Heading into their UFC on ESPN+ 9 main event, Al Iaquinta intimated that Donald Cerrone was starting to look old in recent fights.
If that’s the case, this old dog still has some bite.
On Saturday night, “Cowboy” put on exactly the sort of clinic that let everyone know he’s a veteran who still has gas left in the tank – and he’s a factor.
Cerrone (36-11 MMA, 23-8 UFC) deftly utilized his range to administer a wide variety of strikes. And while Iaquinta is undoubtedly one of the toughest pound-for-pound customers in the sport, he never quite got untracked in the lightweight bout at Canadian Tire Centre on Ottawa, Ontario.
After 25 minutes of nonstop action, the judges scored the match a unanimous decision, 49-45, 49-45, and 49-46 for Cerrone’s third consecutive win and fourth in his past five. The victory was Cerrone’s 23rd in the UFC, adding to his company record.
“I guess I’m doing it for all the old people out there, man. There’s still a chance,” Cerrone said afterward.
The opening round was fought at the sort of pace you’d expect from two fighters who know the bout was likely to go 25 minutes. They felt each other out, with Iaquinta landing from range and Cerrone establishing his kicking game.
In the second, Iaquinta (14-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) had his best sequence, as he used a left hand to set up a big right that landed, and then repeated the effort to similar effect. But Cerrone regrouped and established his front kick and repeated leg kicks.
The kicks started to take their toll in the third, and Cerrone switched up and started to implement his jab, rendering Iaquinta’s face a mess by the end of the round. In the fourth, Cerrone landed a front kick, then a second one, which dropped Iaquinta to the mat.
But while this onslaught would have felled a lesser competitor, Iaquinta was still in the fight in the fifth round. Needing a finish, he landed some of his most solid blows on the night. But Cerrone matched the pace and took it up another gear in the final minute, dropping Iaquinta and going in for the kill as the horn sounded.
Cerrone has made it clear he wants a run at the lightweight title, but he’s taking one last stab at landing a Conor McGregor fight, telling the former two-weight champion he’s game to fight again in July.
“I want the title, whatever that means. Unless, Conor McGregor, you want to fight me in July,” Cerrone said. “I’m ready. Fourth of July, let’s do it.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 9 results include:
- Donald Cerrone def. Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45).
- Derek Brunson def. Elias Theodorou via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Shane Burgos def. Cub Swanson via split decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28)
- Merab Dvalishvil def. Brad Katona via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Walt Harris def. Sergey Spivak via TKO (knees, punches) – Round 1, 0:50
- Andrew Sanchez def. Marc-Andre Barriault via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Macy Chiasson def. Sarah Moras via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:22
- Vince Morales def. Aiemann Zahabi via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Nordine Taleb def. Kyle Prepolec via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 20-27)
- Matt Sayles def. Kyle Nelson via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:16
- Arjan Bhullar def. Juan Adams via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Cole Smith def. Mitch Gagnon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 9, check out the UFC events section of the site.
