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Donald Anthony Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname " Cowboy", is an American former professional mixed martial artist, former kickboxer, and actor best known for competing in the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and the Lightweight division of the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).
He is known and respected by fans for his willingness to fight any time, having completed thirty eight fights in his eleven-year UFC tenure. Cerrone challenged for the WEC Lightweight Championship in 2009 and 2010, and the UFC Lightweight Championship in 2015. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July 2023.
Cerrone attended Air Academy High School where he began professional bull riding, thus earning the nickname "Cowboy". At the age of twenty, through the advice of a friend, Cerrone began training in kickboxing and later Muay Thai. After winning a few kickboxing competitions and compiling a Muay Thai record of 28-0-1 (nineteen wins by TKO), he decided to pursue a career in mixed martial arts.
Cerrone was scheduled to face Rich Crunkilton at WEC 34, but Crunkilton was forced off the card with an injury and replaced by Danny Castillo. Cerrone won the bout via armbar in the first round.
Cerrone then faced Rob McCullough at WEC 36 on November 5, 2008. He won the bout via unanimous decision. The performance earned both fighters the Fight of the Night award.
On January 25, 2009, at WEC 38 he fought WEC Lightweight Champion, Jamie Varner, losing via technical split decision. The fight was highly competitive and won the Fight of the Night award. However, the fight was stopped prematurely in the fifth round when Cerrone hit Varner's temple with an illegal knee while Varner was still on the ground. Varner was given time to recover, but he was unable to continue, noting that he had double vision and had sustained a broken hand.
Cerrone was again scheduled to face Rich Crunkilton on June 7, 2009, at WEC 41, but Crunkilton was forced off the card with an injury and replaced by James Krause. Cerrone defeated Krause via first round submission.
Cerrone and Varner had agreed to a rematch, tentatively at WEC 43, but Varner was unable to receive medical clearance as a result from his hand injury. Cerrone fought Benson Henderson for the WEC Interim Lightweight Championship on October 10, 2009, at WEC 43 in San Antonio, Texas, losing by unanimous decision. Both fighters were awarded the Fight of the Night bonus award. Cerrone credited Henderson for being "a hell of a fighter" and conceded that he was slow to start the action, which may have cost him the match.
Cerrone faced Ed Ratcliff on December 19, 2009, in the event headliner at WEC 45. Cerrone defeated Ratcliff via third round submission. The bout also earned Cerrone Fight of the Night honors.
Cerrone fought Benson Henderson in a rematch of their 2009 Fight of the Year, this time for the WEC Lightweight Championship on April 24, 2010, at WEC 48. Cerrone lost via first-round guillotine choke submission.
Cerrone faced rival Jamie Varner in their highly anticipated rematch on September 30, 2010, at WEC 51. He won the fight via unanimous decision, winning all three rounds. In between rounds, there were often many shoves and obscenities exchanged by both fighters, including a shove at the very end of the match. In the post-fight interview, Cerrone declared he'd be willing to do a rematch in Arizona, Varner's home state, to settle their score once and for all. The bout won Fight of the Night honors.
Cerrone instead faced Chris Horodecki on December 16, 2010, at WEC 53. He won via submission in the second round with a triangle choke.
Cerrone faced Paul Kelly on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126, replacing an injured Sam Stout. He won the fight via submission due to a rear naked choke. For their performance, both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors.
Cerrone was expected to face Mac Danzig on June 11, 2011, at UFC 131. However, Danzig was forced out of the bout with a chest injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Vagner Rocha. Cerrone won the fight via unanimous decision.
Cerrone was expected to face Paul Taylor on August 14, 2011, at UFC on Versus 5, replacing an injured John Makdessi. However, Taylor was forced out of the bout with a foot injury and replaced by Charles Oliveira. Cerrone won the fight via TKO three minutes into the opening round, earning Knockout of Night honors for the performance.
Cerrone faced Dennis Siver on October 29, 2011, at UFC 137, replacing Sam Stout. Cerrone defeated Siver via first round submission, earning Submission of the Night honors.
Cerrone next faced Nate Diaz at UFC 141 on December 30, 2011. He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision, in a performance that earned both participants Fight of the Night honors. Despite knocking Diaz off of his feet multiple times with leg kicks, Cerrone could not offset the volume punches from Diaz, as Diaz landed 82% of the strikes he threw en route to his victory over Cerrone. On his loss to Diaz Cerrone stated, "You know instinct, I think that's the thing a lot of people aren't doing. That's where I made the mistake in my last fight, is, you need to learn to turn your brain off and just go by reactions. Don't go in there and try and think and do things and fight with your brain, because that's the thing, I got angry and tried to kill him, and when you try to go too hard you just can't do it."
