Did Donald Cerrone win at UFC Vegas 26?
No. Donald Cerrone did not win at UFC Vegas 26.
Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of Alex Morono at UFC Vegas 26 (May 8th, 2021).
What happened to Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in his UFC Vegas 26 fight?
One of the most beloved fighters in the MMA world, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone was scheduled to fight former teammate and fellow veteran fighter Diego Sanchez at UFC Vegas 26. However, a series of events involving Sanchez’s coach led to Sanchez being released from the UFC.
Resultantly, Donald Cerrone was later matched up with Alex Morono. The welterweight bout between Cerrone and Morono served as the co-main event of the UFC Vegas 26 fight card. The fight witnessed Morono utilize an incredible pace and highly aggressive striking approach to attack Cerrone.
Alex Morono repeatedly connected with beautiful boxing combinations, refusing to give Donald Cerrone enough space to showcase his crafty kicking game.
The end came at the 4:40-minute mark of round one, as Donald Cerrone wasn’t able to effectively defend himself against Alex Morono’s relentless striking. The referee waved off the bout, declaring Morono the winner via first-round TKO.
After his UFC Vegas 26 loss, Donald Cerrone confirmed he will be moving back to the lightweight division
In an interview with ESPN after his UFC Vegas 26 fight, Donald Cerrone opened up on the fight as well as his future in the UFC and the sport of MMA. Cerrone stated:
“Oh, man, it’s just a rough day in the office. This game can get changed. All it takes is one big shot. He hit me with a good one, set me back. Hit me with another good one. I could hear my coaches saying grab a hold of him, and it’s like, man, I don’t know if I can take three of them. So, yeah, the kid came hungry, ready, you know. No excuses on my end. I was ready. We warmed up great, came out started early, and, who knows.”
“Heartbroken for sure. I don’t know, man. Don’t know what to answer you on is it that time. I don’t know. I don’t feel like it, but how I feel and how I perform are two different things. It s**ks. Who knows. I want to go back to 55 (lightweight). These boys at 70 (welterweight) hit hard, they’re big boys. But like I said, no excuses. That kid came in, he was ready.”
“You know, I should have been kicking more for sure. Should have been a little bit more busy with my jab, but I knew he had big overhand monsters. I was trying to not get tagged by one of those, and it didn’t work.”
Of his last six fights, Donald Cerrone has lost five, with one bout ending in a No Contest (NC). Cerrone addressed his losing streak by explaining:
“It’s definitely hard to break a streak, isn’t it? I need to break the damn streak because it’s brutal, man. Yeah, man, I wish I had the answers, but I don’t.”
Furthermore, with regard to his UFC Vegas 26 loss possibly being his last fight, Donald Cerrone asserted that he intends to continue fighting. Cerrone said:
“Absolutely not. No way. I’ll never go out like this…I will, 100 percent I’ll know (when it’s my last fight), and I’ll come in and sh*t, hopefully, I go in whipping a** right off. There’s no way I’d end like this. I couldn’t let my legacy end like this. So, yeah, I’ll call the boss man and say ‘Hey, man. I know it’s been a rough couple years, But when it’s time, let me bow out right.’”
Which fighter would you like to see Donald Cerrone face next? Sound off in the comments.