Donald Cerrone


Donald Anthony Cerrone, known professionally by his ring name "Cowboy", is an American mixed martial artist and former professional kickboxer. He is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and competes in their Lightweight division. As of June 30, 2020, he is #14 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
On November 10, 2018, Cerrone surpassed Georges St-Pierre and Michael Bisping for the most wins in UFC history with 21, and surpassed Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort for the most finishes in UFC history with 15. After defeating Alexander Hernandez at UFC Fight Night 143 on January 19, 2019, Cerrone increased both his UFC win record total to 22, and his UFC record for most finishes to 16, and tied the record for most bouts in the organization with a total of 33. His performance also earned two post fight awards, which included his 7th performance of the night award, bringing his post fight award total to 16.

Background

Cerrone was born in Denver, Colorado. At a young age, Cerrone was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder but never received treatment for it. Growing up, he would often get into fights.
Cerrone attended Air Academy High School, where he began professional bull riding. Following his parents' divorce, Cerrone lived with his grandparents. At the age of 20, Cerrone began training in kickboxing and then later Muay Thai. After winning a few kickboxing competitions, Cerrone pursued a career in mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Cerrone began his career in Commerce City, Colorado at a gym called Freedom Fighters. In 2006, Cerrone began training with Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, Nathan Marquardt, Keith Jardine, Georges St-Pierre, Leonard Garcia, Tom Watson and other skilled MMA fighters at Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting Gaidojutsu school in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Cerrone was featured on the Versus television series TapouT, in which fought Anthony Njokuani. Cerrone won the fight in the first round with a triangle choke.
Cerrone is sponsored by Budweiser, Monster Energy, Bad Boy Buggies, E-Z-Go, Greenlee, Realtree, Henry Rifles, Bell Helicopters, P3 Protein, and managed by KHI Management, LLC.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Cerrone was signed to fight in the WEC. His first fight in the promotion was against Kenneth Alexander. Originally a win via submission in 56 seconds of the first round, the decision was changed to a no contest when Cerrone tested positive hydrochlorothiazide, a banned diuretic.
Cerrone was scheduled to face Rich Crunkilton at WEC 34, but Crunkilton was forced off the card with an injury and replaced by Danny Castillo. Cerrone won the bout via armbar in the first round.
On January 25, 2009, at WEC 38 he fought WEC Lightweight Champion, Jamie Varner, losing via technical split decision. The fight was highly competitive and won the Fight of the Night award. However, the fight was stopped prematurely in the fifth round when Cerrone hit Varner's temple with an illegal knee while Varner was still on the ground. Varner was given time to recover, but he was unable to continue, noting that he had double vision and had sustained a broken hand.
Cerrone was again scheduled to face Rich Crunkilton on June 7, 2009, at WEC 41, but Crunkilton was forced off the card with an injury and replaced by James Krause. Cerrone defeated Krause via first round submission.
Cerrone and Varner had agreed to a rematch, tentatively at WEC 43, but Varner was unable to receive medical clearance as a result from his hand injury. Cerrone fought Benson Henderson for the WEC Interim Lightweight Championship on October 10, 2009, at WEC 43 in San Antonio, Texas, losing by unanimous decision. The fight was awarded Fight of the Year honors by Sherdog for 2009. Cerrone credited Henderson for being "a hell of a fighter" and conceded that he was slow to start the action, which may have cost him the match.
Cerrone faced Ed Ratcliff on December 19, 2009, in the event headliner at WEC 45. Cerrone defeated Ratcliff via third round submission. The bout also earned Cerrone Fight of the Night honors.
Cerrone fought Benson Henderson in a rematch of their 2009 Fight of the Year, this time for the WEC Lightweight Championship on April 24, 2010, at WEC 48. Cerrone lost via first-round guillotine choke submission.
Cerrone faced rival Jamie Varner in their highly anticipated rematch on September 30, 2010, at WEC 51. He won the fight via unanimous decision, winning all three rounds. In between rounds, there were often many shoves and obscenities exchanged by both fighters, including a shove at the very end of the match. In the post fight interview, Cerrone declared he'd be willing to do a rematch in Arizona, Varner's home state, to settle their score once and for all. The bout won Fight of the Night honors.
Cerrone instead faced Chris Horodecki on December 16, 2010, at WEC 53. He won via submission in the second round with a triangle choke.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.
