Cerrone and Martins meet tonight on the UFC on Fox 10 main card. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
As a former training partner of Donald Cerrone, Brian Stann will have an insider’s perspective for the lightweight’s bout tonight at UFC on Fox 10 in Chicago.
“[Cerrone] seems to be motivated and excited about fighting. When you get that kid excited about fighting, you don’t want to fight him during those time periods,” Stann told Sherdog.com this week. “There are times in his life when all he wants to do is fight, and there are others when all he wants to do is be on a boat on a lake. Nobody should take too much stock in him talking about needing money. Donald loves to spend money. He has the most expensive toys of any fighter I know.”
Cerrone has earned a lot of that cash by racking up bonuses from excellent performances under the Zuffa banner. In Cerrone’s 11 UFC fights, he has earned seven post-fight awards. However, Stann wonders how long such a style of fighting can prove successful.
“How long can you last by being so reckless? I can certainly speak from experience with that,” said Stann. “Donald’s a guy who trains that way. He fights that way. He welcomes trading. I don’t care who you fight in UFC. At this level, if you roll that dice enough times, every once in a while it’s gonna come up and not be your number and catch you.”
Indeed, “Cowboy” has built a reputation for being one of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division, win or lose. The 30-year-old will now look to build on the momentum gained from his November submission of Evan Dunham when he meets Martins, a 31-fight pro who is still carving out his name in the North American fight scene. The Brazilian currently rides a six-fight winning streak, and Stann believes his best route to protecting that run is to play into Cerrone’s willingness to trade.
“Martins is a little more wild than Cerrone on the feet, but sometimes that can bode well for you against Donald. If you throw some things from angles he isn’t accustomed to, you’re gonna pay for it sometimes, but others, you’ll get lucky.” Stann said. “I see that as Martins’ best chance at winning instead of taking Cerrone down and trying to control him. Donald is hard to keep down and is in great shape. I think the X-factor is [whether] Cerrone’s luck runs out, because none of our chins last forever.”