Donald Cerrone may have been hungover after his last fight at lightweight thanks to a lighting quick beatdown courtesy of division champion, Rafael dos Anjos, but “Cowboy” returned to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 83 in impressive fashion.
And he did it while making his debut at welterweight.
Cerrone took on Alex Oliveira in the FOX Sports 1 main event, which went down from the CONSOL Energy Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after his original foe, Tim Means, was bounced due to a potential drug test infraction.
And “Cowboy” looked like his old self again.
After finding himself on the receiving end of a few uppercuts and knees to the body thanks to his opponent’s clinch, Cerrone turned it around by using the eager Brazilian’s aggressiveness against him, scoring a takedown early in the round.
From there, it was pretty much elementary, as “Cowboy” proved he is more than a striker by putting his submission skills to use, trapping his foe in a triangle choke which forced a quick tap (see it again here).
Not only did the impressive win show Donald’s future foes that you have to watch out for his ground game, too, but put all the 170-pound contenders on notice, as well.
“I get to do 50 and 70 now so everybody, if you want to get hurt I know a guy,” Cerrone stated during his post-fight victory speech. So what was the difference? According to Cerrone himself, he went out there worry free.
“Today’s the best I felt because I didn’t have any worries. I just came out here and had some fun,” said Cerrone. “That fight was for me, you know?”
There’s a reason why they brand Cerrone a warrior, as he has always stayed true to himself, never offered any filter, and has always maintained his “fight anytime, anywhere” mantra, regardless of weight divisions.
The beer-guzzling, thrill-seeking striker has no qualms talking about his “weak liver.” Still, that isn’t going to stop him from being himself. And why should he? It has worked well for him this long, so no need to change now.
So where does “Cowboy” go from here?
Well, he now has plenty of options, as he proved to himself and the world that he has the chops to hang with the bigger boys in the welterweight division. And since he doesn’t have any title hopes to cling to at 155-pounds and he likes eating fruit roll-ups and guacamole, don’t be surprised to see him compete at 170 pounds for his next bout.
Should that be the case, I wouldn’t mind seeing UFC matchmakers putting on a bangfestival in the form of a locking Cerrone and Thiago Alves inside the Octagon if for no other reason than to see two of the nastiest strikers in the division mix it up.
And you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who will oppose that booking.
For complete UFC Fight Night 83 “Cerrone vs. Oliveira” results, including play-by-play updates, click here.