UFC legend set for shock return to the octagon after secretly returning to drug testing pool… despite Dana White HATING the idea

Donald Cerrone’s return to the UFC is getting closer after ‘Cowboy’ revealed he has returned to the organization’s testing pool two years after his retirement.

In July 2022, Cerrone laid down his gloves in the center of the ring with a 36-17 record and 48 combined appearances in the UFC and WEC dating back to 2007.

His departure from the sport came amid a six-fight skid that culminated in a submission loss to fellow veteran Jim Miller.

In October, the 41-year-old fan favorite announced his plan to make two more walks to the cage to reach the 50-fight mark under Zuffa.

And now Cerrone has told Adam ‘Pac-Man’ Jones that he plans to return to the Octagon in the summer as a clean fighter.

“I just re-entered the testing pool, so I need to be clean for six months,” Cerrone said. ‘We will probably make the comeback in June or July.

Cerrone retired after loss to Jim Miller in 2022, just two fights away from 50 UFC appearances

UFC boss Dana White has made it clear that he does not want the Hall-of-Famer to return to the sport

“I’ll be back for two more. Only two more. I want 50 fights [under the] UFC [umbrella].

“I promised the woman, whatever happens, whatever the outcome, two more and that’s it. I think it will be so [at middleweight].’

Fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cowboy is one of the most popular and beloved fighters in MMA history. He is tied for second for most UFC wins at age 23 and third in appearances with 38.

However, his career was in freefall before he decided to initially close the door on fighting, with Cerrone failing to win his last nine fights.

Cowboy’s last win was against Al Iaquinta five years ago before losing his last six games.

UFC boss Dana White openly stated his distaste for the idea of ​​Cerrone returning to the sport when he revealed the news two months ago.

‘I hate it. I hate it,” White said. “Love him, hate that. He retired for a reason. For what? When it comes to money, he can do something else.

‘He won’t fight again for the rest of his life, he will always have to earn money. Let’s find out now, instead of in three years.

Cerrone has lost to a host of big names in his career, including Conor McGregor (left) in 2020

‘Cowboy’ retired after losing six fights on the bounce but insists he wants to fight two more

‘Cerrone shouldn’t even think about fighting again. Cerrone needs to think about the future. He should have thought about it two years ago, but apparently he didn’t, and he should.

‘But we are there for him. We love Cerrone. We will help in any way we can. I don’t want him to get punched in the face anymore.’

The UFC Hall-of-Famer has previously been open about his use of performance-enhancing drugs during his time away from the sport.

Now that he’s back in the testing pool, Cerrone must pass a series of negative tests before he can fight.

His decision to return to the Octagon has drawn criticism due to his history with steroid use, but he wants to prove to bettors that he can kick PEDs.

“I retired, I told you I was going to get my hair done and start taking steroids,” Cerrone wrote on Instagram.

‘The number 50 has been in my head for a while. We’ve been working with Transcend for the last two years, using TRT and a bunch of peptides, now we have a protocol.

“For all you people who say, ‘Oh, what if you step on it and you can never get off?’ Well, I gotta run off now and fight in a few months, so watch this.”