Dana White weighs in on UFC Legend’s future: ‘What’s left to prove?’

Retired UFC legend and Hall-of-Famer Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone wants to return to the Octagon for two more fights, but Dana White hates the idea.

White was asked for his thoughts on the subject during the post-event press conference on Tuesday following the Contender Series Season 8 finale.

“I hate it,” White replied. “Love him, hate him.”

“What’s left to prove,” White asked rhetorically.

White made it clear that he believed Cerrone retired for a reason. He wondered aloud why Cerrone would come back.

“If it’s about money, he can do something else,” White suggested, adding that the promotion would help him figure out another way to make money. “Because he’s not going to fight for the rest of his life, he’s always going to have to make money. So let’s figure it out now instead of in three years.”

Here’s a look at the cut.

Cerrone retired in July 2022 after losing to another veteran, Jim Miller. Because he had been out of commission for more than two years, it looked like he might settle into retirement.

Cerrone had tried riding bulls and suffered a pretty serious injury earlier this year on that side mission. While White made it clear that he would prefer to help Cerrone make money in another way, he did not completely close the door on the possibility of the Cowboys’ return.

The 41-year-old has a professional MMA record of 36-17 with two no contests. He has had 48 fights in the UFC (or under the promotion’s banner) and is looking to reach 50. I wrote about a potential matchup between Cerrone and another UFC legend, Tony Ferguson, who White has also said should retire.

The two men met in June 2019 in Chicago at UFC 238. Ferguson stopped Cerrone and badly raised his right eye. The Octagon doctor ruled that Cerrone could not continue and Ferguson prevailed via TKO.

That win was Ferguson’s last in the UFC. He has lost a UFC-record eight fights in a row, but refuses to quit.

White is right; both Ferguson and Cerrone should call it a career, but if the promotion allows them to continue, a fight between them would seem to make the most sense.

Other UFC News – Dana White Contender Series Results

The eighth season of the Dana White Contender Series concluded on Tuesday. Four of the five winners received contracts for their achievements. Here is a look at the results of the matches. The names of the contract winners are in bold.

• Nick Klein defeated Heraldo Souza via submission at 0:37 of Round 1 (Rear-Naked Choke)
• Luis Gurule defeated Nick Piccininni via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Yads Del Valle defeated Antonio Monteiro via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
• Julieta Martinez defeated Leslie Hernandez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Jonathan Micallef defeated Mohamed Ado via submission at 3:01 of round 1 (Triangle Choke)

The UFC is back on Saturday at the Apex for a fight night event with Michel Pereira and Anthony Hernandez in the main event. Stay tuned for fight week coverage for the UFC and PFL’s first SuperFights PPV card.