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It’s never nice to see a once-great UFC fighter reach the end of their storied career, but that’s what’s happening to Donald Cowboy Cerrone right now.
Donald Cerrone has been a staple of the UFC roster since 2011, fighting the who’s who of the lightweight and welterweight divisions in some tremendously exciting bouts.
While he’s never won a UFC title in his tenure with the promotion, Cerrone has still been involved in some of the most memorable fights of the past decade.
And so, with the end for Cowboy now in sight, here is a look at his five most memorable UFC fights.
#1 Donald Cerrone vs. Conor McGregor – UFC 246
Despite fighting for the UFC lightweight title in 2015 and being involved in numerous big fights, by the beginning of 2020, Donald Cerrone had still never fought in the main event of a UFC pay-per-view.
That all changed when he was handed arguably the biggest opportunity – and almost certainly the biggest payday – of his career at UFC 246.
That show saw Cerrone matched with the biggest star in UFC history, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
The fight was built up as one of the biggest in UFC history. And while McGregor’s drawing power undoubtedly brought in plenty of fans, Cerrone’s reputation for exciting fights and a willingness to brawl definitely played its part in helping the event draw over a million buys.
Sure, Cerrone failed to perform in the octagon when it came down to it, falling to McGregor via a brutal barrage in under a minute.
But to tell the truth, it didn’t matter. Cowboy had still been part of one of the biggest main events in UFC history. Given he was coming off two losses, few people expected him to win anyway,
And so, despite the loss, it’s hard not to view this as one of Cerrone’s most memorable UFC bouts.
#2 Donald Cerrone vs. Mike Perry – UFC Fight Night 139
UFC Fight Night 139 was billed as the promotion’s 25-year anniversary, and with the show booked for the UFC’s birthplace of Denver, Colorado – Donald Cerrone’s hometown – it made sense for him to be involved.
The only problem was that Cowboy was coming off a run of just one win in five fights and was beginning to look past his prime.
Few people expected him to be able to deal with power puncher Mike Perry in their welterweight clash.
But instead, with his hometown fans – including his family – cheering him on, Cerrone pulled out a vintage performance that could stand up to his very best UFC showings.
He hurt Perry standing, and when Platinum tripped him down, he showed off his underrated ground game, immediately reversing to wind up on top.
From there, he took Perry’s back, then switched from a triangle choke into a picture-perfect armbar to force him to tap out.
The win not only put Cerrone’s UFC career back on track but gave him the record for the most wins in UFC history, and the most finishes in UFC history, too. The fact that it came in front of his hometown made it even more memorable.
#3 Donald Cerrone vs. Rick Story – UFC 202
The UFC’s old tagline was “as real as it gets," essentially playing up to the fact that, unlike pro-wrestling, the fights inside the octagon were definitely not pre-determined.
However, every now and then, the UFC produces a moment that looks closer to something from WWE or from a video game, stunning the fans.
One such moment came in Donald Cerrone’s fight with Rick Story at UFC 202 in 2016.
Cerrone had already won the first round of the welterweight clash with his pinpoint striking. But nobody could’ve imagined what he’d unleash on the Horror in the second round.
With three minutes left in the round, Cowboy slipped a left hand from Story – and then opened up with a combination that looked more like something from an old-school Mortal Kombat game than a UFC fight.
Story ate a left hand, a right body shot, another left, a head kick and finally a flurry of shots, each strike landing with expert precision. It was no surprise to see him wilt under the barrage for a TKO.
Cerrone had delivered some highlight-reel moments previously, but nothing quite as incredible as this. If anything, it wouldn’t have been remiss for UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer to announce him as the winner via fatality.
#4 Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz – UFC 141
Sometimes a fighter can gain just as much from a losing effort as they do in a win. That was practically the case for Donald Cerrone when he faced Nate Diaz at UFC 141.
The fight had already been made personal by Diaz at the weigh-ins, as he knocked Cerrone’s cowboy hat off during the staredown.
But when the clash began, Diaz attacked Cerrone like nobody had done previously in the UFC, hitting him with a series of combinations that would’ve caused another fighter to fold there and then.
Despite suffering a broken jaw, though, Cerrone hung tough and refused to go down.
And after suffering more punishment in the second round, he even flipped Diaz off – giving the Stockton native a taste of his own medicine.
Cowboy would actually win the third round, hitting Diaz with a series of low kicks and even dropping him on two occasions. But when the fight ended, it was clear who deserved the victory.
Despite this, his gutsy performance in his first UFC co-main event made Cerrone into a bigger star than he’d been before. And despite the fight not going his way, it was definitely an entertaining one.
#5 Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard – UFC 150
In terms of sheer balls-to-the-wall action, Donald Cerrone’s clash with Melvin Guillard at UFC 150 is hard to top.
In fact, there’s probably an argument that the lightweight clash might stand as the greatest one-round fight in UFC history, period.
The two men were friends and former training partners, but coming into the fight, despite being cordial, they’d both promised not to hold back.
And that was immediately clear when Guillard rushed Cerrone in the opening seconds of the fight, stunning him with a barrage of punches that left him covering up.
Cowboy was firmly on the retreat, and for a second, it looked like he was about to suffer the first TKO loss of his career.
But showing remarkable durability, he was able to withstand the punishment dealt out by the Young Assassin.
And when Guillard slowed down slightly, Cowboy capitalized – ringing his bell with a vicious head kick that left him frozen in his tracks.
Before Guillard could respond, Cerrone rushed in and decked him with a right hand, dropping him face-first.
And with the Young Assassin clearly out, Cerrone showed his cordial side again by refusing to follow the shot up, instead leaving the referee to mercifully wave the fight off.
The fight lasted just over a minute but crammed more action in than most 15-minute clashes in the UFC. It wasn’t Cerrone’s biggest win, but it remains probably his most entertaining.
