Rising Lightweight Star Promises To ‘Merk’ Cowboy Cerrone
Blossoming lightweight star Alexander Hernandez is set for the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, and it’s not even close. ‘The Great’ will take on Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at January 19’s UFC on ESPN+1 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
It’s a huge step up in competition for the 10-1 contender, who stormed onto the UFC scene with wins over Beneil Dariush and Olivier Aubin-Mercier in his first two UFC bouts. Veteran Cerrone, the owner of the UFC record for most wins, will return to 155 pounds after fighting his last 10 fights at 170 pounds.
‘Cowboy’ has fought many of the best and the brightest in both divisions. It was somewhat of a surprise to see him scheduled to face a lesser-known but dangerous contender like Hernandez, and the up-and-coming star knows. Hernandez recently told MMAjunkie Radio that he believes bigger forces than himself were at play in getting him the fight. But now that he’s got it, he plans on destroying Cerrone to put a stamp on the UFC’s ESPN debut:
“There’s just forces on my side that are bigger than me. I keep saying that (expletive). I’m just a vessel filling in, but I couldn’t be more excited to put an emphatic stamp on ESPN for the UFC and MMA and just completely merking Cerrone. Dude, this is (expletive) huge.”
Surprised At The Opportunity
He may not be discussed amongst the top lightweights in the stacked UFC 155-pound landscape just yet, but Hernandez is building his own star with a unique brand of smack talk. ‘The Great’ admitted he was surprised he got the fight, something he’ll now take full advantage of:
“Yeah, why the (expletive) me? I don’t know. But I’ll take it to the bank. The UFC is laying down Persian silk linen and spreading its legs for me right now. They are letting loose all the pheromones, and I am in it. I’m definitely taking full advantage of that.”
That’s an interesting perspective on a huge fight for Hernandez. He’ll be matched up with one of the most decorated competitors in UFC history in Cerrone, who has an alarming 14 post-fight bonuses to his credit. It’s a monstrous opportunity where Hernandez has little to lose but a ton to gain.
‘Cowboy’ has never been known for taking the easiest fight, and Hernandez is far from that. It’s also fair to wonder how Cerrone will translate back to lightweight after ditching the draining weight cut years ago.
Either way, expect a war that could potentially be a huge launching point for the lightweight division’s next star in the UFC’s ESPN debut – or just another name on Cerrone’s long list. Are you picking Hernandez to ‘merk’ Cerrone like he promised to?
