'Cowboy' Cerrone: I've never seen Eddie Alvarez fight

As UFC 178 draws nearer, newcomer Eddie Alvarez is pounding the media circuits while getting to know some fans and reporters for the first time. While Alvarez is an accomplished fighter, when his name became eligible for the UFC rankings, media members placed him at No. 14 -- much lower than he likely deserved.

See, Alvarez is fighting for respect because he is well known to the hardcore MMA audience, but there a whole lot of people out there that just don't know much about him. So he's forced to explain himself in interviews to help justify his spot in the co-main event for the upcoming pay-per-view.

Meanwhile, his opponent Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone is not only ranked at No. 5 in the world, but if you asked him where he currently sits in the division there's little chance he could tell you. Actually, Cerrone can't even tell you much about his opponent outside of his name because he's never seen Alvarez fight. Not ever.

"I'm familiar with him. I've never seen the guy fight, which is crazy I know," Cerrone told FOX Sports. "I hear that all the time 'you've never seen him fight?.' The only video I've seen of Eddie is this little pre-clip they showed for the fight. That's it.  I haven't Googled him, I don't care."

"On my radar? Not really. I don't give a s**t. Just whoever they give me."

It's that kind of carefree attitude that defines Cerrone as both a fighter and as a person outside the cage. While so many competitors are clamoring for attention and talking about how much money they should be making or title shots they deserve, Cerrone has his mind on more important things.

Like the new garage doors being installed at the gym he's building at his ranch in New Mexico or fueling up the recreational vehicle he'll drive to Las Vegas in a few days as he gets ready to fight Alvarez.

It might seem kind of crazy that Cerrone isn't obsessed with fighting, but that's just not who he is or who he'll ever be.

"I feel good just living my life and living how I want to live. Fighting's not me, it's just something that I do," Cerrone said. "I enjoy living life, but that's how I get paid.  Through fighting it allows me to do all kinds of super fun s**t. I love it."

There have been plenty of fighters over the years who have voiced complaints about not getting slotted on the main card or getting rather upset about being on the non-televised preliminary show. There's probably something Cerrone could complain about as well, but it definitely won't be about his position in the company.

"If I fought main event or I fought first fight of the night, I do not give a s**t," Cerrone said.  "It pays me the same, so I don't care."

The only fight-related conversation that changes the tone in Cerrone's voice is when the lightweight title comes up. It's hard to remember a time when the former WEC contender ever had much to say about fighting for the belt, and even now as he's ranked among the top five fighters in the world, it's just not a subject he's thinking about too much.

But the difference between this and his slot on the fight card is that deep down the title still matters to Cerrone.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be the best, but I would just fight anyone, any time, I don't care," Cerrone said. "Like let's talk for instance when I beat Eddie.  There's going to be quite a bit of a wait before (Anthony) Pettis and (Gilbert) Melendez fight, they fight in December and they probably won't defend the belt till what March or April maybe?

"I'm going to try and fight, you already know it. I might go to 170, who knows, I don't care.  So you ask me does the title mean a lot? Yeah it does, but then again no it doesn't."

The only thing that really perks up Cerrone's ears outside of the hum of a boat engine or the explosion of one his favorite guns is the sound of fans cheering whenever he enters the Octagon. At the end of the day, titles collect dust and rankings remain subjective, but Cerrone knows so long as he pleases the fans, he'll always have a place to call home.

"I don't care where I fight on the card, but to get people motivated or excited like 'Cowboy's fighting!' that's my overall goal," Cerrone said.  "When I get stopped by people and they say 'I f--king love watching you fight' -- to me that's super cool."