Cerrone faced Paul Kelly on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126, replacing an injured Sam Stout. Cerrone defeated Kelly via tapout due to a rear naked choke. For their performance, both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors.
Cerrone was expected to face Mac Danzig on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131. However, Danzig was forced out of the bout with a chest injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Vagner Rocha. Cerrone won the fight via unanimous decision.
Cerrone was expected to face Paul Taylor on August 14, 2011, at UFC on Versus 5, replacing an injured John Makdessi. However, Taylor was forced out of the bout with a foot injury and replaced by Charles Oliveira. Cerrone won the fight via TKO three minutes into the opening round, earning Knockout of Night honors for the performance.
Cerrone faced Dennis Siver on October 29, 2011, at UFC 137, replacing Sam Stout. Cerrone defeated Siver via first round submission, earning Submission of the Night honors.
Cerrone next faced Nate Diaz at UFC 141 on December 30, 2011. He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision, in a performance that earned both participants Fight of the Night honors. Despite knocking Diaz off of his feet multiple times with leg kicks, Cerrone could not offset the volume punches from Diaz, as Diaz landed 82% of the strikes he threw en route to his victory over Cerrone. On his loss to Diaz Cerrone stated, "You know instinct, I think that's the thing a lot of people aren't doing. That's where I made the mistake in my last fight, is, you need to learn to turn your brain off and just go by reactions. Don't go in there and try and think and do things and fight with your brain, because that's the thing, I got angry and tried to kill him, and when you try to go hard you just can't do it."
Cerrone was expected to face Yves Edwards on May 15, 2012, at. However, Edwards was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by Jeremy Stephens. Cerrone defeated Stephens by unanimous decision.
Cerrone fought Melvin Guillard on August 11, 2012 at UFC 150. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The performance earned Cerrone Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night honors.
Cerrone faced Anthony Pettis on January 26, 2013, at UFC on Fox 6. Pettis won the fight by TKO in the first round, finishing Cerrone with a kick to the body. This marked the first time in his career that Cerrone lost via strikes.
Cerrone next faced Strikeforce veteran K.J. Noons on May 25, 2013, at UFC 160. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Cerrone faced Rafael dos Anjos on August 28, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 27. Cerrone lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Cerrone faced Evan Dunham on November 16, 2013, at UFC 167. Cerrone won the fight via triangle choke in the second round. The win also earned him his second Submission of the Night bonus award.
Cerrone faced Adriano Martins on January 25, 2014, at UFC on Fox 10. He won the fight by knockout due to a headkick in the first round. The win also earned Cerrone his third Knockout of the Night bonus award.
Cerrone faced Edson Barboza on April 19, 2014, at UFC on Fox 11. Cerrone dropped his opponent with a strong jab in the first and quickly secured the rear-naked choke submission for the win. The win also earned Cerrone his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
Cerrone faced Jim Miller on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45. Cerrone defeated Miller via knockout in the second round due to a head kick and punches, becoming the first man to give Miller a professional knockout loss. The win also earned Cerrone his second Performance of the Night bonus award.
Cerrone was briefly linked to a bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178. However, the pairing was quickly scrapped after it was revealed that Nurmagomedov had suffered a knee injury that would sideline him indefinitely. Subsequently, Cerrone was matched with Bobby Green at the event. In turn, Cerrone eventually faced Eddie Alvarez in the co-main event of the card. Cerrone won the fight via unanimous decision.
Cerrone faced Myles Jury on January 3, 2015, at UFC 182. Cerrone commented on his desire to fight him was due to his disdain over Jury's arrogant response after defeating Cerrone's former training partner, Diego Sanchez, in UFC 171. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
In an unprecedented move, Cerrone requested to face friend and WEC rival Benson Henderson just 15 days later at UFC Fight Night 59, replacing an injured Eddie Alvarez. Cerrone won the fight via a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28. 12 of 14 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Henderson.
Cerrone was expected to face Khabib Nurmagomedov on May 23, 2015 at UFC 187. However, Nurmagomedov pulled out of the bout on April 30 due to a knee injury. He was replaced by John Makdessi. Cerrone won the fight via TKO in the second round.
After winning eight fights in a row in under two years, Cerrone earned his first UFC lightweight title shot. He faced Rafael dos Anjos in the main event at UFC on Fox 17 on December 19, 2015. Cerrone lost the fight via TKO just 66 seconds into the first round.

