Alex Morono ‘going in there for the kill’ against Donald Cerrone at UFC on ESPN 24

LAS VEGAS – Alex Morono has nothing but respect for Donald Cerrone, but that won’t stop him from trying to take his head off on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 24.

Morono (18-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) stepped in on five days’ notice to fight Cerrone (36-15 MMA, 23-12 UFC) after Diego Sanchez was pulled from the original matchup on the ESPN-televised card at the UFC Apex. He couldn’t help but take the opportunity to fight “Cowboy,” even if the circumstances weren’t ideal.

Cerrone is on the tail-end of his career and currently on a five-fight winless skid. Morono is the man tasked to make that drought hit six, and he said he won’t hold back.

“You want to see a guy like Cerrone go out on a high note,” Morono told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC on ESPN 24 media day on Wednesday. “There’s only one exception to that, and it’s if he’s fighting a teammate or myself. I’m going to try to kill him on Saturday. He can have a retirement fight after that if he wants, but that’s the bittersweet aspect to it. You’ve got pay respects to these guys, but not if you’re fighting. I’m going in there for the kill.”

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After losing his most recent fight to Anthony Pettis in December, Morono said he’d planned to take the first quarter of 2021 off to help relocate his local gym and get some other personal affairs on order.

He has two of his Fortis MMA teammates in Geoff Neal and Diego Ferreira fighting at UFC on ESPN 24, so he was helping them train for this date. When the call to fight Cerrone came through, he said it was an easy choice to accept.

“In this case the risk is certainly worth the reward,” Morono said. “Cerrone is maybe, other than Conor McGregor, the most well known fighter on planet earth. He’s fought the best, he’s beat them, he’s lost to them. He’s a guy I always enjoyed watching, and it’s just cool. Such a good opportunity for my career. Where I’m at now fighting these vets is awesome, especially while they’re still in the mix.”

Morono said this situation is great for him, but the same can’t be said for Cerrone. He thinks this is a bad matchup for one of the most decorated fighters in UFC history, and although he expects a well prepared opponent, he’s not sure if Cerrone will have enough.

“This was a cool fight, and I don’t think it’s ideal for Cerrone,” Morono said. “I know he was game and I know he was motivated. When I was talking to coach Sayif (Saud) he was like, ‘Cerrone knew he could beat Sanchez.’ I watched some of the training videos and I know he’s in good shape, and I expect this one to be a bit of a dog fight.”

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