Las Vegas, Nevada – Top UFC® lightweight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone says his UFC 150 showdown with friend and rival Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard will be “strictly business” but –motivated to impress his hometown fans – the Cowboy added he will go all out for a KO in what he expects to be the fight of the night.
Cerrone collides with friend and rival Guillard in the co-main event of the UFC’s return to the city of its birth, Denver, Colorado, this Saturday.
The Cowboy said: “I’m from Colorado Springs, and all my aunts, uncles, cousins and lots of friends live right here in Denver. I kept calling the UFC to get me on this card, and thankfully Melvin stepped up and allowed me to have a great fight in my hometown.
“I am honored Melvin stepped up. He could have said ‘We trained together, we’ve sparred, he knows my style, it is in his hometown…’ but he stepped up right away. He’s a warrior. He’s a man. When I heard he’d stepped up I called him up to thank him. I was like ‘Thanks for being a warrior and letting me have this fight that I wanted so bad’.
“We hang out, he’s a great guy. He’s been over to my house for barbeque and, after this fight, he’ll be welcome back again. This is going to be a war, he’s a tough explosive guy and he wants to get to that title shot as much as I do, but it is nothing personal. I will try to knock him out, he will try to knock me out, it is just business. We both said ‘Hey, let’s earn some money together and get the Fight of the Night’ bonus.
“It should never get personal with fights. The one time I got personal was with Nate Diaz. Diaz did a great job of getting me angry, getting inside my head, making me get emotional. He had my number that night for sure. I learned then never to let emotions into it. I like Melvin, but I am going to beat him up like he’s any other fighter.”
In the main event UFC lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson and former UFC lightweight titleholder Frankie “The Answer” Edgar rematch to decide who is the best lightweight on Earth.
