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If Donald Cerrone were to call it a career tomorrow, he would go down in the annals as one of the most entertaining and committed fighters in mixed martial arts history. For now, he serves as a litmus test for one of the sport’s heaviest hitters.
Cerrone will lock horns with Mike Perry in the UFC Fight Night 139 co-main event on Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Denver, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship marks its 25th anniversary in the city where it all began in 1993. “Cowboy” finds himself in a tailspin, having lost four of his past five bouts. The 35-year-old Cerrone last competed at UFC Fight Night 132 on June 23, when he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Leon Edwards. He has compiled a 20-8 record since joining the UFC roster in 2011, with victories over Charles Oliveira, Evan Dunham, Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, Eddie Alvarez, and Matt Brown anchoring his stellar resume.
Ahead of his three-round clash with Perry, here are five things you should know about Cerrone:
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1. He has fallen short when the stakes were highest.
Cerrone owns a disappointing 0-4 record in major title fights. He lost to Jamie Varner and Benson Henderson (twice) in World Extreme Cagefighting and to Rafael dos Anjos in the UFC. All four of those bouts were contested at 155 pounds.
2. The victories have piled up.
The Greg Jackson protégé has cemented himself as one of the most prolific fighters in the sport. Cerrone has amassed 20 wins in the Ultimate Fighting Championship — a number that ties him with Georges St. Pierre and Michael Bisping for first on the organization’s all-time list.
3. Tapouts are common occurrences in his fights.
Despite his background as a national muay Thai champion, Cerrone has nearly twice as many wins by submission (16) than he does by knockout or technical knockout (nine). He has recorded eight victories by triangle choke, five by rear-naked choke, and three by armbar.
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4. He fancies himself a hired gun.
Cerrone has earned $815,000 in post-fight performance bonuses while competing in the UFC and WEC. He has been awarded “Fight of the Night” nine times, “Performance of the Night” five times, “Knockout of the Night” three times, and “Submission of the Night” twice.
5. He has left his mark on the record book.
Cerrone ranks third on the UFC’s all-time list in knockdowns landed with 17 — he trails only Anderson Silva (18) and Jeremy Stephens (18) — and seventh in significant strikes landed with 1,223, per FightMetric.
