Donald Cerrone Gives His Pick For Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz
Expect violent things when Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Justin Gaethje lock horns in the UFC Vancouver main event this weekend (Sat. September 14, 2019).
The lightweights are actually good friends with one another, and former training partners as well. Cerrone recently spoke with The Score to get his thoughts on the upcoming fight. Cerrone discussed his history with Gaethje. He noted they’re still good friends and were drinking poolside together during International Fight Week.
However, as training partners, they grew apart, as Gaethje still trains with the gym that used to coach Cerrone.
“He’s my buddy,” Cerrone said. “I hung out with him in Vegas during International Fight Week. We just drank beer at the pool all weekend. He’s like my friend. Trained a lot together. Obviously, we’ve grown apart training-wise, he trains somewhere different, probably the same guy I used to train with back in the day. But it should be fun.”
The matchup between Cerrone and Gaethje is likely going to be a standing affair, for the most part. However, Cerrone is very skilled on the ground with his submissions. When asked if he would like to be the first man to hand Gaethje a submission loss, Cerrone said he’d love to.
But he also recognizes Gaethje has a solid wrestling background, so holding him down might not be as easy as many think.
“You know, of course,” Cerrone said. “But he has such a good wrestling background and base that getting to the ground and holding him down will be tough. So we’ll see if he gets tired, and how easy it is.”
Cerrone was then asked for his prediction for the upcoming fan-favorite welterweight clash between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. The pair will headline the UFC 244 pay-per-view (PPV) from New York City. Cerrone revealed he’s picking the “more well-rounded” Masvidal to leave MSG victorious.
“I’m going with Masvidal,” Cerrone said. “I just think he’s more well-rounded. But Diaz is good too. He’s going to be right there with the boxing and the conditioning all day long, so we’ll see, man.”
What do you make of Cerrone’s pick for Masvidal vs. Diaz? And how do you see his fight with Gaethje playing out?
