Donald Cerrone vs. Mike Perry: A Fight That Sells Itself

Trash talk is not necessary when guys that love fighting as much as Donald Cerrone and Mike Perry are scheduled to face one another.

During the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 25th anniversary press conference, the promotion announced the remainder of its 2018 schedule, and Cerrone-Perry was one of many fights to which fans can look forward in the coming months. The welterweights will square off at UFC Fight Night 139 on Nov. 10 in Denver, and it seems they could not be happier about it.

Cerrone has won just one of his last five bouts, and while Perry defeated Paul Felder by split decision at UFC 226, he too has found the going rough, having lost twice in his past three appearances. They have trained together at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and are preparing to enjoy themselves in a live fight. Having fun has been the name of the game for both of them.

Perry called the matchup with “Cowboy” the “biggest of his life” and expects nothing but the best out of him. He also made note of Cerrone’s positive mood ahead of their clash.

“People say that ‘Cowboy’ does his best when he is friendly with you, and if you show it in return, he’s going to take you out,” Perry said. “I always want the best from my opponents, and that’s why I try to get in their heads and get it out of them.”

Perry’s recent losses came to Max Griffin and Santiago Ponzinibbio, both by decision. Meanwhile, Cerrone followed his Feb. 18 technical knockout of Yancy Medeiros with a unanimous decision defeat to Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 132 in June. Both men figure to enter the cage hungry when they join headliners Frankie Edgar and Chan Sung Jung in Colorado this fall.

The UFC concluded the press conference by announcing the lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, a decision that may have overshadowed everything else. Nevertheless, mark your calendars for Cerrone-Perry, because you can be certain that whatever bad blood develops between them between now and November will be settled in the cage.

Edward Carbajal serves as the lead MMA analyst for Frontproof Media and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a brown belt in Ishin Ryu Karate. He has covered combat sports since 2014 and has been a fan of MMA since UFC 1. You can follow him on Twitter @Carbazel or at his website TheBlogBoardJungle.com.