Moving up to welterweight

Cerrone was expected to face Tim Means in a welterweight bout on February 21, 2016 at. However, Means was removed from the bout on February 3 and was replaced by Alex Oliveira. Cerrone won the fight via submission in the first round. He was also awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.
for a USO tour
Cerrone next faced Patrick Côté on June 18, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 89. He won the fight via TKO in the third round and earned himself another Performance of the Night bonus.
Cerrone next faced Rick Story on August 20, 2016, at UFC 202. Cerrone won the fight via TKO in the second round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.
On August 26, 2016, it was announced that Cerrone had signed a new, eight-fight contract with UFC.
Cerrone was briefly linked to a bout with Robbie Lawler on November 12, 2016, at UFC 205. However, Lawler turned down the fight and Cerrone was then scheduled to face Kelvin Gastelum on the card. However, on the day of the weigh-ins, Gastelum did not make an attempt to formally weigh in as he was well over the 171 lbs limit for the fight and the bout was scrapped. Consequently, Cerrone was quickly rescheduled and faced Matt Brown the following month at UFC 206. Cerrone won the fight via knockout in the third round.
Cerrone faced Jorge Masvidal on January 28, 2017 in the co-main event at UFC on Fox 23. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
Cerrone was expected to face Robbie Lawler on July 8, 2017 at UFC 213. On June 28, reports began to circulate that Cerrone had sustained a minor injury which would force the fight to be postponed to UFC 214 taking place three weeks later. UFC President Dana White confirmed later the same day that Cerrone in fact had a staph infection and a pulled groin, and the plan is to reschedule the pairing to after UFC 214. However, the bout eventually took place at UFC 214. Cerrone lost the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision.
Cerrone faced Darren Till on October 21, 2017 in the main event at. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Cerrone faced Yancy Medeiros on February 18, 2018 at. He won the fight via technical knockout out in round one. With this win, Cerrone tied the UFC records for most finishes in the promotion with fourteen and most wins in the promotion with twenty.
On June 23, 2018 Cerrone faced Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 132. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
In the beginning of August 2018, it was revealed that he had parted ways with his long-time striking coach Brandon Gibson after the loss against Edwards. Appearing on Joe Rogan Experience on August 29, 2018, Cerrone launched on a tirade against his training camp Jackson-Wink and announced that he had parted ways with the team altogether.
Cerrone faced Mike Perry on November 10, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 139. He won the fight by submission due to an armbar in the first round, becoming the first fighter to finish Perry in MMA. His fight earned him the Performance of the Night award. With this win, Cerrone set the UFC records for most finishes in the promotion with fifteen and most wins in the promotion with twenty one.

Return to Lightweight

Cerrone faced Alexander Hernandez in a lightweight bout on January 19, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 143. He was successful in his return to Lightweight, winning the fight via TKO in the second round, after outstriking and outwrestling Hernandez throughout the fight. With this win, Cerrone extended his UFC records for most finishes with sixteen. He also added another record to his legacy, becoming the fighter with the most fight bonuses at sixteen.
Cerrone faced Al Iaquinta on May 4, 2019 at. He won the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night bonus award.
In a quick turnaround, Cerrone returned to the Octagon just 32 days after his last win and faced Tony Ferguson on June 8, 2019 at UFC 238. Cerrone lost the fight via TKO due to a doctor stoppage after he blew his nose between rounds, an act that closed his right eye, rendering him unable to continue. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.
Cerrone faced Justin Gaethje on September 14, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 16. He lost the fight via knockout out in round one.

2020

As the first fight of his new six-fight contract, Cerrone headlined UFC 246 when he faced Conor McGregor on January 18, 2020 in a welterweight bout. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round.
Cerrone faced Anthony Pettis in a rematch on May 9, 2020 at UFC 249. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Personal life

Cerrone and his fiancée Lindsay have a son, Dacson Danger Cerrone, born on June 29, 2018. On Valentine's Day 2020 Cerrone revealed that they are expecting a second child, with the due date expected in September.
Cerrone has a role in a 2020 Netflix film Spenser Confidential.

BMF Ranch

In 2014, Cerrone established a MMA gym at his property in Edgewood, New Mexico to lower his training camp costs by hosting his training partners at the estate. Coaches like Brandon Gibson, Jafari Vanier and Jonavin Webb are usually situated at the ranch with fighters like Lando Vannata, John Dodson and Leonard Garcia.

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing

Pay-per-view bouts

Muay Thai record (partial)

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentMethodRound, timeDateLocationNotes
1Loss0–1 Geoffrey Spruiell2, 2:39Nov 21, 2003 Los Caporales Regency Hotel, Denver, Colorado, U.S.