Tonight at UFC 141, lightweight Donald Cerrone squares off with Nate Diaz in, as Bruce Buffer would say, the co-main event of the evening.
Both men are on hot streaks at the moment, and rank among the top 20 lightweights in all the major world rankings. A win for either would be a huge leap forward. For Cerrone, who hasn’t lost in the UFC in four fights, it could solidify him as a title contender.
But in the meantime, he’s got the dangerous and irascible Diaz in front of him. And this could be the fight of the night. So what does Cerrone need to do to win?
Well, in a nutshell, he can be himself. I know it sounds silly, but hear me out.
Nate’s bread and butter is a stalking style of boxing and a finish-minded submission game. Cerrone isn’t typically the type to get bullied, on the feet or on the ground.
When the fight is standing, he doesn’t seem likely to let Diaz walk him back into the fence. He can return Nate’s fire with kicks and knees as well as punches. And while the Diaz brothers are famous for their endless cardio, Cerrone doesn’t tire easily, though, and shouldn’t overextend himself or allow Diaz to blow him out.
On the ground, Cerrone has the well-rounded game, quickness and athleticism to keep pace with Diaz and power out of any scrapes. Diaz is great on the ground but doesn’t always actively look to go there. If Cerrone can get a takedown and assume top control, he should be able to score points while staying out of Diaz’s submissions.
Cerrone probably can, and should, dictate where the fight takes place. The bottom line is that if he fights within himself and commits to bullying the bully, Cerrone has a great chance to come out on top.
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