That old Donald Cerrone smile. That hauntingly charming smile.
Backstage at UFC 182, promotional correspondent Megan Olivi met up with Cowboy following his unanimous-decision victory over the surging Myles Jury. She asked him if he was injury-free and looking to make a quick turnaround.
True to form, Cerrone replied with a resounding “absolutely.” His answer was accompanied by that almost mischievous-looking smirk sneaking out the corner of his mouth, brightening a face like flint, hardened by battle—nested under a shaved head and cowboy hat ready for war.
Classic shootouts and crusades for vengeance have made the Western cowboy nothing short of a literary hero and cinematic god. He speaks to the American spirit—as Cowboy Cerrone does to the sport of MMA.
Record holder for most post-fight bonuses in UFC/WEC history, Cerrone (26-6) rides into the TD Garden in Boston at UFC Fight Night 59 to face off with Benson Henderson (21-4) for the third time, 15 days after his last fight.
Henderson holds the edge in the series at 2-0. But Cerrone, like the mysterious gunslinger for whom Jack Schaefer’s 1949 western novel Shane is named after, fights like a man trying to escape his past—his eyes always set on where he’s going, not where he’s been, picking up fights and paychecks as quickly as he can. No one in the world has stepped into the Octagon as many times as he has since the WEC-UFC merger.
“He’s dangerous all right,” Joe Starrett tells his son Bob regarding Shane, of whom Bob, the narrator, described as slender but in possession of “quiet power.” It’s also an apt depiction of the UFC lightweight.
Cerrone’s tale, though, comes inside a cage and is one of bloodshed, victory and untimely defeat. A protagonist unable to pass up a brawl, making his way from Colorado and into the hearts of admirers, Cowboy’s career is one to write home about.
Wild Wild West
Fighting primarily under the Colorado-based Ring of Fire banner, Cerrone submitted the first seven opponents of his career, including the lethal-striking Anthony Njokuani in 2007. That same year, Cerrone would find himself in the big leagues of the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion.
The WEC, for its California roots and blistering action, was the Old West of MMA. Fighters of all shapes and sizes honed their craft inside its revered tiny, blue cage. Champions were crowned, the featherweight and bantamweight divisions were legitimized and fans from around the globe were introduced to the gunman we call Cowboy.
His first two fights in the WEC, back-to-back submission wins (one overturned after testing positive for the diuretic Hydrochlorothiazide) made him a hot, unbeaten prospect. But his third etched his name into MMA lore.
WEC 36 was an event for he ages, headlined by Mike Brown’s conquest and upset of five-time defending featherweight champion Urijah Faber and brutal knockouts up and down the card by such names as Jose Aldo and Leonard Garcia. Still, of all the action, Cerrone’s unanimous decision over “Razor” Rob McCullough was the most gripping.
McCullough, a former WEC lightweight champion and professional kickboxer, paired up with Cowboy to turn in a scrap with as many momentum swings as there were knockdowns. The first round, alone, saw five of them. Both fighters’ bottoms bounced off and on the canvas like rabid atoms transferring energy.
Justifiably, they received Fight of the Night honors.
Up next for Cerrone was the first of many blood-rivals: the wrestle-boxer supreme, Jamie Varner.
Their first meeting was closely contested. Their second, not so much.
At WEC 51, Cerrone picked up right where he left off from their last fight, serving up venomous muay thai striking, dropping the former WEC champion in the opening stanza with a left hand. After giving up nine takedowns in their first bout, the Greg Jackson’s MMA product managed three takedowns of his own en route to a wide decision victory.
Cerrone’s WEC career came to an end in 2010 when he submitted Canadian wunderkind Chris Horodecki with a triangle choke during the promotion’s 53rd and final installment, bringing his overall professional record to 13-3, 1 NC and 6-3, 1 NC in the WEC.
The Great Rodeo
It should come as no surprise that Cerrone, true to his moniker, owns and rides bulls on his New Mexico ranch. But the greatest roundup he’s ever been a part of came in 2011 when officially joined the WEC-UFC union, forcing Paul Kelly to tap to a rear-naked choke in his Octagon debut.
What follows has been up to interpretation. For every ground-and-pound TKO over Charles Oliveira and 1:16 knockout of Melvin Guillard there is his stagnant performance against Nate Diaz and dismantling at the hands (and feet) of Anthony Pettis.
For every utter shellacking he’s handed the murderous-punching Jeremy Stephens and former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez there’s UFC Fight Night 27 where Rafael dos Anjos completely outworked him.
Sixteen fights into his UFC career, he’s obtained not a single title shot. His biggest detractors would call him inconsistent, maybe even soft when the brightest lights go up.
A hard look, though, would beg to differ. His first bid at the WEC belt looked more like a quit job by Varner. His UFC record stands at an outstanding 13-3, losing only to the best lightweight in the world and former and currently scheduled championship contenders.
And the last 14 months of his career have been extraordinary, full of warfare and a six shooter’s worth of wins over Evan Dunham, Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, Alvarez and Jury just last week.
He’s been the ultimate Ultimate Fighter for his willingness to take on all comers, including the only man to ever beat him twice.
Antagonist
There’s a reoccurring foe in Cerrone’s tale: Ben Henderson. The rivalry starts when Bendo flipped Cowboy’s entire script in 2009.
Cerrone was originally set to avenge his controversial loss to Varner at WEC 43 until the defending champ was sidelined thanks to injuries. Considering how one-sided their eventual rematch turned out to be, Cerrone’s chances at a world title seem to have never been higher than they were then.
It was not to be.
Fresh off a TKO of three-time NCAA All-American Shane Roller that saw Smooth battle back from a knockdown in the opening moments of the fight, Henderson stepped in for Varner in opposition of Cerrone at WEC 43 for the interim lightweight strap.
In what Sherdog.com called the best fight of the year, the two men traded fists and harm for five fast-paced rounds. Cerrone attempted a staggering nine submissions, none more dramatic than the power guillotines he latched onto his opponent’s neck in the first minute of the fight and in the fourth round. But Henderson’s storied submission defense was especially superhuman that night.
The future UFC lightweight champ would utilize potent wrestling to take Cerrone down six times through the first three rounds, easily looking the superior man in Rounds 2 and 3 and delivering the higher output in the first.
But like his Jackson’s MMA stablemate, light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones, Cerrone is a master of attrition. Lashing leg kicks and aggressive jiu-jitsu off his back helped slow Henderson down for the championship rounds.
He stuffed every one of Henderson’s seven takedowns in the fourth and returned vicious uppercuts for his trouble, outstriking his opponent 17 to two.
Cowboy stuffed three more takedowns in the fifth and controlled the majority of the action. To his dismay, it was not enough.
Hendo walked away the winner on scores of 48-47 all around.
Their second fight, a guillotine choke in under two minutes, makes Henderson the favorite come Jan. 18.
Henderson, though, will be one fight removed from the first knockout loss of his career. And Cowboy has never been hotter.
There is no safe bet in this one. There’s only ever been one certainty when it comes to a Cerrone shootout: red-hot violence.
“There will be no gameplan,” Cerrone said on a conference call earlier this week pertaining to UFC Fight Night 59, per MMAFighting.com. “Just fight. That’s all there is to it.”
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