UFC Vancouver: Justin Gaethje Plans to Give Donald Cerrone “Back” Sparring KO

Justin Gaethje and Donald Cerrone have never met in an official fight, but the two reportedly sparred as “The Highlight” began his pro career. How did that go? Well, Gaethje admits that it didn’t go so well, but he also says that’s not going to be the case when they battle at UFC Vancouver.

Cerrone – Gaethje to headline UFC Vancouver

Cerrone and Gaethje are going to throw down in the main event of UFC Vancouver, which will take place in the Canadian city on September 14th. The fight’s been booked following Gaethje’s (20-2) back-to-back, emphatic knockouts of James Vick and Edson Barboza.

Cerrone (36-12), meanwhile, is looking to get back on track, as the doctor would not let him continue into the third round of his June fight with Tony Ferguson. Prior to that, “Cowboy” had scored consecutive wins over Mike Perry, Alex Hernandez and Al Iaquinta.

Gaethje recalls sparring session with Cerrone

Well, due to the aggressive styles of both men, as well as their finishing capabilities, Cerrone – Gaethje is (and or should be) on everyone’s must-see list. As noted above, Gaethje actually sparred Cerrone years back, and while talking to MMA Junkie recently, the former WSOF champ said this:

“He knocked me out … he dropped me in sparring,” Gaethje said. “I don’t even know if I had a pro fight at the time. I was a kid then and a man now and I’m excited to get in there and give him back that one, yeah.”

Now, when you consider Gaethje turned pro back in 2011, and what he’s accomplished since then, obviously no one should draw too much from the sparring session. While talking about what fans can expect in the upcoming bout, however, Gaethje said this:

“This is pure violence,” Gaethje said “This does not need to be talked up. Cowboy has had the most fights, the most performance bonuses, this will make it the most fights ever, the most wins I think, something like that. He has all the records. So I mean, yeah. What do we need to pump up? If you’ve seen me fight, you know that I come to, I’m 100 percent right now, I’ll be 100 percent when I’m done in the fact that either I go to sleep or they go to sleep, so, that’s what I do.”

Yup. It’s pretty hard to imagine this fight being a disappointment. Aside from the entertainment factor, it’s also a pivotal fight for both. If the 30-year old Gaethje wins, he’ll take another big step towards a title shot. For the 36-year-old Cerrone, another loss at this juncture of his career would be a significant setback in his own title shot hunt.