Donald Cerrone understands that professional fighting is just as much about entertainment as it is sport.

Not every fighter can be champion, but they all share an equal opportunity to become an entity that viewers will tune in to watch compete regardless of the circumstances.

Cerrone has done that as good as anyone due to his pledge toward delivering fights that bring fans out of their seats and puts fight-night bonus money into his pocket.

It’s not just Cerrone’s fighting style that makes him popular, though. It’s also his carefree personality and willingness to embrace the wild ride of being a professional fighter.

“The media is part of why we do this,” Cerrone told MMAjunkie. “I’ve learned, the UFC doesn’t pay me as a fighter, they pay me as an entertainer. This is part of it. I have to do this as part of the job and it’s part of becoming bigger and getting more attention. That’s way cooler to me. People want to see what that side of Cowboy’ is all about.

“I think a lot of young fighters don’t understand the media obligations and how important it is. One day you’re not going to call me for an interview. So, right now, take advantage of it. Get my name out there and let people hear what I have to say. If I can give one message to young fighters, it’s to take advantage of that. Do what you can, get on camera and brand yourself to where everybody knows. I think I’ve done a good job. You can say, ‘Cowboy’ and people know who you’re talking about. It’s f-cking cool.”

Cerrone wasn’t always so aware of the importance of building his brand in the media. He once believed it was simply his performance in the octagon that defined him. But over the past few years he’s realized that thriving in his chosen career path entails far more than that.

“(UFC Vice President of Public Relations) Dave Sholler made that very clear to me back in the WEC days,” Cerrone said. “It was four in the morning and I’m going on TV following a dog. Literally, they had a dog doing tricks then I was literally up next. I was like, ‘What is this?’ He said, ‘Look, ‘Cowboy.’ This is what we got to do. We’ve got let people know. Let’s build the brand, build the sport.'”

Cerrone’s perspective on the sport leads him to a viewpoint on a controversial subject few other fighters have shared. When UFC signed former professional wrestler CM Punk to a contract earlier this year, opinions have varied across the board.

Nate Diaz sees the signing of a fighter with no MMA experience as a notion of disrespect toward existing athletes. UFC champion Jon Jones wants to see Punk “get his ass kicked.”

Cerrone, though, believes it’s a positive. Punk may not be the most skilled fighter, but from an entertainment avenue, he’ll draw more attention to his fight than nearly the entire UFC roster.

“My attitude with CM Punk is: good, why not?” Cerrone said. “The guy did what he had to do. He’s got money. He doesn’t need to come to the UFC. So that’s just like a challenge he’s doing on his own. It’s not like he’s hurting and is like, ‘Man, I need to find a new career.’ He’s like, ‘No, I’ve made my life. I’ve done what I need to do. I’m going to come and try this.’ I told him to come to the ranch. Bring that WWE money and come out and train with me.

“Who am I to say CM Punk can’t fight? We’ve never seen the guy fight, never seen him train. I heard he’s got good jiu-jitsu. Teach the guy – I don’t know if you can do some of the wrestling moves he does in the WWE, but he might be. Come on. Why not? Bring that fan base. They sell out arenas every night, so why not bring that over? I think Brock coming over was great. CM Punk, yeah, come on with it. Put me on the same card as him.”

Cerrone (25-6 MMA, 12-3 UFC) returns to action this Saturday at UFC 182 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. He meets Myles Jury (15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

For more on UFC 182, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.