Staying at local RV park perfectly ‘homey’ for UFC fighter Cerrone

The Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight, along with three friends and members of his fight team, are a bit of an oddity in a campground largely occupied by snowbirds and travelers with families.

“It’s like a senior citizen community,” Cerrone said with a laugh. “One lady told us, ‘You guys might want to try the (RV park) down there by Circus Circus. It’s a rowdier crowd.’ ”

Cerrone will have plenty of time to get rowdy when he steps into the cage tonight to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 141 at the MGM Grand Garden. For the week leading up to the bout, he is just fine in the laid-back surroundings of the quiet campground on Blue Diamond Road, just west of Las Vegas Boulevard South.

For fights within driving distance of his ranch in Albuquerque, N.M., Cerrone eschews the airplane ticket and fancy hotel room provided by the UFC. Instead, he latches his trailer to the back of his truck and sets up a little home away from home for the final week of training camp. This week marks the third time Cerrone has set up camp in his RV.

“It’s such a homey feel,” he said. “It’s real comfortable for us just to tow it out here and stay and sleep in a bed I’m used to. We’ve got a fridge and full kitchen and everything we need right here. Plus, I pull my vehicle right up here and I can drive wherever I want. I don’t have to worry about getting my car out of valet. I don’t have to worry about all of the people down in the lobby. It’s almost like you’re not in Vegas, you’re just hanging out.”

Not that life around the Oasis doesn’t get a little wild. Cerrone and his friends donned pirate costumes and attended a Halloween party in the clubhouse when he stayed there for his fight in October against Dennis Siver. There was a Christmas karaoke bash this week on the night after they arrived in town.

Then on Wednesday, the group made the short drive over to the outlet malls to do a little shopping.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m stressed. I didn’t sleep very much last night just because there’s a lot going on the last few days before a fight,” Cerrone said. “You can try to not think about it as much as you can, but you do. You’ve got to walk around, do something, get your mind off it.”

Staying in the trailer helps in that regard.

“Being here, it’s more comfortable for everybody. Everything is more mellow. We don’t have to fight through the crowds to do something,” said Mike Valle, Cerrone’s striking coach and one of the trailer’s temporary residents. “Back home, we live on the ranch and we have our luxuries there, but that’s the last thing on our list. We don’t need to go stay in a suite or eat in fancy restaurants. We buy our own food and this is where we eat. It’s cool, man. We enjoy it a lot.”

Cerrone does have a room at the MGM Grand provided to him by the UFC, and he intends to use it tonight to celebrate what he expects will be his fifth victory of 2011. He has won six straight fights overall, dating back to his days in World Extreme Cagefighting.

The 28-year-old, who truly lives up to his nickname of “Cowboy” with his life on his ranch and bull-riding past, attributes much of his recent success to his work with a sports psychologist. He said the biggest focus was making sure his performance in the gym consistently transferred into the cage.

Cerrone also compares his stretch of solid performances to a run at the tables.

“It’s like when you’re playing blackjack and you’re hot and winning on the house money. ‘Keep going, man. Keep running with it,’ ” he said. “That’s how I feel right now. I feel like I’m on fire. I feel like I’m unstoppable.”

The bout is part of a pay-per-view card that begins at 7 p.m.. The card is headlined by a heavyweight top contender bout between former champion Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem.

A pair of fights, including a lightweight contest between Danny Castillo and Las Vegan Anthony Njokuani, will air live on Spike TV (Cable 29) at 6. It will be the last live UFC broadcast on the network with all new programming moving to the Fox family of networks in 2012.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.