DONALD “Cowboy” Cerrone was quiet, almost serene, as he sat on a tan sofa answering questions in a waiting room at the Marco Polo Hotel.
Manila Standard was granted a one-on-one interview with the veteran MMA fighter and the room was empty save for Cerrone’s trainer, some UFC personnel and photographers waiting their turn to take pictures.
The UFC representative said Cerrone was terribly jetlagged from the long trip but the interview was cordial. It started off well after Cerrone broke into a wide smile as he acceded to this interviewer’s request to remove his cap for picture-taking purposes during the interview.
The veteran MMA fighter made clear his love for fighting as the primary driving force at continuing to compete in such a punishing sport for so long.
“I don’t care. The title means nothing to me. Never has. Never will. I would just rather fight. I just want people to know me and my style of fighting,” Cerrone said.
Cerrone fights Leon “Rocky” Edwards at UFC Fight Night on June 18, 2018 in Singapore. (Tickets now on sale at https://www.sportshub.com.sg/UFC2018)
He talked to Manila Standard in a one-on-one interview during his recent visit to the Philippines as part of his worldwide media tour to promote the fight.
The veteran is easily one of the most exciting competitors in the UFC roster. He is a frightening Muay Thai fighter whose best weapons are his kicks from distance. He loves kicking to the head or body and uses his punches to set up those nasty kicks.
He is tall and likes to keep some space between himself and his opponents to exploit his length. He doesn’t like his opponents too close which takes power away from his kicks.
Unlike most other fighters Cerrone doesn’t need to get all worked up and hyped to fight. He stays calm, focused and in the moment when in a fight.
“No mindset. I just go out there and have fun. I enjoy it. I literally just enjoy it. I don’t have to be angry or mad. I have no feeling whatsoever (when I fight),” said Cerrone.
The veteran has fought in some of the most memorable, most exciting fights in the UFC. He was in a Fight of the Night (three times), Knockout of the Night (three times), Performance of the Night (five times) and Submission of the Night (two times).
He is the first fighter to be awarded bonus payments in all four possible categories (Fight, Knockout, Performance and Submission of The Night awards).
Cerrone has had a long and storied career in MMA. But he has never changed his approach to fighting. This probably explains why he has lasted so long in such a brutal sport.
“Even when I was younger I just came to fight. I’ve never ever needed to be angry at anybody to fight. I am an angry little fuck. But I’ve never needed to be that to fight,” Cerrone said.
Cerrone enters the Octagon at UFC Fight Night Singapore: Cowboy Vs Edwards presented by AirAsia at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 23 which has four additional bouts.
Chinese MMA athlete Li “Leech” Jingliang (14-5, fighting out of Beijing, China) comes back to Singapore to face Judo specialist, Daichi Abe (6-1, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan).
Young 20-year-old Chinese star Song Yadong (10-3-2NC fighting out of Heilongjiang, China) makes his bantamweight debut in Singapore when he squares off against Felipe ‘Sertanejo’ Arantes (18-9-1, 2NC, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil).
In a welterweight clash, Song ‘The Assassin’ Kenan (13-4-0, fighting out of Tangshan, Hebei, China) meets The Ultimate Fighter Latin America semifinalist Héctor Aldana (4-1, fighting out of Mexico).
Teruto ‘Yashabo’ Ishihara (11-5-2, fighting out of Osaka, Japan) will continue his bantamweight campaign in a bout against UFC debutant and promising Russian prospect, Petr ‘No Mercy’ Yan (8-1-0, fighting out of Omsk, Russia).