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Fighters and money problems are practically synonymous. As long as there have been people willing to pay big money to watch men beat each other up, there have been men willing to take that money and spend it as frivolously and quickly as possible. It's strange then that it's not a more common refrain from current UFC stars. Partially this is because most of them don't earn enough money to really and truly blow it on anything, partially it's a difference in culture in which many fighters have been through college or had some level of higher education along with their martial arts training, rather than coming from some of the worlds poorest slums. Whatever the reasons, it's yet to become a major talking point for the current generation of UFC fighters... at least until now.
Donald Cerrone recently gave an interview to Majority Draw Radio, in which he talked about his money woes in the finest tradition of pugilistic financial planning (transcription via Examiner.com):
"What really happened is I spent all my money, so I'm broke, and I only have one choice but to fight," said Cerrone in an exclusive interview with Examiner.com as a guest on Majority Draw Radio.
"I text Joe [Silva] after my last fight and said, ‘I want a fight ASAP.' He said, ‘How does January 25th sound?' I said, ‘Great!'
...
"I'm just out of control," explained Cerrone. "It's hard to have money in the bank, want something, and not get it. I just [expletive] buy it. I have no idea what saving money is."
...
"I'm coming hard. I'm back. I'm ready to make that [expletive] title run. I don't know where I went. What happened was that I got real comfortable financially and kind of let off everything. I lost my fire.
Well, at least it sounds like he knows he's his own worst enemy, but it's hard to think he has any designs on changing. Financial mismanagement is one of the most difficult things for an athlete to overcome. The expectation that there will always be another payday around the corner and that people will always be willing to shell out for your services often lead to a bankrupting shortsightedness. it's especially notable, here, since Cerrone also talked about his recent struggles to "get his hunger back," and that he was considering retiring before taking the fight against Evan Dunham at UFC 167. Cerrone may still have some tread left on the tires, but an athletic career can end at any moment and if he's not prepared for that end he could find himself facing a long road back to financial stability.
Be sure to check out the rest of the show as he talks a lot about his loss of motivation and his preparations for Adriano Martins at UFC on Fox 10 on January 25th.
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