When the UFC asked Donald Cerrone if he wanted to fight Feb. 5 at UFC 126, he said yes. He didn’t know whom he would be fighting, but that didn’t matter.
“I didn’t care,” Cerrone said recently on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “It’s good to get in there and get after it. As far as not being ready or being ready, I stay ready. … I wasn’t really concerned who I was fighting as long as I just get in there and fight.”
Cerrone will be taking on Paul Kelly in a lightweight matchup.
“The dude likes to go in there and throw down, which stylistically I love to do,” Cerrone said. “Someone that will stand there and let me showcase my standup -- I’m totally excited about [it].”
The bout marks Cerrone’s UFC debut, though he doesn’t foresee any issues transitioning from the WEC other than some added pressure.
Kelly, on the other hand, has been fighting in the Octagon since January 2008. He is 5-3 in the UFC and has split his last four.
“He’s got a real good clinch and dirty boxing,” Cerrone said. “He’s got good overhands and uppercuts. Those are the things that I definitely need to pay attention to. I can’t go in there and get careless. Other than that, his record’s not great and his jiu-jitsu’s not all that good either. He’s really standup oriented, and s--t, we can go out there and have a standup battle.”
If Cerrone gets by Kelly, he’d like a shot at Cole Miller. Cerrone said their issues started when Miller fought teammate Leonard Garcia in September 2007.
“I was with Leonard Garcia at the pool before his fight, and Cole was down there with his little entourage and they were kind of just being real cocky,” Cerrone said. “And then after the fight, just the way he held himself. He doesn’t remember me because I was a nobody. I was just a peon there with Leonard, just one of his friends. Just the manner in which he was talking to me -- I told him, ‘One day I’m going to be there, and I’m coming for you. You just disrespected me and I’m coming after you.’”
Miller dropped a unanimous decision Jan. 22 to Matt Wiman, but Cerrone’s animosity for him lingers.
“Just because Matt Wiman beat his ass doesn’t mean I did,” Cerrone said. “I’m still coming. You’re still a target. I have full [intention] on coming after Cole and definitely fighting him some time in my career. If it’s next, that’d be great.”
Listen to the full interview (beginning at 30:10) with Cerrone, who also discussed Mac Danzig and calling out opponents.
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