Donald Cerrone Not Waiting For Title Shot
UFC 178 went down last night (Saturday, September 27, 2014) live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. It was a great night of exciting fights featuring an abundance of finishes as well. From the exciting returns of Dominick Cruz and Cat Zingano to the controversial Kennedy vs. Romero scrap and the excitement of the Irish superstar Conor McGregor, UFC 178 was arguably the best card of the year.
Aside from those bouts, some may say the most exciting of the evening was Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs. former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez. “Cowboy” continued his hot streak, securing his fifth win in a row via unanimous decision.
Besides being his fifth win in a row, this win marks Cerrone’s fourth of the year. It is safe to say this is the best “Cowboy” we have ever seen. The man is on a tear and looks better every single time he steps in the cage.
Most fighters in this situation would be campaigning for a title shot. However with the title not being defended until December and the lightweight division being as crowded as ever, Cerrone may not be guaranteed a shot at gold and he doesn’t want to wait for one either. Heres what “Cowboy” had to say to MMAJunkie.com at last night’s post-fight press conference regarding what’s next:
“I, of course, want to stay very busy, so taking a fight on November or December would be great for me. Waiting? I don’t know. I want to fight.”
This is not a surprising statement coming from the man who said he wanted to fight six times this year. However, there may not be many fights out there for him.
Above Cerrone in the rankings sits Gilbert Melendez, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Raphael Dos Anjos, and Benson Henderson. Melendez will be taking on Anthony Pettis on December 6, 2014 at UFC 181 for the lightweight strap, and Dos Anjos recently signed on to face Nate Diaz on December 13, 2014. That leaves Nurmagomedov and Henderson. A bout between “Cowboy” and Henderson is unlikely because the two have already fought and because Henderson may be moving up to welterweight. A bout with Nurmagomedov makes perfect sense except for the fact “The Eagle” is sidelined nursing a knee injury.
One interesting bout that could be made is Cerrone against fellow surging lightweight, No. 8-ranked Myles Jury. That is, if “Cowboy” would accept a fight against someone ranked lower than him.
Despite the challenge UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has in front of him regarding Cerrone’s next bout, I still see him competing again this year. He is one of the most active fighters in the UFC and it could very well be his time to shine. Does one more win get “Cowboy” a title shot? Or better yet, does he already deserve one?
