UFC News: Donald Cerrone plans to get the welterweight title and defend it in 2017
What’s the story?
”Cowboy” recently moved to 170lbs, and since then, he has amassed 4 wins in a row, putting him right into title contention. He is scheduled to fight Jorge Masvidal in Denver, Colorado on January 28th and he’s hoping to keep his momentum going and finish the fight in a similar fashion to his last, a knockout win over Rick Story. Speaking to FOX Sports, he revealed his ambitious plans for 2017.
“Let’s do it. If I could get six fights in 2017, my coaches would be happy, I’ll be happy and we’ll get a title fight and defend that (expletive) three times, I’ll be good to go!”
Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson rematch for the title at UFC 209 in March, and Cerrone believes by then he’ll have beaten Masvidal and another contender to solidify his place as the next in line
“I know the title fight, they’re going to be fighting in March, so we’ll have to get a number one contender”
In case you didn’t know...
Cerrone is most well known for being the most active fighter in the UFC. He regulary has 4 or more fights a year and has a “any one, any time, anywhere” approach to his opponents. He fought most of his career as a lightweight but is unbeaten since his move to welterweight..
The heart of the matter
Cerrone is eyeing a fight in March to line up with the title fight, and he wants either Demian Maia or Robbie Lawler, if Maia doesn’t wait for a shot at the championship
“Hopefully Demian Maia will (expletive) want to pull the trigger and not just keep waiting or Robbie. Whoever’s above us. I don’t even care. I don’t (expletive) give an (expletive)
He says he isn’t scared of Lawler, like some others in the division are, in his opinion
“Diaz turned Robbie down. (expletive) Maia turned Robbie down. You know who didn’t turn (expletive) Robbie down? Me”
“I said (expletive) yeah, bring that (expletive) on. That name don’t scare me none”
What’s next?
The way the division is shaped up, is that Maia gets a title shot against the winner of the fight between Woodley and Thompson. If “Cowboy” can get past Masvidal later this month, and get a fight with Robbie Lawler and win, it would look to solidify him as the next challenger. All remains to be seen, however, as he first needs to find a way around Jorge Masvidal and his opponent after that.
Sportskeeda’s take
Cerrone is always up for a fight, and if he gets past Masvidal, a bout with Robbie Lawler would leave fight fans delighted, and it would more than likely be a fight of the night. They both come to fight and put on shows for the fans. A fight with Maia would play out differently if it happens, but Maia is on a win streak too and is most likely fighting for the title after UFC 209. If Maia gets injured, the worthy contender is certainly Cerrone though.