My Favourite Fighter: Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone

My Favourite Fighter: Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone

By Daniel Gibbon

Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone (36-11-0-1NC) is one of the greatest, if not the greatest UFC fighter to never win a title. There may still be time for him to win UFC gold before he retires, but unfortunately, at this stage of his career, I fear that Cowboy will continue to fall agonisingly short of that coveted UFC championship belt.

When you think of the UFC’s most influential fighters over the years, Hall of Famers such as; Royce Gracie, Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, and Ronda Rousey will come to mind the mind of most fans.

Some current active MMA fighters such as; Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, and Jon Jones who are shoo-ins for the Hall of fame in the future will also no doubt come to mind also.

A name that may come to mind but be missed off a lot of peoples future hall of fame lists is Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.

Cowboy would join Uriah Faber as a Hall of Famer who never managed to capture UFC Gold. Some MMA fans may argue that Cowboy doesn’t deserve to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame after he retires, but I would argue that the UFC records currently held by Cerrone should be more than enough for him to be inducted.

The UFC records that Cerrone currently holds include; most victories in the UFC with 23, the most finishes in the UFC with 16, and he is tied for the most UFC fights in a calendar year with 5 fights back in 2011.

Cerrone also has the second most fights in UFC history with 31, he trails current UFC fighter Jim Miller by just 1 bout.

Moving on from the facts and figures to the more personal reasons why Cerrone is my favorite fighter, the first is that he is a ‘fighter’s fighter’ through and through. From how active of a fighter he is, to his personality, if you were to Google the term ‘a fighter’s fighter’, you would find a picture of Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.

He is one of the most respected and respectful fighters in the game, not just because of his skill but also thanks to him treating all of his opponents with respect unless they disrespect him that is.

Cerrone is the only fighter who I actually believe would be crazy enough to take two fights in one night if the UFC allowed him to. I believe this because, on top of him taking 5 fights in 2011, he also took 4 fights a calendar year from 2013 through to 2016. Cerrone is the type of fighter who asks when and where he is fighting instead of asking who his opponent will be.

Cerrone is one of the most active fighters not just in MMA today but in MMA history. He is truly willing to fight anyone, any time and anywhere. This is a major factor in him being beloved by fans the world over, although it is also incidentally the main hindrance in his pursuit for UFC championship gold.

This willingness to take a quick turn around fight was shown to be a problem in his loss against Jorge Masvidal in January 2017.

This contest came just seven weeks after his tough fought third round KO win over Matt Brown. During his bout with Masvidal Cowboy looked lethargic and off his game, which is a terrible combination whilst taking on a tough opponent.

It is well documented that Cerrone loves his grandmother and views her as the most influential person in his life. He had previously vowed to win championship gold for his grandmother before his lightweight title fight against Rafael Dos Anjos. It is truly inspiring to see somebody thinking of somebody other than themselves during the biggest moment of their career.

Unfortunately, he lost this fight in the first round but he did take the loss with the grace and dignity of a champion.

If Cowboys UFC records, personality, and love for the sport weren’t enough to win over fans then his fighting style certainly will. Cerrone is one of the most well rounded and exciting fighters currently in the sport. Win or lose he rarely has a boring fight.

Cerrone is a BJJ black belt under Elliot Marshall, he possesses a good wrestling game but he will always be a striker first. His flick kick is second to none and his knockout victory over Rick Story, at welterweight, came from one of the greatest combinations I have ever seen. Watching Cowboy string together the combination of a left jab to the head, right hand to the body, then a left hook to the jaw and finally finishing it off with the right high kick was poetry in motion. The combination was a thing of absolute beauty.

Cowboy’s next fight is a must see that will no doubt be a contender for fight of the year against Tony Ferguson at UFC 238 this weekend, just five weeks after beating Al Iaquinta by decision. My only complaint about this fight is that it is only three rounds.

Cowboy was born to fight. He is one of the few fighters who still fights for the love of it. There are very few who can honestly say that they love the whole fighting process, from the training camp and media scrums to preparing for the fight backstage and of course the actual fight itself.

These reasons are why Donald Cerrone is my favourite fighter.