Cerrone Slur, ‘Death’ Remarks Draw WEC’s Ire
Brian Knapp Sep 15, 2010
World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight contender Donald
Cerrone let his mouth get him into hot water with his
employer.
Cerrone will meet former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner in the WEC 51 “Aldo vs. Gamburyan” co-main event on Sept. 30 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo. The two men have remained at odds since their first encounter ended in Varner’s favor after Cerrone struck him with an illegal knee at WEC 38 in January 2009.
During a recent interview with Tapout Radio, Cerrone referred to
Varner as a “fag,” indicated he wanted to “kill this dude” and
hoped he was “the first death in MMA.” WEC officials on Wednesday
moved to muzzle Cerrone and denounced his words with some of their
own.
“Donald Cerrone went too far in talking about his upcoming fight with Jamie Varner, and we believe he crossed a line of decency in doing so,” WEC Vice President Peter Dropick said in a public statement. “We will not tolerate a fighter who makes comments that are not consistent with our company values, nor will we tolerate the use of slurs that may offend any segment of the public.”
Not long after the Tapout Radio interview, Cerrone issued a public apology via Twitter, admitting he took it too far and really did not “wish death on anyone.” He also claimed he “got caught up in talking s--t.” Dropick addressed the lightweight’s apology.
“We are aware Donald issued his own immediate apology on Twitter,” he said, “but we still needed to speak with him about it and to issue our own statement making our position known.”
Varner defeated Cerrone by split decision at WEC 38. The “Cowboy” landed an illegal knee to the side of Varner’s head, as the Arizona Combat Sports fighter attempted to return to his feet during the fifth round of their title bout. Varner could not continue, so the fight was scored from that point. After the match, it was revealed that Varner suffered a broken foot, a lesion on his eye -- which left his vision blurry for about six weeks -- and a broken hand that required two reconstructive surgeries to repair. Varner has not won a fight since.
Cerrone has not competed since he submitted to a first-round guillotine choke from current WEC lightweight titleholder Benson Henderson at WEC 48 in April. The 27-year-old Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts representative has secured 10 of his 11 career victories by submission.
Cerrone will meet former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner in the WEC 51 “Aldo vs. Gamburyan” co-main event on Sept. 30 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo. The two men have remained at odds since their first encounter ended in Varner’s favor after Cerrone struck him with an illegal knee at WEC 38 in January 2009.
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“Donald Cerrone went too far in talking about his upcoming fight with Jamie Varner, and we believe he crossed a line of decency in doing so,” WEC Vice President Peter Dropick said in a public statement. “We will not tolerate a fighter who makes comments that are not consistent with our company values, nor will we tolerate the use of slurs that may offend any segment of the public.”
Not long after the Tapout Radio interview, Cerrone issued a public apology via Twitter, admitting he took it too far and really did not “wish death on anyone.” He also claimed he “got caught up in talking s--t.” Dropick addressed the lightweight’s apology.
“We are aware Donald issued his own immediate apology on Twitter,” he said, “but we still needed to speak with him about it and to issue our own statement making our position known.”
Varner defeated Cerrone by split decision at WEC 38. The “Cowboy” landed an illegal knee to the side of Varner’s head, as the Arizona Combat Sports fighter attempted to return to his feet during the fifth round of their title bout. Varner could not continue, so the fight was scored from that point. After the match, it was revealed that Varner suffered a broken foot, a lesion on his eye -- which left his vision blurry for about six weeks -- and a broken hand that required two reconstructive surgeries to repair. Varner has not won a fight since.
Cerrone has not competed since he submitted to a first-round guillotine choke from current WEC lightweight titleholder Benson Henderson at WEC 48 in April. The 27-year-old Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts representative has secured 10 of his 11 career victories by submission.
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