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 edging ever closer after ‘Cowboy’ revealed he has returned to the organisation’s testing pool two years after retirement.

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

His exit from the sport came amid a six-fight skid culminating 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 hit the 50-fight mark under Zuffa.

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

‘I just re-entered the testing pool so I have to be six months clean,’ said Cerrone. ‘Probably June or July we’ll make the comeback.

Donald Cerrone is closing in on a shock return to MMA as he is now back in UFC testing pool

Cerrone retired after losing to Jim Miller in 2022, just two fights shy of 50 UFC appearances

UFC boss Dana Whitehas been clear he does not want the Hall-of-Famer to return to the sport 

‘I’m coming back for two more. Just two more. I want 50 fights [under the] UFC [umbrella].

‘I promised the wife no matter what happens, no matter the outcome, two more and that’s it. I think it’ll be [at middleweight].’

Fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cowboy is one of the most popular and beloved fighters in MMA history. He is joint-second for most UFC wins at 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 victory came against Al Iaquinta five years ago, before he lost his final six matches.

UFC boss Dana White openly declared his dislike at the idea of Cerrone returning 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? If it’s about money, he can do something else.

‘He ain’t gonna fight for the rest of his life, he’s always gonna need to make money. So let’s figure that out now instead of three years from now.

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

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

‘Cerrone shouldn’t think about fighting again. Cerrone needs to think about what’s next. He should have been thinking about it two years ago but apparently, he didn’t, and he needs to.

‘But we’re here for him. We love Cerrone. We’ll help in any way we can. I don’t want to see him 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 back in the testing pool, Cerrone must produce a series of negative tests before being allowed to fight.

His decision to return to the octagon has brought much criticism due to his history with steroid use, however, he is looking to prove to punters that he can get off PEDs.

‘I retired, I told you I was gonna get my hair done and getting on steroids,’ Cerrone wrote on Instagram.

‘The number 50 has been sitting in my mind for a while. Working with transcend the last two years, taking TRT and a bunch of peptides now we’ve got a protocol.

‘For all you people that say, ‘Oh what if you get on it, you can’t ever come off?’ well, I now have to come off and p*** clean, fight in a few months, so watch this.’