Donald Cerrone says body felt ‘thin and brittle’ at 155, teases ‘epic’ next fight at UFC 205

The first eight months of 2016 have been a time of reinvention for Donald Cerrone.

Not only has “Cowboy” rebound from a disappointing failed bid at the UFC lightweight title by jumping up to welterweight and capturing three straight victories in increasingly impressive fashion, but he also has made several key changes to his training regime down in New Mexico at Jackson-Winkeljohn. And among the most notable of those changes is that Cerrone cut hard sparring out of his life completely.

“Sparring is all I did, that’s what I used to do. I thought that was getting ready for a fight, would just be f*cking throwing down,” Cerrone said Tuesday on the Joe Rogan Experience. “Now I don’t spar at all, and all I do is drill, because drilling is the most important thing you can do.”

After 11 hard years spent in the fight game, Cerrone admitted that worries about brain damage prompted the move.

“I feel like the little guy at the Wal-Mart check-in, clicking. Every time you take a hit to your head, he pushes the button,” Cerrone said. “How many people go into Wal-Mart before it’s full? I don’t know. I have no idea. How many more do I got? How many epic f*cking brawls did me and (teammate) Leonard Garcia have in the training room? I don’t know. So, like, I’ll get in there and move around with Andrei (Arlovski) and move around with all of the heavyweights, but light, MMA sparring. Heavy takedowns and grappling, but real light striking. But the days of putting the big gloves on and throwing down? Hell no.”

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