Who will Donald Cerrone’s next fight be against?
Cowboy recently appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, and hinted at a big fight coming up. Cerrone is 3-0 at welterweight, and is rising in popularity. Most recently, Cerrone TKO’d top 10 welterweight Rick Story in brilliant fashion. Cerrone blasted Story with a highlight-reel combination that has been going viral. Check out this amazing rendition of Cerrone’s four-piece combination (courtesy of Reddit’s RayRod747).
What we know so far:
On episode #840 of the Joe Rogan Experience, they talked briefly about Donald Cerrone’s next fight. They couldn’t name the opponent specifically, but they dropped a couple hints on who it might be. The first thing to notice is how excited Rogan is about the match up; it’s safe to conclude that Donald Cerrone’s next fight is going to be fireworks. Cerrone also mentioned how he is friends with this unnamed opponent. Furthermore, Cerrone brought up how his opponent is his girlfriend’s second favorite fighter. It should be noted that this fight isn’t official, and plans could be scrapped at any change. Let’s go over some options for Donald Cerrone’s next fight:
Donald Cerrone vs Robbie Lawler
After losing his welterweight title to Tyron Woodley, former champ Robbie Lawler has been chomping at the bit to get back in the Octagon. Lawler is known for the intensity his brings into the Octagon, and a match up between him and Donald Cerrone would be guaranteed fireworks. However, this is more than just a dream match up. Cerrone responded to Lawler’s desires, and is targeting UFC 205 at MSG. I’m not sure if Lawler and Cerrone are friends, but the fact that Cerrone volunteered his name to face Lawler makes me think they may not be best buds. However, that hasn’t stopped Cerrone before as he was great friends with Benson Henderson.
I really like this match up when you consider where Cerrone and Lawler are at in the division. Lawler needs a win to get back in line for the title. Even though Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia are arguably the number 1 and 2 contenders, I would put Lawler at 3. Cerrone meanwhile is on the rise, and is one big win away from becoming a title contender. A fight between Donald Cerrone and Robbie Lawler would great to feature on the main card of UFC 205.
Donald Cerrone vs Georges St-Pierre
If Donald Cerrone’s next fight is against one of his girlfriend’s favorite fighters, I can’t help but think Georges St-Pierre. Maybe it’s his looks or his finesse fighting style, but GSP seems to be a popular favorite among many women MMA fans. We know Georges St-Pierre has been teasing us about a potential return too. In fact, I wrote a little piece on a couple different scenarios for GSP’s return. I didn’t consider Cerrone, but now I am. UFC 206 is scheduled for Toronto, Ontario, Canada which is ideal for GSP’s return. It’s also a realistic timeline for Cerrone’s next fight, even though Cerrone could fight every weekend if he had his way.
Donald Cerrone vs Nick Diaz
Another fighter rumored to make a return is Nick Diaz. After serving his suspension (which ended in August), Diaz is now cleared to fight. However, he has not made any indication that he’s interested in coming back. If you follow Nick on Snapchat, you can see how the man is clearly enjoying life. It seems about every night he is either at a concert or a night club with his Stockton crew. That being said, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a Nick Diaz return. Diaz has said he only wants big fights, and Donald Cerrone is starting to emerge onto the casual fan’s radar.
Stylistically, I absolutely love this fight. The little brother, Nate Diaz, gave Cowboy all he could handle in their 2011 fight. Since then, Cowboy has improved drastically, especially without the weight cut down to 155 lbs. While Nick Diaz is no small task, he has been very inactive. He has a very similar style to Nate, but tends to brawl in the pocket a bit more. Both of these guys never shy away from a good scrap, so I think it would be an amazing fight if it were to happen.
Donald Cerrone vs Eddie Alvarez
After Cerrone defeated Rick Story at UFC 202, he immediately called out UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. Even though many fans were hoping to see Cerrone stay at welterweight, you can’t rule out the idea of him dropping down and fighting Alvarez for the belt. After all, Cerrone has already defeated Eddie, and would likely be the favorite in a rematch. That being said, I don’t think this is the fight that Cerrone was alluding to with Joe Rogan. Donald Cerrone and Eddie Alvarez aren’t really friends, so it wouldn’t make sense for him to mention that if he was scheduled to take on Alvarez. This could be a possible match up in the future.
