Diego Sanchez Blasts Former Teammate Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone Over Recent Comments
Diego Sanchez did not take kindly to the remarks made about his gym or one of the head coaches at the Jackson-Wink Academy in New Mexico.
During an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone unleashed on former coach Mike Winkeljohn and the problems he had with the way the gym has changed in recent years before he just recently departed.
Cerrone’s irritation was mostly aimed at Winkeljohn, who is a co-owner in the gym alongside famed trainer Greg Jackson. The breaking point came after Cerrone says he was matched up against Mike Perry, who had just recently started training at the Jackson-Wink Academy.
Ultimately, Cerrone claims that Winkeljohn sided with Perry because the welterweight contender is paying him as a coach and that brought his 11 year relationship with the gym to an end.
“He just drove that place into the ground,” Cerrone said about Winkeljohn. “Literally turned it into a puppy mill. It’s only about making money.”
Sanchez, who was one of the original fighters working under Jackson’s tutelage even before he was on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, fired back at Cerrone and his accusation following his interview.
“No lie I have been here longer than anyone and seen the many stages of our evolution of this team!” Sanchez wrote on Instagram. “We’re stronger than ever. Our defeats only helped us to grow and we are coming into the prosperous stage just and see!!! “Cowboy” Cerrone had been so busy building his empire the past three four years and he’s done a fantastic job doing it but that’s been his focus he’s never been here! Maybe a grappling class here or there a sparring every six months? That’s not a teammate it’s just someone who is out only for themselves.
“I’d try to give him a round if we crossed paths here or there the last time he got me real good with a side kick to the liver. I see it all! I treat this like a job 9 to 5. I come everyday I stay when everyone leaves to rest and eat. So I see it all. And in the past ten years “Cowboy” never went out of his way to help me get ready for a fight not once! That’s why I posted previous about why I was Team Platinum. Mike Perry is here to give me rounds if I need them and helped me more in one camp than “Cowboy” did in 10 years.”
To that end, Sanchez even offered to step up and fight his former teammate if something happened to Perry and he was unable to compete in November when they are scheduled to meet.
“Don’t bad mouth my gym or my coach Mike Winkeljohn. We’re good peeps striving to better our city our state and our sport! If Perry falls out come November I’LL BE READY TO FILL IN WITH ZERO HESITATION! And we know where Greg Jackson will be.”
By the sound of this latest response it doesn’t appear that the bad blood between Cerrone and his former gym will be going away any time soon.
