Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and ‘Raging’ Al Iaquinta faced each other in a memorable lightweight clash tonight (Saturday, May 4, 2019) inside the Canadian Tire Center in Ottowa, Ontario, Canada, only on ESPN+. Iaquinta was ranked 6th, Cowboy ranked 8th.
They touched gloves. Iaquinta took the center with a stationary stance, then crab-walked sideways into a side kick. Cerrone stepped in and Al countered with a winging hook. Al landed a body kick. Cerrone hit a leg kick. Al landed a jab and a one-two. Al stepped into an inside leg kick. Cerrone jabbed. Al circled, jabbed low, nearly ate a head kick for his trouble. Cerrone landed a hard body kick. Al landed a body jab and a hook to the head. He slipped a Cerrone jab. Al whiffed on an overhand as Cerrone kicked high. Cerrone stepped in with a blitz and came up short; Iaquinta missed a huge overhand. Cerrone threw a front kick to the body and Al responded with a jab to the body. Cerrone spun and Al caught him with a big right hand. Al circled, jabbed. Cowboy got some body kicks going, Al stepped in, and Cerrone slipped and landed a counter hook. Iaquinta landed a cracking combination and Cerrone came back with a hard counter! Cowboy landed a knee/kick to the head as Iaquinta stepped in, and somehow Al just absorbed it. He landed a right hand counter moments later.
Cerrone landed a leg kick, and Al responded with a couple of his own. Al countered a jab with a slapping hook. Cerrone landed an inside leg kick and ate a jab in return. Al flicked a jab out and Cerrone hit him with a couple hard leg kicks that had Al out of stance. Cerrone’s corner was calling for more leg kicks, but Al stepped in and landed two massive overhands. Cowboy stayed in stance. Al came up with a high kick. Cerrone stepped in and this time Al landed a slapping leg kick. Cerrone was trying to use his boxing a bit. Al feinted and Cerrone flinched in response. Cerrone landed a jab. Al partially connected with a head kick. Cerrone landed a hard leg kick. Iaquinta had a kick checked and Cerrone countered one of his entries with a little blitz. Iaquinta was doing a good job staying in stance, cutting Cerrone’s ability to follow up with the longer combinations he used on Alexander Hernandez. Iaquinta countered a leg kick and wobbled Cerrone near the end of the round! This fight was shaping up to be a classic battle.
Iaquinta came out with a leg kick and a couple front kicks of his own. Cerrone looked for that intercepting lead kick/knee as he ducked forward. Iaquinta just avoided a high kick. Iaquinta faked a takedown and came over the top with a right hand. Cerrone landed a front kick, then another leg kick. He landed a big lead hook in combination that snapped Al’s head back. Al landed his own big right hand as Cowboy tried to track him down. Big switch from Cerrone, off the arms of Al. He tried two more but slipped on the second and nearly ate a right hand getting up. Iaquinta threw a one-two that Cerrone blocked. Al’s leg was battered and he switched momentarily to southpaw. Cowboy dropped him with a jab! Cerrone got on top and landed heavy ground and pound to end the round.
Iaquinta was trying to track down Cerrone in the fourth round, whiffing on a leg kick. Cerrone landed a snapping front kick out of nowhere that dropped Al! Iaquinta scrambled to his feet, blocking a head kick! Cerrone threw the same snap kick and Al just kept going. Leg kick from Cerrone. Al landed a hook to the body. Cerrone landed a jab, and avoided the one-two from Al. Iaquinta just blocked a head kick. Al landed a solid left hook. Cerrone landed an inside leg kick, then a right high kick. Al circled, then landed another whipping left hook. Cerrone popped Iaquinta with a lead uppercut right after a left hook. Al landed a solid punch, then Cerrone fired back with five or six punches. Cerrone seemed to be very much in his range, landing a leg kick then a high kick. He landed one of those long series of punches on a retreating Al. Iaquinta caught a kick but couldn’t land the takedown. He circled away from Cerrone as the round ended.
The doctors had to check Iaquinta’s eye before the final round began. Iaquinta was looking to pressure, knowing he was behind. He moved forward behind his jab as Cerrone circled. Al missed a big right hand. Cowboy landed a hard leg kick. Iaquinta landed a hard overhand, Cerrone countered. Al countered a right hand with one of his own. Cerrone landed a nice flicking jab. Al bobbed and weaved, then ate a leg kick. Cerrone landed a jab, then a low leg kick. Those leg kicks were really bothering Al. He blocked a high kick, then landed a perfect counter right hand on Cerrone’s chin. The Cowboy pressed on. Al landed another counter hook. Cerrone landed a long leg kick, adjusted to keep himself out of range. Cerrone landed a body kick. Iaquinta landed a solid left hook, Cowboy came back with a six-punch combination. Jab from Cowboy. Iaquinta caught a leg kick and committed to a single-leg just to land an overhand on the break. The crowd was cheering; Iaquinta blocked a high kick. Al landed a head kick of his own. Cerrone got really aggressive, moving forward, and Iaquinta threw back. Leg kick by Cowboy, he threw a flying knee, went clean over a ducking Iaquinta, who ended up on his back and Cowboy rained down ground and pound. Al was shelling up but the buzzer had already rang! What a final thirty seconds from Cowboy, what a five-round war from both men.
‘Dad Cerrone is 3-0 now, so I’m on a new mission!” Cerrone said. He said he wants the title- unless Conor McGregor wants to fight him in July. What a great win for Cerrone and what a great fight overall. He posed with his headphone-wearing baby and his team afterwards.
Results: Donald Cerrone def. Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision (49-45×2, 49-46)
For complete UFC Ottowa results and coverage click here.