Two things we know for sure Donald Cerrone doesn’t like: losing and time off.
Not necessarily in that order.
Maybe that’s why there was something cathartic about Cerrone‘s first-round submission win over Alex Oliveira on Sunday at UFC Fight Night 83. After a few moments on the feet when it seemed like Oliveira‘s power might win the day, Cerrone took him down and locked up a triangle choke with the air of a man who just needed to get back to work.
During his post-fight interview in the cage with play-by-play man Jon Anik, he had a message for the competition that was also vintage Cowboy.
“If you want to get hurt, I know a guy,” Cerrone said.
It’s possible he came into this fight feeling like he had to get two monkeys off his back. First, there was the matter of his stinging defeat to lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos back in December. Second, there was the fact the dos Anjos loss had been his only Octagon appearance of the last nine months.
Long layoffs just aren’t Cerrone‘s style, especially after a defeat.
Prior to becoming the No. 1 contender for the 155-pound title during the spring of 2015, he’d been perhaps the most active fighter in the UFC’s most difficult division. His fast and furious pace and never-say-die attitude made him one of the fight company’s most popular attractions. It also helped pay for his hard-living lifestyle.
After defeating John Makdessi at UFC 187 last May, however, the prospect of a championship fight was enough to convince Cerrone to sit and bide his time. He took seven months off waiting for dos Anjos to be ready to defend the title—but then the gambit sort of blew up in his face.
The Brazilian champion blitzed him with punches almost from the opening bell and ended Cerrone‘s storybook run at the lightweight championship via first-round TKO. It turned out we’d all waited so long to see a fight that only reaffirmed dos Anjos‘ dominance.
It was no surprise, then, in the wake of that fight that Cerrone immediately signed on for another bout. Best to take the taste of losing out of his mouth as soon as possible. He was supposed to take on Tim Means at welterweight at Fight Night 83. Then Means reportedly ran afoul of the UFC’s new, more stringent drug-testing program and had to be pulled.
Oliveira—who seemed to be picked by simple virtue of the fact his nickname is also “Cowboy”—got the call on short notice.
In that regard, this didn‘t exactly shape up as the biggest win of Cerrone‘s career. Oliveira himself is a lightweight/welterweight tweener who seemed to overachieve while amassing a three-fight win streak leading up to this, the first (and likely last) main event of his UFC career.
For the 28-year-old Brazilian to take the bout at the last minute and succumb to a first-round choke reminded us all how slick Cerrone can be on the ground but did little to improve the American Cowboy’s stock in either the division or in the eyes of fans.
Not that his place in the division really matters anymore, and not that his reputation with fans needs any help.
No, perhaps this victory was meaningful for Cerrone in really only one way: It seemed to signal a return to his own way of doing things.
He tried the conventional approach during 2015, and it didn‘t work out for him. If at this point he intends to go back to accepting any fight he can get once every couple of months and being a constant thorn in the side of UFC matchmakers, that’ll be fine with just about everyone.
Cerrone turns 33 years old in March, so the die is likely already cast on his athletic career. He’s probably not going to be the champion after falling short against dos Anjos and in three previous shots at the now-defunct WEC title.
But you know what? That’s OK.
Cerrone is one of those rare MMA fighters who doesn’t really need a title run to cap off his career. He’s already among the most popular fighters on the UFC roster and continues to climb the all-time lists in terms of total fights and total wins.
After his victory over Oliveira this weekend, even Cerrone himself marveled at his own longevity.
“That was my 30th walk [to the cage],” he told Anik. “We got here at 1 o’clock today and went through the walk about 10 times—that’s the best I’ve ever felt in here [during a fight].”
Everyone was glad late last year when Cerrone finally got his chance to fight for the UFC title. He seemed like the kind of guy who deserved the best the sport has to offer.
In the end, it didn’t go his way, but if the consolation prize is getting our Cowboy back, that isn’t too shabby, either.
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