Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone was victorious at UFC 202 with a stellar performance against one of the toughest outs in the entire welterweight division. He dispatched Rick Story inside of two rounds with a blistering combination that caused the referee to step in to stop the beating.
According to FightMetric's Michael Carroll, the win would be his 18th in the UFC, putting him second all-time just behind Georges St-Pierre and Michael Bisping.
It’s a staggering mark to reach. To be successful for as long as he has been, and now to be doing it against the welterweight elite, is impressive. The UFC 202 win was his third straight at 170 pounds and moves him into being a key contender in the division.
However, Cerrone wants to go back to lightweight to challenge for the title.
His 18th win is not the only mark he tied on Saturday. Cerrone’s TKO performance also puts him third all-time on the list of most finishes in all of the major promotions (UFC, PRIDE, WEC and Strikeforce). There, he is tied with Anderson Silva, Shogun Rua and Vitor Belfort with 16 finishes. He only trails Mirko Filipovic (21) and Wanderlei Silva (20).
Cerrone is continually adding to his legacy in this sport, but there is still one elusive piece missing in that incredible record—a championship belt.
Cowboy had three opportunities to claim gold in the WEC but came up short in all three instances. His first attempt ended in a technical decision that went the way of Jamie Varner, and his second was a narrow decision loss to Benson Henderson.
The Jackson-Winkeljohn product got his chance at UFC gold in December 2015, but Rafael Dos Anjos blew through him in the first round, which led Cerrone to hop right back in the cage two months later at welterweight.
While Cerrone is missing gold from his legacy, it should not be needed for him to be recognized as one of the greats in this sport. He has been an elite-level fighter for nearly a decade and now is elite in a weight class above his normal classification. There are very few who are able to make those claims.
Racking up 18 UFC victories and 16 major MMA finishes puts him in elite company. Gold or no gold, that can never be taken away from him.
Cerrone will go down as one of the best fighters to set foot inside of the cage. Period.
He is a fighter’s fighter and a fan favorite. He’ll fight anybody, at any weight, anywhere. He deserves the recognition he will most assuredly get for a career’s worth of spectacular performances.
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