UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmett 

#2. UFC lightweight division: Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon

Does Donald Cerrone have enough left in the tank to beat Joe Lauzon?

This clash of longtime veterans – and action heroes – was supposed to take place back in May at UFC 274. When Donald Cerrone was forced out due to food poisoning, it was moved to this card. Obviously, that isn’t a bad thing for this weekend’s event.

Both Cerrone and his opponent Joe Lauzon are probably on the final furlong of their careers in the octagon, but based on their past history, this should still be an excellent and exciting clash. Neither man can compete with opponents in their prime now, but with both men past that, it should be a fairly evenly matched fight.

For Cerrone, this will mark his first fight in over a year. The last time we saw ‘Cowboy’, he was stopped by Alex Morono in perhaps his most disappointing outing in the UFC. In fact, he now hasn’t won a bout since May 2019.

Lauzon, meanwhile, is coming off a win – a TKO of the unheralded Jonathan Pearce – but that was back in October 2019. Prior to that, he’d lost three in a row, being stopped by TKO in two of those fights.

So who has the edge here? It’s honestly hard to say. In their prime, Cerrone would clearly have been considered the better striker, with both men’s ground skills likely being able to cancel the other’s out. With that considered, ‘Cowboy’ would’ve been the obvious pick.

However, while Cerrone is still the better kickboxer, his chin seems to be shot to hell now, to the point where Morono, who had never shown big power in the octagon, was able to turn his lights out with relative ease.

Given that Lauzon did manage to stop his last opponent, that should provide him with some hope, but he hasn’t fought for so long that it’s hard to imagine him returning in top form. More to the point, he’s pushing 40 in his own right and isn’t that durable any more either.

Overall this is an absolute coin toss between two fighters who could fold under the first power shot that lands, but given he’s been more active and is more dangerous on the feet, the pick is Cerrone.

The Pick: Cerrone via first-round KO