LAS VEGAS – While Donald Cerrone is sure an opportunity to avenge his loss to Nate Diaz will come down the road, he said a recent conversation with the Diaz brothers ended the long-simmering tension between the camps.
Speaking with MMAjunkie ahead of UFC 202 – where he battles Rick Story (19-8 UFC, 12-6 UFC) ahead of Nate Diaz’s (19-10 MMA, 14-8 UFC) main event rematch with Conor McGregor (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) on the pay-per-view main card at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena – Cerrone (30-7 MMA, 17-4 UFC) explained the simple process behind ending the feud.
“I went up and talked to Nate and Nick, both of them,” Cerrone said. “I said, ‘Hey, man, this (expletive) has got to stop. We either have to figure it out, or figure it out.’ You know what I mean? They were like, ‘Cool, man.’
“Every time we see each other, it’s like, I don’t want to mug you across the room all the time. I’m tired of that (expletive). So, let’s just be cool. … When we pass in crowds, there’s no need to bump shoulders unless you want to handle it. They were cool too. They were like, ‘Yeah, man. (Expletive) all that. Let’s just move forward and keep it Dougie.’ It’s just easier that way.”
The bad blood dates back to before a UFC 141 bout where Diaz won a unanimous decision over Cerrone. Unsurprisingly, the two brash fighters clashed plenty ahead of the event.
Neither side was willing to back down after the event, something Cerrone said took a needless toll. Especially, he said, when he admires the brothers.
“It’s just stupid,” Cerrone said. “It’s unnecessary. It’s like, let’s let that (expletive) die and just move forward. They were like, ‘Hell yeah.’ I like those two. I’m a fan of them. For me to be mad at someone for nothing is stupid.”
For now, Cerrone said he will keep his focus on Story, the No. 15 ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, a fighter whose skills he has dismissed as rather unimpressive.
“He’s a looping brawler,” Cerrone said. “It works for him, it does, but he’s not technical. He’s not double jabbing and slipping his head. He’s not taking people down and submitting them. He’s one of the old fighters and the old breed. My statements were correct.”
