If Dana White has his way, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone won’t be stepping back into the Octagon.
Cerrone announced Tuesday he’s coming out of retirement and wants to fight twice more to reach 50 combined appearances in the UFC and WEC. Cerrone, 41, retired from mixed martial arts in July 2022 on the heels of a seven-fight winless streak.
Though White didn’t go as far as to say he would block Cerrone’s comeback from happening, the UFC CEO isn’t in favor of the former lightweight title challenger competing again.
“I hate it,” White told reporters Tuesday night. “I hate it. Love him, hate that. He retired. For what? What’s left to prove? If you want to make money, let’s figure something else out.”
He added: “When guys retire, they retire for a reason. … They retire because they know it’s over. They know it is.”
Dating back to his UFC debut in 2011, Cerrone was one of the most popular fighters throughout his career thanks to his “fight anytime, anywhere” mentality. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, resident has the third-most fights in UFC history (38), is tied for the second-most wins (23), and has the third-most finishes (16). Cerrone was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July 2023.
White understands that it could be especially tough for a fighter like Cerrone to hang up the gloves for good.
“I think that not just this sport, but any professional sport is hard to walk away from,” White said. “Not just the money – that’s obviously a very hard part of it – but the feeling of walking out of that tunnel, the feeling of getting in the cage, the place is packed.
“Every time we’re at a show, when you show ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone on the screen, the place goes nuts. He’s beloved. He’s beloved because the guy goes to war, and he’s been in wars for years. It’s time to not go to war anymore, man. There’s nothing left to prove for him.”
White said if Cerrone needs money, he’d rather “figure out another way” to get him paid.
“He can do something else,” White said. “Because he isn’t gonna fight for the rest of his life, and he’s always gonna need to make money. So let’s figure that out now instead of three years from now.”
