5 possible opponents for Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone
One of the most popular fighters to be competing in the UFC today, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone might also be the most exciting fighter to watch in the entire sport. Since his UFC debut in 2011, Cerrone has come into every fight with the same attitude – kill or be killed – and most recently he broke the records for most UFC wins and most UFC finishes with his armbar of Mike Perry.
That fight came at 170lbs but following his victory, Cerrone promised to make a return to 155lbs – where he had a failed title shot in 2015 – and make good this time by defeating Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC championship.
Whether he can get that far is a total question mark, but it should be fun to see him try. Here are 5 potential opponents for Donald Cerrone – opponents that would guarantee fireworks.
#1: Justin Gaethje
There are few fighters who can rival Cerrone in terms of offering guaranteed excitement inside the Octagon, but Gaethje is certainly one of them. Nicknamed ‘The Highlight’, the former WSOF champion has just 4 fights inside the UFC, but three of them were bonafide contenders for Fight of the Year and the other – his most recent – ended in a thunderous knockout.
Like Cerrone, Gaethje is a fighter straight out of the old school – he doesn’t care where or when he fights, he just comes to throw down – but while some fans peg him as a mindless brawler, he’s a lot more than that. An outstanding wrestler, Gaethje doesn’t look to take his opponents down – he uses that background to remain on his feet and unleash his striking.
Gaethje admittedly relies on his chin to keep him in his fights far too often, but he’s also sneakily good at chaining combinations together and has an absolutely vicious leg kicking game – one that could rival Cerrone’s.
Essentially, if the UFC were to put these two men into the Octagon there’d only been one guarantee – an absolute war with both men probably looking like best buddies after the fight. With Gaethje currently ranked at #6, the fight would present Cerrone with an instant opportunity to jump back into title contention – and the fans would absolutely love it.