The waters surrounding, what is arguably, the most talent-rich weight class in the UFC have become even more murky following Donald Cerrone‘s victory over Myles Jury at UFC 182.
Cowboy Cerrone made a case, even though he may not have thought so, for a shot at the 155-pound belt. The 31-year-old used a bit more motivation to batter Jury’s legs, nearly submitting the undefeated lightweight with a rear-naked choke in Round 1. The promising lightweight prospect Jury was handed his first career loss by Cerrone, who was clearly the more well-rounded fighter. For the Jackson/Winkeljohn MMA product, it’s his sixth-straight dominant victory and fifth victory in less than a year. It also creates an interesting dilemma atop the lightweight food chain.
While the fourth-ranked Cerrone has turned the Octagon into his second home, one Russian Sambo master has been eagerly awaiting his return to the cage. Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has won 22 professional fights in a row, including six in the UFC, has demonstrated an eagerness to fight for the belt while recovering from knee surgery that took place in July. He has won six fights in a row, in just over a two-year span, but only fought once in 2014 due to a meniscus tear suffered just minutes after he agreed to fight Cerrone in September.
Fast forward just a few months later, and the pair of Cerrone and Nurmagomedov are back at square one. The No. 2- and No. 4-ranked lightweights could be on the eve of another potential bout for No. 1 contendership. If, and when that happens, is entirely up for discussion. Though, Nurmagomedov has already teased to UFC brass what venue might best suit a bout between the streaking contenders. But as Bleacher Report’s Raphael Garcia posed, Cerrone may elect to stay active than wait for the Russian to be medically cleared to compete.
That throws a whole shadow of doubt onto a proposed matchup between the pair down the road. Sure, with Cerrone‘s eagerness to fight, he might be ready following a fight on the February UFC card in Denver, Colorado. And what if he loses? We’ll just have to see what UFC President Dana White and Matchmaker Joe Silva cook up when they have a sitdown with Cowboy. What can be discussed, here, is whose streak has been most impressive.
The 26-year-old Russian is truly in a class of his own. Nurmagomedov owns the title of most takedowns landed in a fight in UFC history with 21 against Abel Trujillo in May 2013. He has also beaten the likes of Pat Healy and Rafael dos Anjos at their own games. What really sets Nurmagomedov apart from the rest of the lightweight division is his uncanny ability to smother a fighter.
The Russian is unrelenting in his pursuit for a takedown. He can either punch his way into a clinch, which he does a fine job of, or through a well-timed shot. Once he gets there, a thunderous storm of elbows are usually in his opponents’ forecast. His guard, while not on display a whole lot, can also be dangerous. But don’t let his illustrious accolades in Sambo, Judo and Pankration fool you, Nurmagomedov is all about the striking business too.
He’s just as deadly on the feet as he is on the ground, boasting an array of knees, hooks and uppercuts. Nurmagomedov doesn’t stay stuck in one stance either and is extremely difficult to hit. His striking defense is right up there with the best in the 155-pound division. The Russian has fought many ground specialists, which makes his UFC run all the more impressive.
Prior to bouts with Nurmagomedov, his collective of UFC opponents have amassed a 27-14-1-(1) in the UFC. If he is to have a knock against him, it’s that he’s only defeated one opponent in the top 10 of his division, current top contender Rafael dos Anjos.
Unlike Nurmagomedov, Cerrone has been fighting at the apex of the lightweight division for the better part of six years. He has now compiled two, six-fight win streaks in his career and has nearly fought five times in one year, on multiple occasions. The Cowboy, who failed on three occasions to capture lightweight gold in the WEC, is the most impressive we have ever seen him.
Cerrone is just naturally gifted at finishing fights, with either his kickboxing or his jiu-jitsu. Though, as of late, he has put his standup game on full display. He has systematically picked apart men like Jim Miller and Eddie Alvarez before his dispatching of Jury. However, if one wanted to point to his jiu-jitsu as one part of the Cowboy’s game a fighter could exploit, they would be highly mistaken.
Look no further than to his wins over Edson Barboza and Evan Dunham. In both bouts, Cerrone locked in chokes within seconds of a scramble. He has looked just as dominant, if not more, as Nurmagomedov.
What’s stopping him from attaining a title shot are those glimmering losses to the top two men in his division, dos Anjos and the champion Anthony Pettis. Stylistically, the opponents Cerrone has faced have all been dangerous one way or another, whether it be through wrestling, striking and jiu-jitsu. He’s also defeated three, top 10 opponents now in Miller (who at the time was), Alvarez and Jury.
Cerrone may boast more finishes on his current win streak, but both he and Nurmagomedov have extensive UFC resumes to be proud of. Both are well-rounded and would make for an interesting, and highly competitive, No. 1 contender fight.
The pair have dominated fights and shut down the best in the world. All that’s left to figure out is who can beat the other, and that’s something that is in the best interest of both parties.
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