Donald Cerrone would rather chase good fights instead of UFC gold

Little has changed in Donald Cerrone’s approach to his career: He’ll fight pretty much anyone, anywhere, and at any time. Pay him and he’ll be there.

He’s fighting Patrick Cote on Saturday on the main card of a Fox Sports 1-televised show from Ottawa in his second consecutive fight at welterweight.

He submitted Alex Oliveira in Pittsburgh in February with a triangle choke in his debut at welterweight. Now, fighting a second time in a row at 170 pounds, it seems that Cerrone is a welterweight.

But is he? Well, the man himself isn’t sure. There are plenty of hints that he’s probably still a lightweight, given his top target is No. 1 lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, but the man himself isn’t ready to commit to a division.

“[Expletive] man, I don’t [expletive] know,” he said in that slow drawl of his that has become so familiar over the years. “I’m just looking for some good fights.”

In Cote, he’ll be meeting a much larger man, one who spent most of his career at middleweight but who has also fought in the UFC at light heavyweight.

Anyone who has followed Cerrone’s career knows that shouldn’t faze him. He’s a thrill seeker by nature, so fighting a guy who is much bigger naturally and who has knockout power in his hands is the kind of thing that gets his engine going.

But he’s not so worried about fighting for the title again. He lost a lightweight championship match to Rafael dos Anjos on Dec. 19 when he was stopped in just 66 seconds.

That loss and a division full of elite fighters, which added a significant contender on Wednesday when ex-Bellator champion Will Brooks signed with the UFC, pushes Cerrone well down the list.

But Michael Bisping’s improbable title win over Luke Rockhold two weeks ago at UFC 199 should serve as an inspiration of sorts to a guy like Cerrone, who has come close but never had the belt wrapped around his waist before. Cerrone was 0-3 in title fights when he was in the now-defunct World Extreme Cagefighting promotion, losing to Jamie Varner and twice to Benson Henderson, and he’s 0-1 in UFC title fights.

Bisping didn’t even get the title shots like Cerrone did, but after more than 10 years of trying, he got the opportunity on short notice and took advantage of it by knocking out the heavily favored Rockhold.

Cerrone scoffs at any parallels, though.

Asked what, if any, impact Bisping’s win over Rockhold had upon him, Cerrone laughed and said, “Not any. I didn’t even watch it, to be honest with you.

“But you know what? Good for him. Well deserved. But as for me chasing the [expletive] title, man, I just don’t give a [expletive]. Sure, the title means you get more money and you can sure, ‘I’m the best,’ but believe me when I tell you, I don’t wake up each morning and say, ‘[Expletive], I want to be the champion.’ ”

He’ll go for a milestone of sorts on Saturday when he pursues his 30th overall win in MMA competition. He was 6-3 in the WEC and is 16-4 in the UFC.

While the milestone is of no great significance to Cerrone, it’s a testament to his longevity and his evolution as a fighter. He’s matured into a well-rounded fighter who just don’t have to rely on his power to overwhelm his foes.

He’s also one of his era’s most entertaining fighters. He was in Fight of the Night five times in his nine WEC bouts. In the UFC, he has won Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night three times apiece, as well as two Submission of the Nights and two Knockout of the Nights.

He loses occasionally because he takes risks in the interest of putting on a show, but that’s all led to him becoming one of the sport’s most popular figures.

Cerrone overcomes losses, sometimes those seen as devastating ones, precisely because he is willing to get back on the horse so willingly. He doesn’t get discouraged easily and believes in himself so thoroughly that he’ll never decline an opponent.

He’s enjoying his time at welterweight, and said in more colorful language that all he needs to do is to use the restroom prior to the weigh-in to make weight.

He won’t commit to staying at welterweight, but not having to cut weight certainly is one attractive option.

“Cutting just wears on you, man,” he said. “It sucks. At this weight, I don’t have to worry about a certain diet or what it is I eat. I can just train, do my thing and go fight. That’s how I like it.”