No one will ever say Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is afraid of a challenge.
Following his first round TKO win over Yancy Medeiros on Sunday night, Cerrone announced that he was planning a return to the lightweight division where he was a former title contender in the UFC.
Not only is Cerrone plotting his next fight at 155 pounds but he’s already targeting arguably the toughest matchup in the entire division as he called for a fight against Russian wrecking machine Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I want [155 pounds]. I want to go get that belt,” Cerrone said. “Khabib [Nurmagomedov], I’m coming baby. I’m coming. I ain’t scared to fight you.”
Cerrone and Nurmagomedov had danced around fighting each other previously but the matchup never came together. For the past couple of years, Cerrone has been occupied in the welterweight division but by all accounts he’s abandoning that idea with plans to return to lightweight for his next fight.
That fight would bum me out so much. If there's one guy in MMA right now that Cerrone/anybody should be scared of it's Khabib.
If Cowboy is going back down I'd love to see him and Nate fight again, but Nate has so much to lose by fighting anybody other than Conor or for a belt.
It's not a terrible fight for Cowboy. I mean, it's not very winnable at this stage but I think he'd have as good a chance as most against Khabib.
He has very good cardio, decent wrestling, sneaky subs, very good striking and is probably one of the best fighters in UFC at finishing his opponent when they're hurt, whether it be by gnp like today's win, or securing a sub off the back of a knockdown.
The biggest problem Cowboy has had is with high pressure strikers like RDA, Nate, Till, Lawler. He doesn't take shots really well but that won't be such a concern against Khabib.
His record against wrestling based fighters is actually pretty damn good. Granted Khabib is a different beast but Cowboy could definitely give him some problems
It's not a terrible fight for Cowboy. I mean, it's not very winnable at this stage but I think he'd have as good a chance as most against Khabib.
He has very good cardio, decent wrestling, sneaky subs, very good striking and is probably one of the best fighters in UFC at finishing his opponent when they're hurt, whether it be by gnp like today's win, or securing a sub off the back of a knockdown.
The biggest problem Cowboy has had is with high pressure strikers like RDA, Nate, Till, Lawler. He doesn't take shots really well but that won't be such a concern against Khabib.
His record against wrestling based fighters is actually pretty damn good. Granted Khabib is a different beast but Cowboy could definitely give him some problems
Nah it’s definitely a terrible fight for Cerone. There is no way Cerone is defending those takedowns and getting a sub. He gets GnPd badly.
It's not a terrible fight for Cowboy. I mean, it's not very winnable at this stage but I think he'd have as good a chance as most against Khabib.
He has very good cardio, decent wrestling, sneaky subs, very good striking and is probably one of the best fighters in UFC at finishing his opponent when they're hurt, whether it be by gnp like today's win, or securing a sub off the back of a knockdown.
The biggest problem Cowboy has had is with high pressure strikers like RDA, Nate, Till, Lawler. He doesn't take shots really well but that won't be such a concern against Khabib.
His record against wrestling based fighters is actually pretty damn good. Granted Khabib is a different beast but Cowboy could definitely give him some problems
Nah it’s definitely a terrible fight for Cerone. There is no way Cerone is defending those takedowns and getting a sub. He gets GnPd badly.
I love Cowboy. But it’s a terrible fight for him. (And everybody else.)
Khabib is favourite there no doubt, but people are underestimating Cerrones sub game
If you think Cerrone would do anything other than get ragdolled and have his face beaten in for fifteen minutes then you’re delusional. Everybody is saying the same thing about Tony. “Watch out for Tony’s subs!” Not gonna happen. Sorry to burst your bubble. Khabib is a different animal altogether.
Khabib is favourite there no doubt, but people are underestimating Cerrones sub game
If you think Cerrone would do anything other than get ragdolled and have his face beaten in for fifteen minutes then you’re delusional. Everybody is saying the same thing about Tony. “Watch out for Tony’s subs!” Not gonna happen. Sorry to burst your bubble. Khabib is a different animal altogether.
It's not a terrible fight for Cowboy. I mean, it's not very winnable at this stage but I think he'd have as good a chance as most against Khabib.
He has very good cardio, decent wrestling, sneaky subs, very good striking and is probably one of the best fighters in UFC at finishing his opponent when they're hurt, whether it be by gnp like today's win, or securing a sub off the back of a knockdown.
The biggest problem Cowboy has had is with high pressure strikers like RDA, Nate, Till, Lawler. He doesn't take shots really well but that won't be such a concern against Khabib.
His record against wrestling based fighters is actually pretty damn good. Granted Khabib is a different beast but Cowboy could definitely give him some problems
Nah it’s definitely a terrible fight for Cerone. There is no way Cerone is defending those takedowns and getting a sub. He gets GnPd badly.
Maybe. Purely hypothetical though because that fight won't happen
I'm more interested in Cowboy facing Khabib than the majority of the division. I think Khabib runs through and finishes Tony and gets starched by Conor FWIW.
I think Cowboy has a chance. Cowboy has been stopped on standup by guys who are beasts at striking. Khabib is good, but not enough to KO or TKO him standing. I thought Edson did a good job at getting back up against Khabib (even though I know he got beat pretty bad). Cowboy has a good ground game and has not really been stopped much, especially from the ground.
