He has the most finishes (16) and post-fight bonuses (18) of anyone to compete under the UFC banner, with his three appearances last year being the least he’s fought in a single year since fighting only twice in 2012.
But that doesn’t mean “Cowboy” has any plans on walking away just yet.
Despite being older than most of the active welterweights on the UFC roster and heading into this weekend’s event on the longest run without a victory of his career, Cerrone feels rejuvenated by the birth of his second child, a son named Riot River, in September, and the financial responsibilities that come with being the head of the household.
“Now I’ve got to save twice as much money, so now I’ve really got to get paid,” laughed Cerrone, who acknowledged that after years of purchasing big boy toys and spending money before he’d earned it, he had done a good job of squirreling some away until making his last major investment.
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“I have, yes,” he began when asked about reining in his spending. “Well, I did, but the wife wants to build a new house, so now it’s gone again. We’ve got the new property, so we’re building a new house; we’re excited about that.”
Though the end of the line is surely on the horizon, it’s not something Cerrone actively considers.
“I think I’ll just know,” he said when asked how he determine when it’s time to hang up his four-ounce gloves and move on to something else, adding that it’s not something he talks about with his team of coaches and training partners. “I don’t know how, but I think I’ll just know, and when it’s time, it’s time.”
Right now, it’s time to get back to business.
