Donald Cerrone is heading into his co-main event fight with Niko Price at UFC Fight Night 178 on Saturday night coming off four losses in a row, but the 37-year-old says it’s never entered his head to consider retirement.
“Hell no,” Cerrone told reporters on Wednesday when asked about the possibility of retiring. “No. Not even in my train of thought. Wrong question.”
Instead, ‘Cowboy’ said he wants to continue fighting for the foreseeable future and wants to eventually bow out of the sport on his own terms.
“I would like to say yeah (UFC will keep me forever), but also on the same breath, how many – I don’t even want to think about losing again because it could happen,” Cerrone said. “I’ve trained my ass off, I’m ready to rock and roll. I’m planning on being here for a long time. I’m going to leave when I’m done. I don’t ever want the walking papers. When ‘Cowboy’s’ done fighting, I’m going to bend my hat and I’m going to say, ‘All right boys, I’ve had enough. I’m out.’ I don’t ever want to have them call my manger and release me, that would totally suck. I’m going to keep fighting my ass off.”
And Cerrone also made it clear that whatever happens he’ll be paying no heed to the critics.
“All the naysayers, all those people who say, ‘You’ve lost four in a row, you don’t belong you should be retired’ – I don’t give a (expletive). I don’t care if I need to prove anything, I don’t need to prove something. This one’s just for me. I get to look myself in the mirror Saturday morning and go like, ‘Let’s go, baby.’ This is for you. I get to have all the fun I want with no expectations, no must-wins, no must-dos. No nothing. Just fight my fight and do what I do and love every second of it and have fun and enjoy it. That’s how I’m going to be victorious no matter how the fight goes for me. There’s no wrong way this fight can go.”
