UFC President Dana White recently spoke about UFC 274’s main card which is stacked with some blockbuster lightweight fights. The pay-per-view card will kick off with a battle between decorated veterans Joe Lauzon and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who is back fighting at 155 pounds after three years at welterweight. Both the fighters are in their late 30s and are approaching towards the end of their career. Amid the speculations, White said that the loser of the bout might retire.
Dana White opens up on the matter
White spoke to John Morgan of MMA Underground as he said:
“They’re a different story. That one should be… the loser probably packs it up and rides off into the sunset. That I would agree with.”
Back in the late 2020, Cerrone had stated that he is “at the end of the tunnel” of his career and wants one “last run” at lightweight. During his pre-UFC 274 scrum, he also alluded to retirement in passing.
“This is for legacy, baby,” Cerrone told the media. “This is how I used to fight, going in there and f—ng letting this old dog eat one more time.’”
The 39-year-old Cerrone (36-16, 2 NC) has been with Zuffa through the WEC since 2007, and with the UFC since 2011. In the UFC alone, Cowboy has had 37 bouts and set multiple records along the way. However, he has been winless since 2019. He last fought in May 2021 against the younger Alex Morono and lost via first-round TKO. The 37-year-old Lauzon (28-15) has been with the UFC since 2006 with 27 Octagon fights under his belt. He last saw action in October 2019 against Jonathan Pearce and won via first-round TKO.
UFC 274 takes place this weekend in Phoenix, Arizona. The event will be co-headlined by two title fights: Right before the main event is a strawweight title rematch between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza. At the top of the bill is a lightweight championship bout between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.
