In December 2015, Donald Cerrone had a chance to win the UFC lightweight title when he faced champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC on FOX 2. Dos Anjos finished that fight in 66 seconds with a body kick. After that loss, Cerrone moved up to welterweight. He found some success early in his run at 170 pounds. But after winning four straight fights by stoppage, Cerrone fell on tough times and dropped three in a row. Cerrone was still ranked No. 11 in the welterweight division despite his losing skid when he faced Yancy Medeiros in the main event of UFC Fight Night 126 in February 2018.
Cerrone and Medeiros were friendly in the lead up to the contest, they even embraced in the center of the octagon before referee Herb Dean gave them final instructions prior to the start of the fight. But that friendliness went out the window as soon as Dean signaled that the fight was on.
The two came out aggressively. It was clear that neither fighter wanted to go the five-round distance.
Cerrone, who has always been a slow starter, didn’t have much choice but to get into this fight early, thanks to Medeiros moving forward and pushing the pace. With two minutes left in the first round, the momentum began to shift in Cerrone’s favor as he began to find openings in the attack of his opponent. With 10 seconds left, Cerrone delivered a big right hand that dropped Medeiros. With time against him, Cerrone swarmed Medeiros on the ground and stopped the fight with two seconds left in the contest.
Cerrone would fight twice more at welterweight, going 1-1 in those fights, before returning to lightweight in January of this year. In his first fight back at 155 pounds, Cerrone knocked out Alexander Hernandez in the first round.
Cerrone faces Al Iaquinta in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 151 from Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Before that fight, which streams on ESPN+, takes place, watch Cerrone’s knockout win over Medeiros.
