Donald Cerrone will welcome former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez to the Octagon when the two talented strikers meet in the co-main event of this weekend's (Sat., Sept. 27, 2014) UFC 178 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Initially pegged to take on Bobby Green, "Cowboy" says the last minute switch in opponent didn't bother him much, though he admits he kind of knew Alvarez was going to be his opponent for a while based on early rumors.
After the bout was made official, the mixed martial arts (MMA) community celebrated in unison knowing that Alvarez would finally be able to show off his skills inside the eight-walled cage. Not Cerrone, though, because as he recently told Sherdog, it doesn't matter who his foe is
At the end of the day, a fight is a fight.
"Anybody, it doesn't matter to me. They're all the same. For the fans, sure. He's hyped up. Get everyone tuned in, excited, but for me, a fight's a fight. I don't give a shit."
Before Cerrone established himself as a household name with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he rose to fame as part of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). So he knows just what Alvarez is going through as he transitions over from a much smaller promotion.
But that doesn't mean "Cowboy" is taking him lightly because just as he, and the rest of the WEC crew proved, anyone is capable of coming in and making a sudden impact inside the Octagon, so long as you have the skills.
"Everyone was saying us WEC guys were going to get smashed. I never really gave him much thought. He's coming over from Bellator, shit, wish him luck. Too bad he's got to go in with me. It's a tough fight, first fight. 'Welcome to the UFC. Here's Cowboy.'"
As far as strategy, Cerrone doesn't rely much on watching tape of his opponents. And preparing for Alvarez will be no different, as "Cowboy" admitted he's never seen him fight and knows nothing about him, other than the fact that he throws down.
"It's going to be a scrap. Dude throws down. That's all I know about him. I haven't really seen him fight, ever. That's what people tell me. Shit, I'm ready. Never seen Eddie fight, ever. Never, never, never. I've seen a picture of him, that's it. I don't watch fights. People don't understand. They're like, 'You don't know anything about your opponent?' No, I know nothing about him. I'll watch Michelle, little Jon fight, my teammates fight, but other than that, no. I got wakeboarding and shit to do."
Two stand-up specialists that prefer to stand-and-bang while leaving it all in the cage?
Count me in.
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