Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone snapped his three-fight losing streak on Sunday night in Austin, Texas with a first-round TKO win over close friend Yancy Medeiros in the main event of UFC Fight Night 126.
Cerrone and Medeiros showed each other nothing but respect leading up to the fight and during the pre-fight salutations on Sunday. In fact, I can’t recall seeing this much hugging in a fight. don’t let those embraces fool you. They were also throwing leather while the fight lasted. Cerrone dropped Medeiros on two occasions with hard counter shots.
On the last knockdown, he swarmed and unleashed ground-and-pound until referee Herb Dean moved in to stop the fight.
Buzzer Beater! Cowboy Cerrone crumbles Yancy Medeiros right at the end of the first round for the win! #UFCAustin https://t.co/FNKDO2M4PZ
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 19, 2018
Cerrone has looked like a gatekeeper of late and if that role is a good fit, it’s safe to say Medeiros is not fit to pass the Cowboy. Medeiros was moving up to 170 pounds to face Cerrone and you could tell the difference as the former wilted under the weight of hard shots from a more natural 170-pound fighter.
After bout was over, Medeiros hopped the cage and embraced Cerrone’s grandmother in a unique exchange. What’s next for Cerrone? It’s hard to tell, but he says he wants to go back to 155 pounds. It makes sense because the lightweights don’t take his shots nearly as well.
Medeiros might be best suited to go back down to 155 pounds as well. He didn’t carry the extra weight well. Here’s a look at all of the results from the fights in Austin.
Attendance: 10,502
Gate: $794,350
Fight of the Night: Peterson vs. Davis
Performances of the Night: Derrick Lewis and Curtis Millender#UFCAustin
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) February 19, 2018
| Matchup | Weight Class | Results | Bonus |
| Oskar Piechota vs. Tim Williams | Middleweight | Piechota R1 – TKO | |
| Joshua Burkman vs. Alex Morono | Welterweight | Morono R1 – SUB (Guillotine) | |
| Sarah Moras vs. Lucie Pudilova | Women’s Bantamweight | Pudilova by UD (29-28×2, 29-27) | |
| Roberto Sanchez vs. Joby Sanchez | Men’s Flyweight | R.Sanchez by R1 SUB (RNC) | |
| Geoff Neal vs. Brian Camozzi | Welterweight | Neal by R1 SUB (Neck Crank) | |
| Jared Gordon vs. Diego Ferreira | Lightweight | Ferreira R1 – TKO | |
| Sage Northcutt vs. Thibault Gouti | Lightweight | Northcutt by UD (29-28×3) | |
| Steven Peterson vs. Brandon Davis | Men’s Featherweight | Davis by UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-26) | FOTN |
| Thiago Alves vs. Curtis Millender | Welterweight | Millender by TKO 2 | POTN |
| James Vick vs. Francisco Trinaldo | Lightweight | Vick by UD (29-28×3) | |
| Derrick Lewis vs. Marcin Tybura | Heavyweight | Lews by R3 TKO | POTN |
| Donald Cerrone vs. Yancy Medeiros | Welterweight | Cerrone by R1 TKO |
Piechota Mauls Williams
As expected, the heavily favorited Oskar Piechota made quick work of Tim Williams in the latter’s UFC debut. The dangerous and versatile Polish fighter ran his UFC record to 2-0 and remained undefeated overall with this dominant victory.
ICYMI: Oskar Piechota put on a show with the KO win over Tim Williams #UFCAustin https://t.co/NheCCZswVc
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 19, 2018
Piechota may be making his final appearance on Fight Pass prelims for a while.
Morono Chokes Out Burkman
Alex “The Great White” Morono Wasted no time submitting Josh Burkman with a guillotine after first taking him apart with strikes.
GUILLOTINE! Alex Morono makes Josh Burkman tap at #UFCAustin https://t.co/Dh1aA307Em
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 19, 2018
Burkman gives great effort, but his longstanding run in the UFC has been packed with defeats. He is a humbling 6-12 with the promotion and 23-4 elsewhere in his career.
How is he surviving on the roster?
Roberto Wins the Battle of Sanchez
Roberto was the better Sanchez on Sunday. Joby Sanchez came in as the favorite, but Roberto’s jiu-jitsu proved to be superior as he scored the surprise first-round submission.
Roberto’s the best Sanchez tonight as Roberto notches the submission win over Joby Sanchez! #UFCAustin https://t.co/LFyjz2BKbb
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 19, 2018
Neal Cranks Camozzi’s Neck
In his first fight since scoring a first-round KO on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender series, Geoff Neal smashed his way to a fifth stoppage in the initial frame. Brian Camozzi is quickly moving toward Burkman status.
Geoffrey Neal just put the welterweight division on notice in his UFC debut with his fifth first-round finish! #UFCAustin https://t.co/USupbePw6r
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 19, 2018
Ferreira Shocks Gordon
Speaking of shockers, Diego Ferreira overcame huge odds en route to a surprising TKO win over Jared Gordon.
Carlos Diego Ferreira showed off his epic jiu-jitsu skills with the win over Jared Gordon! #UFCAustin https://t.co/dyunDcv9qP
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 19, 2018
Almost no one gave Ferreira a shot, but his improved striking and jiu-jitsu game led him to the biggest win of his MMA career.
The Black Beast Stops Tybura
This one was pretty sloppy at times, but Marcin Tybura will be kicking himself for some time after this one. After a rocky first round that saw both men trade top position, he took full control in the second frame.
In the third, Tybura looked poised to take control of the final frame, but a quick separation gave Lewis the room he needed to unleash a few bombs and this happened:
This is what happens when Derrick Lewis decides the fight should be over.
WHAT THEY KNOW ABOUT THEM TEXAS BOYS? pic.twitter.com/eS57F6qsf0
— UFC India (@UFCIndia) February 19, 2018
Could we possibly see a Lewis vs. Francis Ngannou fight next? Sign everyone up for that one.
