Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone is eyeing a return to the Octagon just in time for International Fight Week.
After hanging up his 10-gallon hat and four-ounce gloves in July 2022, the UFC Hall of Famer is plotting a comeback in 2025, his goal being to log two more scraps and bring his total count to 50 fights under the Zuffa banner.
During a recent interview with Dale Brisby, Cerrone confirmed that he has jumped back into the testing pool which will require him to provide clean tests for at least six months. Once that obligation is met, he’ll be cleared for a return to the cage, which just so happens to line him up for a fight on the Fourth of July weekend.
“I gotta be clean for six months and that’s conveniently enough, Fourth of July weekend, International Fight Week,” Cerrone said. “Right now, I’m training two or three times a week, kind of slow rolling back into it.”
‘Cowboy’ Clarifies What Weight Class He’ll Likely Fight at in UFC Return
For the most part, ‘Cowboy’ spent his career competing as a lightweight, he did take a few fights at welterweight — including his UFC 246 headliner against Conor McGregor.
This time around, Cerrone has zero interest in cutting weight, leaving the door open for a middleweight debut.
“When I turn the [dial] from simmer to boil, we’ll see where my weight goes,” Cerrone added. “I don’t want to cut any weight, I’d just like to show up and fight. So, 185 [pounds] to me sounds great. If I get down to 190 [pounds] I’ll fight at [170]. I dunno, we’ll see how my body feels.”
Overall, Donald Cerrone went 36-17 in his mixed martial arts career, and while he never captured UFC gold, he spent much of his career competing against a who’s who of world-class talent. During his 11-year run with the organization, he shared the Octagon with legends like Charles Oliveira, Nate Diaz, Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis, Rafael dos Anjos, Eddie Alvarez, Benson Henderson, Jorge Masvidal, Robbie Lawler, Leon Edwards, Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje and, of course, Conor McGregor.
As for who Cerrone could face in his 2025 return, the ‘Cowboy’ simply doesn’t care.
“No,” he replied when asked if he knew who his opponent would be. “I really don’t care.”
Check out some of Cerrone’s greatest UFC finishes below:
