m excited,” Cerrone said. “I like Pettis. He’s a good dude. It should be a lot of fun. Stylistically-wise, it’s a great matchup. How badly do I need a win? (Expletive), I lost three. That sucks. Four would be (expletive) miserable.”
“I just texted Pettis about five minutes ago. He asked me how the weight is. I said, ‘I’m a fat (expletive). How are you doing, buddy? He said, ‘I’m good.’ I said, ‘Hey check this out, let’s fight two minutes on, one off, two minutes on. We’ll just call a little mid-hang break and get our air back. Then we’ll go back in. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun out there.”
One glaring omission on Cerrone’s checklist is the presence of his beloved grandmother. Cerrone said he planned on arranging his grandmother’s trip, but UFC president Dana White intervened. According to Cerrone, this is the first time “Grandma” will not be present for a fight.
“I tried. She tried.” Cerrone said. “She was going to come. I’m like, ‘Well, I’m driving.’ She’s like, ‘I’ll drive down there with you.’ Then, Dana called me and said (he’s) not going to be responsible for Grandma getting sick. He said, ‘I’m already doing enough (expletive) with all the fighters and all this is going on. I’m not going to be the guy that gets Grandma sick.’ I said, ‘Alright, Grandma. You ain’t going to be able to make this one. This is the first fight she hasn’t come to.’
UFC 249 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.