Cerrone not only added yet another record to his already long list of accolades, he solidified several of his leads.
My God this Donald Cerrone.
Just two years ago we were all asking ourselves if “Cowboy” was destined to spend the rest of his UFC career being fed to an increasingly violent pack of up and coming wolves. Now, refocused and back at 155 pounds where he belongs, he is once again the hunter stalking his prey. On Saturday night he toughed through a hard start to earn a clear victory over the tough Al Iaquinta at UFC Ottawa (watch the highlights here).
This sudden career renaissance seems to have sparked a new appreciation from fans too. At 36 years old, Cerrone has been providing us with entertainment for over a decade now. And while our own hazy memories of WEC events on Versus may not do that legacy justice, the record books certainly do.
Here’s where he stands now.
This fight against Iaquinta clinched “Cowboy” the #1 spot for most knockdowns in UFC history (20). The two knockdowns against “Ragin’ Al” pushed him ahead of Anderson Silva and Jeremy Stephens.
Cerrone also earned a personal best, landing 138 significant strikes against Iaquinta. His previous best. That moves him into 4th place for most significant strikes landed (1450)
He now ranks 4th in UFC history with a career 1450 significant strikes landed. It’s only a short stop to jump #3 Frankie Edgar (1463) and #2 Michael Bisping (1567). Good luck catching #1 Max Holloway though (1808).
He holds the record for most UFC wins in promotion history (23). That gives him a comfortable lead over guys in a three-way tie for second place (20): Georges St-Pierre, Michael Bisping, and Demian Maia. Out of those three, only Maia is still in active competition. His biggest threat over the long term: Jon Jones, currently in his own three-way tie for fourth place with 18 wins.
Cerrone holds the record for most finishes in UFC history (16), beating Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva’s 14 a piece. No other active UFC fighter is even in the rankings on this one.
Performance awards? Yep, he’s won the most of those too (17). He’s second for most Performance bonuses (7), behind Charles Oliveira (8), and would be first if you counted the Performance bonuses he won when they were called KO and Sub bonuses (5 more, so 12).
Cerrone is still in second for most UFC fights overall (31), trailing Jim Miller (32). This fight against Iaquinta moved him out of a tie for second place with Jeremy Stephens (30).
Not bad for an old man indeed. And given the newfound drive from “Dad Cerrone,” who knows how many more records are set to be broken before he hangs up his very worn gloves?