Fighters fighting way past the point that they should is a tale as old as the sport of combat sports. Some just don’t have any other way to make money, some are addicted to the bright lights, the big stage, and the ecstatic cheers from the crowd, some feel that their fortunes may change after the next fight, while others just love fighting way too much. Donald Cerrone is definitely in the latter camp.

After all, ‘Cowboy’ fought thrice and sometimes even four times a year in his career, and has perhaps taken more short-notice fights than anyone in the promotion. This is perhaps why fans were happy to see the American finally call it quits at the age of 38 back in 2022 after six consecutive losses. But to no one’s surprise, the American plans to return to the UFC next year, which has not sat well with the fans, fellow fighters, or even his friend, UFC star and commentator Paul Felder, who feels it is a terrible idea. Why? We’ll let Felder himself explain.

“Donald was a massive, massive, pivotal part of my UFC career and kind of getting me to where I was. And I would tell him this too- at what cost, man? To get to 50? For what? [Because] you’ve got 48 fights? I don’t you know if it’s worth it for your health to come back. Who are you gonna fight? Do you want wins? Because you’re not getting them, you know, against any of the top guys right now… That worries me even more because, I mean, really obviously he’s past 40. I think he’s 41 or 42,” Felder told Michael Bisping on the latter’s official YouTube channel.

The reason Cerrone has given for coming back, of course, is that he wants to have fifty total fights under the Zuffa/TKO brand. At the moment ‘Cowboy’ has forty-eight fights in the UFC and the now-defunct WEC, and wants to have two more fights before he walks away for good.

However, the UFC veteran is already 41, has been inactive for over two years, and is at serious risk of taking long-term brain damage after coming back, which worries Felder. But that was just one of the concerns Felder had about Cerrone’s planned comeback.

Paul Felder feels Donald Cerrone coming back at the wrong weight class

Perhaps what was most surprising about Cerrone’s plans to come back is the weight he plans on making his comeback. The American has fought his entire career at 155 pounds or 170 pounds. But for his final two fights, he is targeting the 185-pound middleweight division. Which is the second main reason Felder is so concerned about ‘Cowboy’s comeback.

“He was just a little bit older than me and he’s not a 185-er, you know what I mean? Like, he got to 185 because of the things that he was doing post career which is fine he wasn’t in the testing pool… I don’t think he’ll be at 185 after you really start to train,” Felder added.

Of course, being inactive has led to ‘Cowboy’ gaining some weight, and he rightfully doesn’t want to put his body through the hell of cutting significant amounts of weight to make 170. Especially at 41. While Felder is concerned about this, he doesn’t really need to be. Gaining weight is exponentially simpler than cutting it. But on the other hand, Felder is right on the point that Cerrone will probably not do well against the heaviest opponents he has ever faced in his career.

But then again, this is the fight game and the only certain thing is that nothing is certain. Maybe ‘Cowboy’ comes back looking better than ever, and wipes the floor with his opponents. The chances of that, however, are pretty slim since Father Time remains undefeated and undisputed. What do you think about Paul Felder’s concerns about ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone’s upcoming comeback?