Donald Cerrone‘s appeal is not complicated.
The beer-swilling, extreme sports-loving, dirty joke-cracking, wide-grinning, cowboy hat-wearing, flying knee knockout-seeking Cerrone elicits smiles and fist pumps and shaka signs from MMA fans the world over. Think of him as the Matthew McConaughey of modern MMA.
What might really cement the corollary is the way Cerrone unflinchingly bares his soul (or seems to) for anyone to see. He was open about his poor performance in big fights and his visits to a sports psychologist in an effort to change that. He freely relayed the details of his near-fatal rock-climbing accident. You can see the joy written on his face when he wins, almost as easily as the hurt he feels in defeat.
Luckily for Cerrone, it’s been more of the former lately: He’s ripped off eight wins in a row, including three fights in 2015.
Given all this success and popularity, it’s hard to believe the New Mexico resident had never fought for a UFC title. That changed Saturday at UFC on Fox 17.
Could the fan favorite get that big-fight monkey off his back?
Across the cage was the Brazilian Rafael dos Anjos, an accomplished and widely respected champion, even if he could use a personality infusion from his opponent.
Did you get caught up with the holiday cheer? Never fear, my friend. Never fear. We’re covering Cerrone‘s big fight and the whole rest of the card, and as usual, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC on Fox 17 in Orlando, Florida.
Results for the full card appear on the final slide.