Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone has agreed to face Jim Miller at UFC 276 on July 2 in Las Vegas, according to UFC officials.
The short-notice bout is the latest turn of events in a wild month for Cerrone (36-16), who is replacing Miller's original opponent Bobby Green. The fight will take place at the 170-pound welterweight limit. UFC 276 takes place at T-Mobile Arena.
Cerrone, 39, was scheduled to face Joe Lauzon at UFC 274 on May 7, but was forced to withdraw the day of the fight because of food poisoning. The UFC rebooked that matchup to UFC Fight Night last weekend in Austin; however, it fell apart on its scheduled day again when Lauzon suffered a freak leg injury.
One of the most popular fighters in the UFC for years, Cerrone has acknowledged his career is coming to an end. He's expressed a desire to reach 50 appearances under the WEC and UFC combined. He needs three more bouts to reach that mark, which has never been reached in MMA history.
The Albuquerque-based fighter is also looking forward to fighting in front of his two sons, in front of a crowd. He has not fought in front of a crowd since he faced Conor McGregor in January 2020 in Las Vegas.
The new matchup is a rematch of a lightweight bout in July 2014. Cerrone defeated Miller (34-16) via TKO in the midst of what would become an eight-fight winning streak. Cerrone used that streak to make a run all the way to the UFC title in 2015, where he came up short against then-champion Rafael dos Anjos.
Cerrone's two fights against Lauzon were booked at lightweight, and he successfully made weight for each.
