Four Reasons Why The UFC Is Secretly Hoping Cerrone Beats dos Anjos

The UFC is gearing up for another big weekend as UFC on FOX 17 is set to go down this Saturday night (December 19, 2015) from Orlando, Florida.

The event boasts a solid card from top to bottom and the main event is quite an exciting one as lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos takes on surging contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in a rematch of their 2013 bout.

Dos Anjos will be looking to make the first defense of his 155-pound strap in which he won with a one-sided beating of former boss Anthony Pettis last March.

The first time RDA and “Cowboy” met, the Brazilian took home a convincing decision victory. While both men have undoubtedly evolved since, I feel as if the UFC may have a different feeling heading into this bout.

Let’s take a look at four reasons why the promotion may be hoping that Cerrone gets the nod this time around:

4. Donald Cerrone Is One Of The Most Active Fighters On The Roster

Over the last few years we have frequently seen injury prone champions put divisions on hold for way too long.

To name a few examples, Pettis spent just under a year and a half on the sidelines after winning the title before making his first defense. Former heavyweight boss Cain Velasquez didn’t fight for well over a year and a half before finally putting his title on the line again against Fabricio Werdum last June.

Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo has also pulled out of multiple bouts due to injury and was inactive for 14 months before taking on Conor McGregor last weekend.

Injuries have always been a problem, and that’s to be expected in a sport like mixed martial arts (MMA), but injured champions can cause even bigger problems. If a champion is less active than he should be, divisions become stagnant and begin to garner less attention.

While this has been an issue in the past particularly in the lightweight division recently, it’s likely that it wouldn’t be with Cerrone at the helm, as he happens to be one of the most active fighters in the UFC today.

To prove my point, “Cowboy” has competed eight times since meeting dos Anjos just over two years ago (not to mention that he has won all of those bouts), while the Brazilian champion has competed five times in that same time period.

While RDA hasn’t necessarily been inactive so to say, Cerrone is just of a different breed in terms of fighting often, and I’d have to believe the UFC would be fond of having a champion like this.

3. Finishing Ability

Aside from taking a liking to active fighters, we also know that the UFC brass tends to play favorites towards those who go out to finish fights.

That being said, Cerrone is one of the best pure finishers in mixed martial arts period. With lethal Muay Thai skills, and a vicious ground game, “Cowboy” has shown the ability to finish a fight in many different ways and he has done just that.

To once again compare the two fighters, dos Anjos has 24 career bouts, while Cerrone has 28, relatively close numbers. That being said, the champion has 12 finishes, while “Cowboy” boasts a super impressive 20 finishes in 28 fights.

With five finishes coming in his last eight fights alone, Cerrone is simply a killer inside of the Octagon which has never been a problem with fight fans. This along with some other factors leads us to our next reason as to why the UFC may want “Cowboy” on top at 155-pounds…

2. The More Marketable Man

As much as we sometimes hate to say it, at the end of the day, mixed martial arts is a business and the UFC is always looking for the most marketable fighter that will in turn bring in the most money.

To give credit where credit is due, dos Anjos has done more than some previous Brazilian champions in terms of marketing himself. He has moved his family to America, learned English, and has done well with the media and social media.

However, it seems as if Cerrone is the more marketable man, and the bigger draw.

The No. 1-contender is able to appeal to a wide range of fans specifically the American population. Cerrone is a true American in every sense. He is a beer drinking cowboy who lives and trains on a ranch he built with his very own hands.

His anywhere, anytime mentality along with his daredevil lifestyle has made him a fan favorite. Some say that Cerrone is the most popular fighter to have never sported UFC gold, and he now has the chance to accomplish that feat which could bring his star power to a whole new level.

1. Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone?

Despite only just winning the featherweight title at UFC 194 this past weekend with a shocking 13-second knockout of former long-time boss Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor has already expressed his interest in moving up to lightweight and challenging for the 155-pound title.

UFC president Dana White was quick to confirm that if McGregor were to move up that he would be given an immediate title fight with the winner of dos Anjos and Cerrone.

While either bout would be quite an intriguing one, the thought of a scrap between two elite level strikers like the “Notorious” one and “Cowboy” is mouthwatering to say the least.

The two have seemed to have stirred up a bit of a rivalry as well, infamously going back and forth at the UFC’s “Go Big” press conference.

McGregor vs. Cerrone would undoubtedly be a big money fight and could be the main reason why the UFC is secretly rooting for “Cowboy” this weekend.