His most recent attempt at the WEC gold was unsuccessful, but come Saturday, December 19, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will get the chance to reestablish himself as the undisputed number one contender with a dominating win over Ed Ratcliff, whom he will take on in the main event of WEC 45 at The Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. While he is already known as one of the most aggressive and exciting fighters in the lightweight division, Cerrone promises that come Saturday night, fans won’t even recognize him as the same fighter who lost close and controversial decisions to current champion Jamie Varner and Interim Champion Ben Henderson this year.
Tapology’s Steven Kelliher recently caught up with Cerrone to discuss his expectations for his upcoming fight against Ratcliff, his belief in the inevitability of rematches with the only two men to defeat him next year, and more detailed thoughts on his desire to drop down to 145lbs for a shot at current WEC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo in the future.
Tapology: Looking back at your last fight against Ben Henderson, do you think you could have done anything specifically different to earn the win or are you taking it as part of the learning process?
Cerrone: It’s definitely part of the learning process, but I could have started better early in the fight. That is something I’ve been working on for this coming fight—to get going early, come out of the gate guns blazing.
Tapology: Is that just the way you have fought up until now, not getting going until you get hit a few times?
Cerrone: That’s how I used to fight, not anymore. It won’t happen again.
Tapology: So in general you’re looking to come out more aggressive now?
Cerrone: Oh yeah. Very aggressive, you can bet on that. I’ve got cardio for days—I’m not worried about that—I used to be worried that I was going to gas out fighting five rounds, but I’ve been through it twice now and had plenty of gas in the tank, so I just need to know that and come out strong.
Tapology: Going back to the Henderson decision, do you still agree that he clearly won the fight or do you think it was close?
Cerrone: He definitely won the second and third rounds, I won the fourth and fifth rounds, so I felt like I won the championship rounds, but I’m not going to argue with the judges; it’s just a learning experience, a loss is a loss, I learned a lot from it, so here we go again. I’m not going to focus on the past, just what’s in front of me.
Tapology: You said you would be rooting for Henderson when he takes on Varner next month. Is that so you can get that rematch with Varner? Is that still the most important thing to you right now?
Cerrone: Rematches with both of those guys are goals for the future. I’d like to see Henderson win—I can get a rematch with either one of them, it doesn’t matter—but I’d like to see Henderson pull it off.
Tapology: Do you want one of them more than the other or is it inevitable in your mind that you will be fighting both of them again?
Cerrone: That’s exactly right (laughs).
Tapology: Switching to your next opponent, Ed Ratcliff, he is something of an unorthodox striker. Is he going to pose a significant threat to you in the stand-up or are you not too concerned?
Cerrone: I’m not concerned. I feel like I can beat him in the stand-up, I feel like I can beat him in wrestling, on the ground, in any aspect of the game. I’m 28-0 as a kickboxer, so he’s coming into my world. He’s going to have to step into the cage with me. That’s going to be a dark place for him; he’s going to have to step in there alone with me, so shit, come on.
Tapology: Do you think you will be able to force Ratcliff to wilt under the pressure, especially if you’re planning on coming out even more aggressive now?
Cerrone: I think Ed’s going to come out hard and strong. I think once he gets hit he’s going to get on his bike and run, and I’m just going to be coming forward, kicking his ass. I hope he does everything he says he’s going to do; I hope he stands and fights because that’s what I’m going to do—I’m not going to shy away from anything he has.
Tapology: Would you rather get a submission or a knockout in this fight?
Cerrone: I’d rather get a knockout for sure. I don’t have any wins by knockout in MMA. Hopefully Ratcliff allows me to do that and doesn’t run from me.
Tapology: You have gone past the third round twice and have been in a couple of main events in the WEC now. Is that going to be an advantage for you?
Cerrone: Absolutely. I have fought in many main events, and I feel like that is a huge advantage. This is his first time there, so this is a lot of pressure on him. I’ve been there and I’m ready.
Tapology: How do you expect this fight to end and how long do you expect it to go?
Cerrone: To be honest, I hope it goes all three rounds. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to go that long; I think he’s going to make a mistake, get caught, and get knocked out.
Tapology: Do you think his style lends itself to making mistakes that you might be able to capitalize on?
Cerrone: He’s got a Karate background. He can throw flashy kicks, but he doesn’t have a lot of power and he keeps his left hand down like a boxer, leaving him open to head kicks, and then he starts spinning on top of that. I’m just going to pick him apart.
Tapology: What are you working on in training for this fight other than being more aggressive? Have you focused on takedown defense at all?
Cerrone: I’m always working on my wrestling, but I’m not really worried about Ed taking me down. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the wrestling or skill level to take me down and hold me down. He is going to be outmatched and outclassed for sure.
Tapology: With a win, whom do you think you will be matched up with?
Cerrone: Like I said, I don’t really care if I’m back in the number one contender’s spot. I just have to get through Ed and then we’ll go from there.
Tapology: You mentioned recently that you would be interested in going down to fight Jose Aldo. Could you make 145lbs?
Cerrone: I know I can make 145lbs. Last night I was eating brownies and tacos and woke up at 152lbs, so my weight’s not a problem. I’ll be a really big 145er, but it is what it is.
Tapology: What about Jose Aldo makes you want to fight him? Is it just that he looks unstoppable right now?
Cerrone: I wouldn’t say he’s unstoppable. I know a couple of guys at 145 that would give him a run. My roommate Leonard Garcia could do it, but I just think technically he is a good match for me. He can stand up and throw down—it would be a fun fight. I’m not going to stay at 145, just go down and mess around for a few fights, but 155 is where I want to be.
Tapology: Outside of a rematch with Varner and Henderson, what is your main goal for 2010?
Cerrone: My main goal for 2010 is just to be the best that I can be. Whether that is in the UFC or WEC Champion. I want to fight 8-10 times next year. This weekend I’m going to be coming out strong, coming out hard, and getting the win.
Tapology: Thanks for the time, Donald.
Cerrone: Thank you.
