Donald Cerrone’s Top 5 wins in the UFC 

Alex Morono recently defeated Donald Cerrone via a technical knockout in the first round at UFC on ESPN 24, extending the Cowboy’s bad streak to six fights. MMA.Metaratings wrote that Dana White is going to give Cerrone another fight, and if the fighter fails to win again, that fight could be his last in the UFC.

Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone is now 38 years old, and a growing number of mixed martial arts fans believe it’s time for the American athlete to quit the UFC and go to other promotions or start bare-knuckle fighting. However, not everyone knows that this guy is a multiple record holder in the UFC. The American has already had 37 fights in the UFC – no one else has that many. Furthermore, 23 of them are wins. 

Donald is the top finisher in the UFC. He has won his fights 16 times beforehand, and he does it in different ways. He has 10 knockouts to his credit and 6 wins by submission, and today we’re going to talk about the fighter’s top 5 finishes.

UFC 126 vs. Paul Kelly

Donald grew up with his grandparents in Colorado. His grandfather played an important role in the formation of Cerrone as a fighter and was present at all of his grandson’s battles. However, while Donald was preparing for his UFC debut against Paul Kelly, Donald Cerrone Sr. fell seriously ill and was in the hospital. On the eve of the fight at UFC 126 in February 2011, the rookie learned that his grandfather had passed away. With this in mind, Cerrone didn’t just step into the octagon, but put on a standout fight against Kelly, choking out his opponent in the second round.

UFC 150 vs. Melvin Guillard

On 11 August 2012, Cerrone faced former teammate Guillard at UFC 150 after recovering from his first loss in the league with a win over Jeremy Stephens. The stakes were high as the loser of this fight would take a big step back in the fight for the top of the competitive lightweight division. The fighters showed their charge from the opening seconds. As early as the 11th second of the fight Guillard sent Donald to the canvas with his left hook and spent the next 30 seconds hunting for the knockout, but Cerrone not only did not allow himself to be dropped again but managed to knock out his opponent with a left high kick before successfully handling the follow-up. It was a very intense 76-second fight.

UFC on FOX 11 vs. Edson Barboza

By the time of the fight with Barboza on April 19, 2014, Cerrone was on a streak of two wins, and then no one knew how long this streak would last. The fight with Edson did not matter in the balance of power in the lightweight division, but the fighters were still set for success. After the start of the fight, it became clear that ‘Cowboy’ was inferior to the opponent in speed, and by the end of the 3rd minute Barboza was superior to Cerrone in both strikes and space control.

The Brazilian was so confident in his abilities that he began to open more often, which is why he missed the jab that sent him to the ground. The American fighter followed him onto the canvas, climbed behind his back and performed a choke. This victory was the third in a series of eight for ‘Cowboy’. Unfortunately for Donald, he was undefeated in 8 straight fights, but the American lost his 9th and most important fight of his career for the UFC lightweight title against Rafael Dos Anjos.

UFC 202 vs. Rick Story

A loss to Dos Anjos prompted Cerrone to move up to welterweight, where the American started with two wins and faced Rick Story, nicknamed The Horror, on August 20, 2016. In that fight, ‘Cowboy’ showed class in punching technique and delivered the most memorable punching combination of his career, showing Rick the horror story. Throughout the first round, Donald outpaced his opponent on the feet and it was with his feet that he started that very combination. After knocking down the pace with a low kick, Cerrone hit a jab followed by a straight body kick and an immediate left hand to the head, and when Story bent over, the Denver native delivered a head kick that forced Rick to retreat to the net. Donald continued to hammer his opponent until the referee stopped the fight. And Rick Story never again appeared in the UFC ring.

UFC Fight Night 139 vs. Mike Perry

Donald Cerrone will remember the evening of 10 November 2018 at the Pepsi Centre for a long time. The UFC’s 25th-anniversary event was taking place in his hometown of Denver. Dana White simply couldn’t help but invite the Colorado native, who at the time had spent more than a quarter of his total age in the league. Although many at the time doubted the Cowboy’s skill set, as he held a 1-4 mark in the UFC. This fight should have been a real test of Cerrone’s jaw, but to everyone’s surprise, he decided to move the bout to the canvas. Donald took over Mike’s back, attempted a triangle but then moved to a lever elbow, ending up with his stomach on the ground. Perry surrendered and the local hero accepted congratulations in the centre of the octagon, surrounded by wife Lindsay and grandmother Jerry, with son Dacson Danger, born a few months earlier, in his arms. 

The win over Mike Perry has encouraged Cerrone to go on a 3-fight unbeaten streak. Perhaps the UFC veteran will also be able to change his bad streak into a happy one once again.