5 potential opponents for Donald Cerrone

Donald Cerrone is back on the winning track after beating Yancy Medeiros
Donald Cerrone is back on the winning track after beating Yancy Medeiros

After he picked up a big win this month – righting the ship following three straight losses – the question now becomes what’s next for Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone? It’s always hard to predict who will be Cowboy’s next opponent simply because he doesn’t care about “money fights” – he just fights anyone at any place and anytime.

Whether he’ll return to his old stomping ground of 155lbs or stick around at his current 170lbs – where he’s been since the start of 2016 – is a question mark right now but when you’ve got a fighter as exciting as Donald Cerrone, any number of opponents could work for him. Here are five possibilities.


#1: Jose Aldo

UFC 200: Tate v Nunes
If Jose Aldo moves to 155lbs a fight with Cowboy could make sense

With two straight losses to Featherweight champion Max Holloway, former 145lbs kingpin Jose Aldo’s time may be up at his usual weight class. He’s been teasing a move to 155lbs for years now, ever since he became dominant at 145lbs, and if he is to make the move in 2018 then why not match him with Cowboy for his debut there?

Think about it – it’d be a battle between two of the greatest Muay Thai artists in the UFC right now. Few men throw leg kicks as well as Aldo and Cerrone, and both men have used other weapons like the looping left hook and step-in knee to hurt their opponents too. Plus, Cerrone doesn’t mind a fight hitting the ground, and despite not showing a lot of it, Aldo is a genuine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.

Aldo isn’t going to get a Lightweight title shot straight away if he moves up, and while fights with the likes of Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier could also be fun, Aldo vs. Cerrone just sounds so much better than all of them. This kind of fight could easily do well as a headliner on ‘big’ Fox in the summer perhaps.

#2: Nick Diaz

Would Cowboy make a good return opponent for Nick Diaz?
Would Cowboy make a good return opponent for Nick Diaz?

While Dana White has stated that he doesn’t expect Nate Diaz to be returning any time soon – likely because of his financial demands – he has claimed that older brother Nick might be ready for a 2018 comeback. It’s a massive question mark because both Diaz brothers tend to demand “money fights”, but realistically, Nick has been on the shelf since February 2015 – he’d have to earn a money fight with a slightly lesser opponent first.

Cowboy could be perfect as while he doesn’t draw hugely, he’s clearly a big name with the UFC fans and brass alike. Beat Cerrone and Diaz would immediately throw himself into the title scene at 170lbs. With current champion Tyron Woodley crying out for a bigger drawing challenger, Diaz might actually have a case for being that opponent.

There’s also the fact that Cerrone put on a classic fight against Nick’s brother back in 2011 – he lost a unanimous decision after Nate broke his jaw with an early flurry of punches, but he’s improved his game a lot in the seven years since that fight and this would be his chance for revenge. It’d be the perfect semi-main event for a lesser-sounding PPV card this year.

#3: James Vick

Cerrone would represent a big step up for James Vick
Cerrone would represent a big step up for James Vick

This wouldn’t be the sexiest pick for a Cerrone fight admittedly, but after his recent win over Francisco Trinaldo, Vick is crying out for a higher ranked opponent at 155lbs. Right now he’s 9-1 in the UFC, but with practically every fighter ranked above him tied up with other opponents, Cerrone might be the man that allows Vick the big fight he craves.

Cerrone is no stranger to taking on rising stars – he fought the similarly streaking Myles Jury in 2015 for instance, and while Vick wouldn’t raise many eyebrows amongst casual fans like a Diaz or Aldo fight would, it’s doubtful that Cowboy would care – this is a man who simply loves to fight and get paid regardless of the opponent.

How would Cowboy deal with the long reach and ever-improving grappling of Vick? And could Vick’s somewhat questionable chin and relatively slow pace hold up to the aggressive striking style of Cerrone? It’d definitely be an intriguing fight to watch, and if it were booked in Texas it could easily be a heated Fight Night main event.

#4: Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman is the most dangerous contender at 170lbs
Kamaru Usman is the most dangerous contender at 170lbs

Stifling wrestler Kamaru Usman is perhaps the most dangerous contender there is right now at 170lbs, but the one thing he’s missing is a signature win over a big-name opponent. Ask Usman and he’d blame the fact that most of the fighters at 170lbs have ducked him and refused to sign a bout agreement to face him, but everyone knows that Donald Cerrone simply doesn’t duck anyone.

It’d be a very tough fight for Cerrone – even with a stellar ground game, it’s very hard to catch a strong fighter from the bottom and Usman’s wrestling is perhaps better than any other fighter on the roster at 170lbs. He’s also one of the most physically imposing men at the weight and Cerrone is of course a smaller Welterweight in comparison.

But since when did Cowboy care about things like that? With a deadly striking game far superior to anything that Usman has faced so far and unparalleled finishing skills, you can never count Cerrone out of a fight with anyone. Beat Cowboy impressively and it’d be hard to deny Usman at least a title eliminator. But if Cerrone could pull out the win he’d be right back in the mix too.

#5: Stephen Thompson

UFC 217: Thompson v Masvidal
Former top contender Stephen Thompson would provide Cerrone with a fun opponent

Recent reports suggest that former top Welterweight contender ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson is holding out for a fight with Rafael Dos Anjos, but the likelihood is that RDA will be fighting Tyron Woodley for the UFC title next and so that leaves Thompson without an opponent. Darren Till – who beat Cerrone in October – has been gunning for Thompson, but it appears that Wonderboy doesn’t want that fight.

So why not match him with Cerrone instead? The likely reason he’s avoiding Till is because he doesn’t see Till as a big star, but the same can’t be said for Cowboy and of course, Thompson would probably feel he holds a big advantage over Cerrone due to his larger size and unique karate style of striking. Surely Wonderboy would be willing to fight Cowboy in a marquee fight?

If the two men were to meet, Thompson would likely be the favourite, but who knows how he’d hold up to the vicious Muay Thai game of Cowboy? It could be argued that Cerrone would be the best striker Thompson has faced in the UFC, and after his fights with Woodley, it’s clear that Thompson’s chin isn’t infallible. It'd be a super-fun fight – assuming Wonderboy would be up for it.


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Edited by anirudh.b