Donald Cerrone is pumped up for his fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 213.
UFC 213 is set to be one of the year's most exciting events, with Anthony Pettis, Alistair Overeem, Cody Garbrandt, Amanda Nunes, and other high-profile fighters scheduled for the blockbuster pay-per-view.
Perhaps the most exciting bout on the card, however, is the welterweight showdown between former champ Robbie Lawler and fan favorite Donald Cerrone.
Lawler and Cerrone will duke it out on the main card, and 'Cowboy' is excited to throw down with one of MMA's most 'old school’ brawlers.
“Robbie is old school, been around forever," Cerrone said during a UFC 211 media scrum last week (h/t Simon Samano and Ken Hathaway of MMA Junkie). "And so have I. Somebody’s going to lose. But I don’t think Robbie looks at it like that; neither do I,” Cerrone said. “I don’t go in there like, ‘(Expletive) I have to win. My career.’ … I’m going to fight, to fight one of the best brawlers, going to stand up, (expletive) throw down, and put on a show. This fight is for me. This is what I love. There’s no place I’d rather be than in that mother(expletive). And then throwing down with one of the greatest? C’mon, I’m loving it – every minute of it.”
Cerrone, a former UFC lightweight title challenger, was on the cusp of welterweight title contention before being TKO'd by Jorge Masvidal earlier this year. The Muay Thai-based fighter holds stoppage wins over the likes of Alex Oliveira, Patrick Cote, Rick Story, and Matt Brown.
Lawler, 35, defended the 170-pound belt twice before being usurped by Tyron Woodley at UFC 201, losing via first-round KO. 'Ruthless' defended his strap in epic, back-to-back championship bouts against Carlos Condit and Rory MacDonald, and is considered one of the most exciting technical brawlers of all time.
Both men will be looking to spring back into the winner's column at UFC 213, and Cerrone thinks their bout will be the fight of the century.
“Oh, for sure. In my mind it already is,” Cerrone said when asked about his fight with Lawler being a 'Fight of the Year' candidate. “‘Fight of the Everything.’ Fight of my life. Can’t wait, man. I’m (expletive) pumped. It’s going to be exciting. I don’t even know why I need to keep selling this fight. If you’re not a (expletive) MMA fan and watching this fight, then (expletive) you. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
UFC 213, which features Lawler vs. Cerrone on the main card, takes place on July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.