Donald Cerrone Dismisses Retirement Discussion After UFC Fight Night 178

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While Saturday’s majority draw with Niko Price was a disappointing result — one that Donald Cerrone actually regards as his fifth consecutive defeat — the popular veteran is nowhere near hanging up his four-ounce gloves.

“No. Don’t stretch that by any means,” Cerrone said following UFC Fight Night 178.

“I just need to figure out something that I’m doing wrong,” he added. “I don’t know where it is along the line, but I need to figure out what’s causing me to be—let’s just rewind it. Last fight with Pettis I felt great. That was the best I ever felt. The fight before with Conor [McGregor], with the biggest lights, the biggest stage, the biggest chance of my entire life — I didn’t want to be there at all. I did not want to be in that cage… That’s not me. That’s not who I am.”

Cerrone hasn’t tasted victory since a five-round verdict over Al Iaquinta in the UFC Fight Night 151 main event in May 2019. “Cowboy” has competed against the sport’s best during his recent slump, falling to the likes of Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, McGregor and Pettis.

Still, UFC president Dana White believes the time has come to have a serious discussion with Cerrone regarding his future.

“For him tonight, the win for him tonight, he was on his way out in the first 30 seconds of the first round,” White said. “He fought back, he’s tough, he’s durable. I love ‘Cowboy,’ and I know this is going to f—ing crush him and break his heart, but it’s time to have a conversation with him.”

Without talking to Cerrone, White already has a pretty good idea of how the talk might go.

“I’ve got to have this conversation and see what he says,” White said. “I know what he’s going to say – I don’t want to stop. But we’ve got to have the conversation.”

It sounds as though Cerrone just wants to take a brief hiatus before returning to the Octagon.

“There’s no way I’m looking or talking of retirement,” Cerrone said. “I’m just talking taking a few months off to f—-ing regroup and figure some s--t out, that’s all.”