A battle of two of the UFC’s most enduring competitors is in the works for a planned May 8 event.
Donald Cerrone, who has been fighting under the Zuffa umbrella since 2007, and Diego Sanchez, who has been with the UFC since winning “The Ultimate Fighter 1” in 2005, will square off in a welterweight bout on May 8. MMA Junkie confirmed the news after an initial Thursday night report by MMA Fighting.
Cerrone (36-15-1 MMA, 23-12-1 UFC) is the UFC’s all-time wins leader (23) and boasts the most finishes in company history (16). He’s tied with Jim Miller for most fights in UFC history at 36.
Despite those accomplishments, “Cowboy” has hit on rough times in recent outings. He’s winless in his last five fights, although his most recent result, a draw with Niko Price on Sept. 19, ended a four-fight losing streak.
The 39-year-old Sanchez (30-13 MMA, 19-13 UFC), meanwhile, is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame in the fight wing for his legendary 2009 win over Clay Guida. Sanchez has lost two of his last three bouts, with the sole victory a disqualification late for an illegal knee late in a bout with Michel Pereira which Pereira had been handily winning.
The duo, who were both mainstays at Jackson Wink MMA in New Mexico but have moved on, have combined for 26 post-fight bonuses over the years, with Cerrone netting an eye-popping 18 and Sanchez eight.
Earlier in the day, in a tweet aimed at Conor McGregor, Sanchez hinted both that he might be fighting Cerrone — and that this could be his last UFC fight.
This is the first fight to come to light for the UFC’s May 8 card, which does not yet have an event title or location.