Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is about as soft-spoken as an air horn.
Nearly 10 years since the Denver-born fighter made his professional mixed martial arts debut, he’s getting a shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title on Saturday in Orlando, Fla. No doubt he’s earned it as one of the sport’s most active and successful fighters.
“If I’m going to be the champ, I’ve got to beat everyone anyway,” Cerrone said in a . “So what is sitting and waiting and holding my position do?”
In a span of just more than 18 months, Cerrone earned eight-straight victories, propelling him to the UFC’s No. 2 rank in the lightweight division. When against champion Rafael dos Anjos, he had a simple answer: “I’m going to knock the (expletive) out of him.”
When newly crowned bantamweight champion Conor McGregor said he wanted to move up to the lightweight division, Cerrone again had some choice words about that.
“If he (McGregor) wants to pump up the fight, I’ll slap him around and call him a little schoolgirl,” Cerrone said in .
Re: Air-horn.
A victory for Cerrone (28-6) will mark history for the Centennial State, . He would become just the second Colorado-born MMA fighter to win a UFC title, joining former lightweight champ Benson Henderson, who was born in Colorado Springs but raised in Washington. Retired Shane Carwin (from Greeley) was the UFC heavyweight interim titlist, but he fell short of outright winning the belt, losing to Brock Lesnar at UFC 116.
“Colorado’s home for me,” Cerrone said, “… and it’s got all the best weed.”
UFC Fight Night airs on KDVR-Channel 31 at 6 p.m. Saturday.
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Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or @joenguyen
