He faced Pettis again? Or would it even matter cause pettis is so much better? When Cowboy is on cot damn he is a killer! 
Clinchwork, make it ugly and dirty and give Pettis no space to work. It'll take a triple A cardio for 5 rounds, and if he is confident he can counter Pettis's subs take him down and neutralize him, but his height in the clinch will be key, his knees are closer to Pettis face than Petti's are to Cerrone's.
I was thinking AB Ripper X.
he can't wait on Pettis. He usually looks pretty bad in the first round.
can't do that against pettis, needs to stay active on the outside, use his length and kicks. It will mitigate the damage he takes until he can wake up. Pettis is most dangerous early. But he's not as rangy as Cowboy.
if it were anyone else, i would say close the distance to shut down pettis' kicks, try to use wrestling to tire him out. I don't think that's a good idea for Cowboy though.
one thing i noticed about cowboy last night is that he kind of falls into a pattern. He has great technique and a lot of power but he is not too dynamic with regards to his approach and how he executes his attacks. So a better striker is going to be able to figure out how to attack and counter him while avoiding his strikes.
What does he need to do to avoid those body kicks?
He'd have to move forward and make it ugly. I think Pettis is just too athletic for him though 
Foot work. He tends to trail after his opponents instead of cutting them off. It would allow him to apply better pressure to get the clinch and then make it ugly. He has to pull a Taladega nights and Wanna to Fast!
OnlyTheStrongSurvive - He'd have to move forward and make it ugly. I think Pettis is just too athletic for him thoughI agree pettis is too dynamic and cerrone always starts so slow and that when pettis is best.
Pull a Guida with a ground game
FETT_Loadin76 - Pull a Guida with a ground gameI honestly don't think that would happened again if pettis is healthy, that was years ago already.
Conditserectnippys - What does he need to do to avoid those body kicks?
iirc, he was just sort of doing a vitor belfort impression and just standing there waiting on pettis.
he could try to circle to his right, as i believe Pettis is predominate with his left.
But the obvious strategy would be to either get in close where he cant use kicks effectively, or staying on the outside. Cowboy has the range, so maybe stay on the outside for the first round. not sure he would do that though.
but as Cowboy said at the post fight presser, its one thing to sit on your couch and talk about executing and another thing to actually be in there and pull the trigger. When cowboy tries to come out strong, it always goes bad for him.
Even last night, Cerrone did come out stronger than usual and ate all kinds of shots in the first 1.5 minutes. Guys like Pettis are tough outs for him unfotunately. I'd like to see him use his range and avoid the big bombs until he's comfortable, for a lanky guy he really isn't into using alot of footwork to get in and out of kicking range from the outside