AUSTIN, Texas – Fans itching to see Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon will likely be disappointed.
The highly-anticipated bout between the two lightweight veterans won’t get a third booking after multiple fight-day cancellations. Cerrone (36-16 MMA, 23-13 UFC) and Lauzon (28-15 MMA, 15-12 UFC) were scheduled to compete Saturday in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 37. However, Lauzon was forced to withdraw from the bout as his left knee locked up on him after official weigh-ins, rendering him unable to walk.
This was the second time the bout had to be cancelled. They were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 274 in May, but Cerrone fell ill the morning of fight day due to suspected food poisoning.
It seems UFC president Dana White has seen enough and will move on from the fight.
“That thing is getting like Tony (Ferguson) and Khabib (Nurmagomedov),” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC on ESPN 37 post-fight news conference. “No, I will not book that fight again.”
Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov, of course, is one of the most notorious “not meant to be” fights in UFC history. The two fighters were matched up five times – and five times the fight fell through. Ultimately, it never ended up happening.
Lauzon revealed after Saturday’s cancellation he potentially has a dislocation on his knee. It’s uncertain the exact nature of his injury and his return to the octagon is unknown.
But as far as Cerrone, the UFC is already discussing options and looking to get him a fight in the coming months. Cerrone attended the event Saturday as a fan. One thing is for certain, Cerrone is not looking for a quick turnaround and won’t fight in July.
“He just cut that weight yesterday,” White said. “We sit, and we wanted to see if he wanted to fight in July, but he doesn’t want to cut weight again, so he won’t fight in July. We’ll figure something else out with him.”
Cerrone, who shares the record for most wins in UFC history, looked to snap the worst losing skid of his career. The 39-year-old is on a six-fight winless stretch that includes five losses (four by finish) and a no contest. Cerrone’s most recent win came in May 2019 when he dominated Al Iaquinta for a unanimous decision.
Lauzon was looking to return for his first fight since an October 2019 first-round TKO of Jonathan Pearce in front of his hometown Boston crowd.
