It appears that the feud between Donald Cerrone and Mike Winkeljohn won’t end with “Cowboy’s” victory over Mike Perry at UFC Fight Night Denver on Saturday.
Cerrone departed Jackson-Wink MMA prior to his bout with Perry, as “Cowboy” revealed that Winkeljohn elected to train Perry over him for financial reasons. That split led to harsh words from both sides, with Cerrone referring to the Albuquerque, N.M.-based gym as a “puppy mill.”
After Cerrone submitted Perry with an armbar in the UFC Fight Night 139 co-main event, he couldn’t resist taking another dig at Winkeljohn.
“My grandma went and told Winkeljohn, ‘You should have bet on the dinosaur,’” Cerrone told reporters during a post-fight media scrum. “He knows what he did. It’s all over money, too. That’s the worst part.
“Looks like he’s still not getting paid, is he?”
On Sunday, Winkeljohn fired back at Cerrone in a video on Instagram. In his message, the trainer said that Jackson-Wink has “no drama” now and is a “happy place” following Cerrone’s exit. Winkeljohn also discouraged any Cerrone supporters from traveling to Albuquerque to train. His full statement is as follows:
Where was ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone the last 10 years helping others at the gym? Nowhere to be found. He didn’t come to our classes, didn’t even use Greg Jackson his last two fight camps. When he came, he would grab sparring partners, and then he would take those sparring partners back up to his ranch, where he paid for fun, free s—t. Those guys would sometimes go up there and stay and train, and they’d lose. Hmm.
Any gym owner would tell you cancer has to be removed. It’s removed. The gym has no drama. It’s a happy place. I’m a happy guy. With that being said, I really wish Mike Perry had not taken ‘Cowboy’ down. Anyway, if you have fighter experience, and you want to come train with the best fighters in the world and help each other – Jon Jones, Holly Holm, Michelle Waterson, Devin Clark, Bevon Lewis, Carlos Condit, Siyar (Bahadurzada), John Dodson and so many others – you’re more than welcome.
If you’re one of those guys that swings on Donald Cerrone’s you-know-what, that’s weak and weird.