Playing A Match After Brutal Eye Injury, Donald Cerrone Is All Pumped To Grab The UFC Gold On Next Fight
There is no doubt that Donald Cerrone is one of the fierce fighters to step in the ring of UFC and MMA. Cerrone has had a tough time as he lost a fight in 2017 which is his first out of his five matches. Although he has four wins out of his five matches, former Welterweight champion has not been in the ring on a regular basis.
So with his loss in the fight in 2017, was he going for the belt? Was he recovering well after his fight?
Caption: Donald Cerrone's all knockouts in UFC. (Published on 6 December 2016)
Going for gold in 2017!
Donald Cerrone has said that he wanted 2017 to be one of the defining years of his long and celebrated career. Before 2017 went by, “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone said that he wanted to hold the UFC welterweight belt.
When it came to UFC welterweight title talk, Cerrone had not been expressive about going for gold. Previously in 2015, He went on to lose the fight for the lightweight belt in a TKO loss to then-champ Rafael dos Anjos.
He said that his outlook had evolved before his fight against Masvidal in UFC on FOX 23 co-main event at Pepsi Center in Denver, and was one of the main card, including Cerrone vs. Masvidal. Cerrone said:
“I’m going to go whip Masvidal’s ass, call out one of these top contenders or call out (welterweight champion Tyron) Woodley, and say, ‘Let’s dance, baby, I’m going to go get this belt in 2017. I’m coming. It’s mine. We’re just getting warmed up.”
Cerrone who was No. 7 ranked in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie and MMA welterweight rankings, said;
“The title probably means more to my team than it does to me. I used to think, ‘I’m here to fight.’ I didn’t have the same mentality that I do now. I feel a little more mature in the game, a little different.”
Masvidal whose fight record stands 33-10 connected with a heavy shot in the fight and the shot dropped Cerrone in the closing seconds of Round 1 at Denver’s Pepsi Center. Moreover, Masvidal followed with venomous strikes on the ground, and UFC referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.
The horn from the officials sounded a split second after the veteran official Dean’s intervention. Although it seemed like Herb Dean changed his mind on the stoppage of the fight during the confusing moments. Seeking the opportunity, Masvidal went on to finish the job early in the second round as he landed another knockdown before ending the fight with a flurry of punches.
Horrendous eye injury!
A horrific eye injury had earlier hit the welterweight and lightweight contender against his UFC 205 fight with Kelvin Gastelum, and it was called off after his opponent missed weight.
Gastelum’s weight exceeded the welterweight limit that the bout could not legally happen in the ring and Cerrone had claimed that he almost lost his right eye. He said in his Instagram video:
‘Before the media put out what happened, I just want to let you know I am still fighting in Toronto on December 10. After hours on the table the doctors were able to save my eye.’
After recovering from his eye injury, he had moved on and looked well in his fight against Kelvin Gastelum. That accident didn’t hamper his fight against Kevin although he did lose that fight.
Likewise, his then-next fight was with Robbie Lawler on 29 July 2017. Cerrone again had to face loss to Lawler in the third round with the unanimous decision in the favor of Lawler.
Similarly, Cerrone had to face his third consecutive loss to Darren Till on 21 October 2017 being Knocked out by Till in the first round itself. However, Cerrone came out fresh and new with the beginning of the year and won the fight against Yancy Medeiros in 18 February 2018 by knocking him off in the first round.
Being an American professional mixed martial fighter as well as former professional kickboxer he has a net worth of $5 million.