Donald Cerrone got put into a tough spot at UFC Fight Night 83. Coming off a rough loss to lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on Fox 17 and with ugly losses to contenders like Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz on his record, he was looking to get a fresh start in the welterweight division opposite Tim Means.
While Means isn’t necessarily a huge name, he is still a dangerous and respected veteran. A win over the Dirty Bird would have instantly turned him into a player in the welterweight division.
Then there was an issue with one of Means’ drug tests. In stepped Alex Oliveira and out stepped Opportunity for Cerrone.
Oliveira is a good fighter, sure. He entered the event with a solid 3-1 UFC record and coming off three good wins, and is far more athletic than most lightweights. Unfortunately, he’s a lightweight and worse, he is unknown to anybody but the most hardcore of fans.
Cerrone needed to win, and win emphatically, if he wanted to keep his place in the lightweight division. A loss, or even a ho-hum performance, would have been been a serious blow to his standing in the rankings.
As per usual, Cerrone just didn’t care and as per usual, that boldness served him well in the cage.
When the door locked and the horn sounded, Oliveira knew his best opportunity to take down Cerrone was to attack him early and in the torso. It’s a strategy that has worked well against the American Cowboy over the years and Oliveira looked to imitate dos Anjos, charging in with a flurry of knees from the Thai clinch.
Unfortunately, none of the knees did any serious damage and Cerrone shoved him off, returning to a comfortable range. That’s not a good place to be.
Punches. Kicks. And, not long after, a takedown.
While fans always remember Cerrone‘s striking attack, his expert submission game is often forgotten about, but he gave everyone a good reminder here. He stepped over, cupped Oliveira‘s head and effortlessly sunk in a picture-perfect triangle choke. Oliveira tapped out quickly and Cerrone, just like that, was back in the win column.
Here are some notes and thoughts on this bout:
- After a great deal of hubbub about Cerrone‘s refusal to adhere to the UFC’s Reebok uniform policy at UFC on Fox 17, Cerrone fell in line here at Fight Night 83. No stripes or stars sewn into his trunks.
- While this fight was at welterweight, it’s tough to tell whether Cerrone will stick around at 170 pounds for any length of time. That probably wouldn’t have been the case had he fought Means, but here we are.
- Oliveira doesn’t really take any damage from this loss. He was already unknown entering this fight, so he gains ground in defeat if anything.
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