Donald Cerrone on tears, last word on Winkeljohn

DENVER – Behind the scenes of the Pepsi Center, Donald Cerrone gnawed at his words.

He made fun of the whole week when people had asked him if paternity had changed him. "What a cliche," he thought.

Then, moments before he left, he saw a picture of his newborn son in a cowboy outfit and started crying.

"I've never felt anything like it in my life," said Cerrone (34-11 MMA, 21-8 UFC) behind the scenes, including MMAjunkie, after his presentation of Mike Perry's record (12- 4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 139 in Denver. "And when I went out and kissed him just before I went into the cage, it did not matter what Perry had. No, I'm coming. "

Celebrating his victory after the first round, Cerrone did not call his grandmother in the cage as in all previous fights. He ordered the officials to recover his son.

"First fight as a father," he said. "It was incredible, of course."

Although the nerves that accompanied his career are still there, Cerrone has managed to have fun like never before. And he felt motivated by a goal he had never had before. Even before arriving at the arena, he was doing things a little differently.

"It's crazy." While leaving (Mike) Winkeljohn's gym at (Jackson Wink MMA Academy), we had a game plan fighting, "he said. "I've never really had a game plan."

The strategy, which consisted of allowing Perry to tire early and then increase, worked perfectly. And with that, came the right to boast of having the last word of a drama with Winkeljohn raised by Perry's fight.

"My grandmother went and told Winkeljohn," You should have bet on the dinosaur, "Cerrone said," He knows what he's done, it's also about money. " is the worst.

"It looks like he's still not getting paid, is not it?"

Cerrone, of course, is compensated in different ways. And, as usual, he will probably be back as soon as possible. The UFC has already proposed an opponent in lightweight, the division to which he now pledges for the title. An opponent is already under construction, although it does not specify who.

"It's very exciting," he said. "The guy is very exciting. You will like it."

For full coverage of UFC Fight Night 139, see the UFC Events section of the site.