Getty Joe Rogan & Donald Cerrone
Recently retired UFC fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is interested in boxing Jake Paul.
At 39 years old, Cowboy walked away from mixed martial arts in July at UFC 276 after he was bested by fellow UFC veteran Jim Miller via second-round guillotine choke. However, the 36-17 (with two no-contests) fighter would be down to scrap with “The Problem Child” inside a boxing ring.
That’s what he said recently while speaking with Thiccc Boy Studio. “Would I have liked to fought him?” Cerrone said. “F***, of course. How could I say no to f****** millions of dollars? So, I would definitely go out there and do it but I’m not sitting over here saying, ‘Jake, you’re a f****** YouTuber, ain’t worth a f***, blah, blah, blah.’
“Nah man, you’re making money, make the f****** money. And if you want to throw some money my way, I’m with ya.”
Paul is 6-0 as a professional boxer and he boasts wins over multiple MMA names, including former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, ex-UFC welterweight king Tyron Woodley and former Bellator and ONE 170-pound champion Ben Askren. Cerrone has one boxing match under his belt per Boxrec.com: a TKO loss to Geoffrey Spruiell in 2003.
Cerrone Compared Paul to His Former UFC Opponent, Conor McGregor
Cerrone likened the social media superstar’s positioning to that of former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor’s, mixed martial art’s biggest star. Further, Cowboy praised Paul’s power, shutting down the notion that The Problem Child competes in “rigged fights” as some have suggested.
“The Jake Paul phenomenon is kind of crazy, it’s got everybody calling him out — kind of like the big Conor [McGregor] push, you know what I mean?” Cerrone said. “That’s what I feel like is happening with Jake Paul. Everyone’s wanting to fight him and I don’t see why they wouldn’t, because that’s a big money fight. But you can’t take away, like everyone’s saying those are rigged fights. I think he hits hard.
“I really do think those are legitimate shots and strikes, and he’s been practicing boxing and he’s whipping their a**es. I don’t think there’s any mis-hype. You know, I think he’s got something going on there.”
Four of Paul’s pro wins have come via KO/TKO, including when he put out Woodley’s lights in December 2021 and also when he starched Askren via TKO in April of the same year. Further, Paul managed to knock down Silva at the end of their bout.
Cerrone Retired From MMA as 1 of the Most Respected Fighters to Grace the Octagon
Cowboy is a bonafide mixed martial arts legend, fighting the who’s who of multiple generations. Known for his “anyone, any time, any place” mantra, Cerrone has battled several past and future UFC champions, including Leon Edwards, McGregor, Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, Benson Henderson and Robbie Lawler.
Cerrone had one opportunity to hoist UFC gold himself; however, he fell short to then-lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in 2015.
Out of his 36 wins, Cowboy defeated 10 of his opponents by KO/TKO and 17 by submission. He still holds the record for most knockdowns in UFC history with 20.