UFC Singapore main event almost called off.
In the welterweight contest, a rising prospect Leon “Rocky” Edwards got his chance to shine against Donald ‘CowBoy’ Cerrone in the main event of UFC Fight Night 132 on (Sat., June 23, 2018), when he scored a unanimous decision victory over Cerrone.
In the post-fight interview, Cerrone revealed he was feeling sick on the day of the fight and was on the verge of canceling the bout. At post-fight conference, he details the illness. (Via MMAFighting)
“This is the first time in my career that I’ve ever almost called Dana White and said, ‘I’m not coming to work today,’” Cerrone told reporters in Singapore. “And then I looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘Man, you’re not that guy. Just go.’ But that had nothing to do with the way I fought. I’m proud of myself actually for getting in there and fighting, so I’m happy, I don’t have any remorse. I don’t think I lost any stock, so all good.”
“I was just sick, throwing up, just feeling… I couldn’t get out of bed, man,” Cerrone recalled. “I was just feeling like sh*t all morning, all day. I just wasn’t feeling like showing up to work is what I was feeling. It’s the closest in my career I’ve ever been to calling the boss and say, ‘Hey, man, I’m not going to make it.’ And then I just rolled over at five o’clock and looked at the mirror and said, ‘You’re not that guy, so get up and lets go,’ and here I am.”
Cerrone has now lost four of his past five contests. Edwards is 8-2 in the UFC. His last loss was against Kamaru Usman back in 2015.
Cerrone says he still has a lot of passion about competing in the sport and wants to fight two more times before the end of the year.
“I’m getting old in this sport and I love every minute of it, man,” Cerrone said. “But maybe the new kids are coming, maybe they’re not, I don’t know, but there are sure tough guys out there. There’s not enough people like me that give those guys a chance, so I’m glad I can be the guy that’s in there and I’ll fight any of you guys. Come on, let’s have fun. Tonight, the smiles on my face are more than you can even imagine. The pasion I have out there I love it to the core, this is what I enjoy doing, man.
“If tonight was my last fight, I’d be upset, but I’m going to go until the UFC says, ‘‘Cowboy’ enough, enough, enough.’”
Cerrone can right his ship by making a quick turnaround sometime this year.
