Donald Cerrone will get a 38th fight in the octagon, and it will be his last chance to stay under UFC contract.
UFC President Dana White on Monday told TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter that Cerrone will be allowed to fulfill a plan to drop down to 155 pounds after his fifth loss in his past six tries at UFC Vegas 26 this past Saturday.
Cerrone was stopped by Alex Morono, a short-notice replacement for Diego Sanchez, in the first round by a flurry of punches in a welterweight fight. It was his fourth loss by knockout in his previous six bouts.
White appreciated Cerrone’s willingness to take a short-notice bout in a weight class he didn’t originally intend on competing in
“‘Cowboy,’ again, steps up, Diego falls out of the fight, [and] he steps up and takes a last-minute replacement, co-main event,” White said. “He accepted the Diego fight because they both said they would fight at 170 [pounds]. He wants to move down to 155, and I’m going to let him do that.”
Asked directly whether the bout would be his final chance to win in the octagon, White said yes.
Sanchez was ruled out of the fight and released from contract when he declined to certify he was suffering from neurological issues. Morono stepped in on one weeks’ notice as a replacement opponent.
Cerrone brushed off questions of retirement after his loss to Morono.
“Absolutely not [my last fight],” he said. “No way. I’ll never go out like this. I will, 100 percent I’ll know [it’s the last fight] and I’ll come in, and sh*t, hopefully I go in whipping ass right off. There’s no way I’d end like this. I couldn’t let my legacy end like this.”
