Two years after hanging up the gloves, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone announced his intention to return to the octagon; albeit only when the steroids exit his system, having been remarkably open about his rampant use of PEDs during his time away.
The notion that such a popular figure could return to the world’s biggest MMA promotion after being so upfront about steroid consumption hasn’t sat well with fans, or his fellow fighters.
Jim Miller explains why he’s ‘not a big fan’ of Donald Cerrone’s UFC comeback
Donald Cerrone announced his retirement in July 2022 after he was submitted by fellow UFC icon Jim ‘A10’ Miller, with the ‘Cowboy’ having been remarkably honest and upfront about his use of PEDs during that time away.
Speaking with veteran reporter Damon Martin via MMA Fighting, Miller would explain that whilst he has “a tough time telling other grown men what to do,” he certainly isn’t a fan of Cerrone returning after boasting about his PED use so openly.
“The fact that he was very, very open with his use of performance enhancers and the way the majority of his last fights went… He got knocked out quite a few times and that’s not healing from going on a little [TRT] or whatever. I’m not super into it, to be 100 percent honest.
“It’s not my call, it’s up to him and his team and if they want him to get punched in the head again, do your thing. I’m not a very big fan of the whole steroid vacation thing. What are we doing? But he’s going to do what he wants to do.”
Miller echoed many of the same sentiments as his fellow fighters, with former double champion Daniel Cormier questioning whether Cerrone’s return is morally acceptable after such PED use; whilst Bellator champion Johnny Eblen argued “Your brain doesn’t heal from steroids.”
Even Dana White isn’t a fan of the ‘Cowboy’ riding into battle once again, telling reporters back in October, “I hate it, I hate it, love him, hate that.”
Miller is six months younger than Cerrone but wants to stick around for a few more bouts so that he can make it to the magic ’50 fight’ count – he’s currently sitting pretty at 45 UFC fights, having bested Damon Jackson at UFC 309.
“I want to be in a situation where when I’m done, I’m done,” continued the popular lightweight.
“There’s no ‘oh well I haven’t been training fight camp hard for six months, a year and now I feel better’ because I’m just working out and not just grinding myself down into dust to then kind of jump back into it.”
“It’s a tough spot [for Cerrone], I don’t like making decisions for other grown men. They get to do their own thing – whatever he decides to do, do it and do it to the fullest.”
Articulations like this are why Miller remains one of the most popular fighters on the entire UFC roster; in fact, ‘A10’ was recently named above Khabib Nurmagomedov as the lightweight GOAT by one of the promotion’s former champions.