Retired UFC fighter Donald Cerrone was one of the best fighters in his prime, and he plans to continue this streak by returning to the cage.
Cerrone was considered a legend during his career and was one of the most popular fighters. Unfortunately, he did not have a good finish towards the end of his career, suffering a 0-6 losing streak during his final fights.
The fighter revealed that after his retirement, he took a wild turn and started taking steroids to feel young again. This news came as a shock to many in the MMA world, including his last opponent, Jim Miller. Miller admits he isn’t comfortable with the fighter making a comeback after confessing to doping during his retirement.
“I have a tough time telling other grown men what to do,” Miller told MMA Fighting. “I don’t really believe in it. But the fact that he was very, very open with his use of performance enhancers and the way the majority of his last fights went. He got knocked out quite a few times, and that’s not healing from going on a little [testosterone replacement therapy]. I’m not super into it, to be 100 per cent honest.”
“It’s not my call,” Miller said. “It’s up to him and his team, and if they want him to get punched in the head again, do your thing. I’m not a very big fan of the whole steroid vacation thing. What are we doing? But he’s going to do what he wants to do.”
Cerrone intends to undergo six-month testing before stepping into the cage. However, Miller believes the substance may still affect the fighter regardless of his cleanse. Miller understands he has no say in the fighter’s career, but he believes the fighter may have difficulty adjusting to getting back in the fight.
“Cowboy” suffered multiple knockouts during his final fights and may have had time to repair some damages, but stepping back into the cage may bring back some complications. Despite these complications, Cerrone is willing to make a comeback. However, Miller is worried it might be difficult for the fighter to quit again. Miller says he has had experiences with his brother and understands how difficult it is to give up boxing.
Miller’s brother, Dan Miller, was a future title contender, but his career was cut short in 2015 due to injuries sustained during his career.
“Close to home, my brother had neck surgery in 2013, and they went in. He had two joints that were messed up. They couldn’t tell him if they were going to fuse both joints or just one when they went in there,” Miller explained. “They ended up fusing only one. The doctor said if they fused the two, then he would not allow him to fight anymore. But he still had a banged-up joint in his neck. He just didn’t take enough time off and ended up re-injuring it a few weeks out from a comeback fight.
“There, he goes into it, but not nearly 100 percent. It sucked to be a part of it. It sucked to watch my brother, who to this day I think could have been the champ at 185, the way that he fought and trained in the gym, leaps and bounds from what he performed. He was always his worst enemy when he stepped into the octagon.
“To see him go in there still injured from the neck surgery and all this stuff, and not perform, and not be the moment that he wanted. To not be the comeback that he wanted. It’s tough and it sucks. I don’t want to do that to myself. I don’t want to do that to my wife and my team.”
On the other hand, Cerrone plans to leave a legacy of 50 fights before leaving the cage, but he hasn’t made any official statement about retiring yet.
“When I make that choice that it’s done for me, it’s done,” Miller said. “I don’t ever want to be in that spot. I hope to do whatever and feel great after I’m done fighting. It would be great to get out of bed and walk normally to the bathroom and not limp! But I’m not going to just one day do that and be like, now I need to go back to fighting.”