Cerrone was expected to face Yves Edwards on May 15, 2012, at . However, Edwards was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by Jeremy Stephens. Cerrone defeated Stephens by unanimous decision.
Cerrone fought Melvin Guillard on August 11, 2012, at UFC 150. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The performance earned Cerrone Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night honors.
Cerrone faced Anthony Pettis on January 26, 2013, at UFC on Fox 6. He lost the fight by TKO in the first round after Pettis finished him with a kick to the body. This marked the first time in his career that Cerrone lost via strikes.
Cerrone next faced Strikeforce veteran K. J. Noons on May 25, 2013, at UFC 160. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Cerrone faced Rafael dos Anjos on August 28, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 27. Cerrone lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Cerrone faced Evan Dunham on November 16, 2013, at UFC 167. Cerrone won the fight via triangle choke in the second round. The win also earned him his second Submission of the Night bonus award.
Cerrone faced Adriano Martins on January 25, 2014, at UFC on Fox 10. He won the fight by knockout due to a headkick in the first round. The win also earned Cerrone his third Knockout of the Night bonus award.
Cerrone faced Edson Barboza on April 19, 2014, at UFC on Fox 11. Cerrone dropped his opponent with a strong jab in the first and quickly secured the rear-naked choke submission for the win. The win also earned Cerrone his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
Cerrone faced Jim Miller on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45. Cerrone defeated Miller via knockout in the second round due to a head kick and punches, becoming the first man to give Miller a professional knockout loss. The win also earned Cerrone his second Performance of the Night bonus award.
Cerrone was briefly linked to a bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178. However, the pairing was quickly scrapped after it was revealed that Nurmagomedov had suffered a knee injury that would sideline him indefinitely. Subsequently, Cerrone was matched with Bobby Green at the event. In turn, Cerrone eventually faced former Bellator Lightweight Champion and UFC newcomer Eddie Alvarez in the co-main event of the card. Cerrone won the fight via unanimous decision.
Cerrone faced Myles Jury on January 3, 2015, at UFC 182. Cerrone commented on his desire to fight him was due to his disdain over Jury's arrogant response after defeating Cerrone's former training partner, Diego Sanchez, in UFC 171. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
In an unprecedented move, Cerrone requested to face friend and WEC rival Benson Henderson just 15 days later at UFC Fight Night 59, replacing an injured Eddie Alvarez. Cerrone won the fight via a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 29–28. 12 of 14 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Henderson.
Cerrone was expected to face Khabib Nurmagomedov on May 23, 2015, at UFC 187. However, Nurmagomedov pulled out of the bout on April 30 due to a knee injury. He was replaced by John Makdessi. Cerrone won the fight via TKO in the second round.
After winning eight fights in a row in under two years, Cerrone earned his first UFC lightweight title shot. He faced Rafael dos Anjos in the main event at UFC on Fox 17 on December 19, 2015. Cerrone lost the fight via TKO just 66 seconds into the first round.
Cerrone next faced Patrick Côté on June 18, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 89. He won the fight via TKO in the third round and earned himself another Performance of the Night bonus.
Cerrone next faced Rick Story on August 20, 2016, at UFC 202. Cerrone won the fight via TKO in the second round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.
On August 26, 2016, it was announced that Cerrone had signed a new, eight-fight contract with UFC.
Cerrone was briefly linked to a bout with Robbie Lawler on November 12, 2016, at UFC 205. However, Lawler turned down the fight and Cerrone was then scheduled to face Kelvin Gastelum on the card. However, on the day of the weigh-ins, Gastelum did not make an attempt to formally weigh in as he was well over the 171 lbs limit for the fight and the bout was scrapped. Consequently, Cerrone was quickly rescheduled and faced Matt Brown the following month at UFC 206. Cerrone won the fight via knockout in the third round.
Cerrone faced Jorge Masvidal on January 28, 2017, in the co-main event at UFC on Fox 23. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
Cerrone was expected to face Robbie Lawler on July 8, 2017, at UFC 213. On June 28, reports began to circulate that Cerrone had sustained a minor injury which would force the fight to be postponed to UFC 214 taking place three weeks later. UFC President Dana White confirmed later the same day that Cerrone in fact had a staph infection and a pulled muscle, and the plan is to reschedule the pairing to after UFC 214. However, the bout eventually took place at UFC 214. Cerrone lost the back-and-forth fight by a very close unanimous decision that many feel that Cerrone should have indeed won.
Cerrone faced Darren Till on October 21, 2017, in the main event at . He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Cerrone faced Yancy Medeiros on February 18, 2018, at . He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. With this win, Cerrone tied the UFC records for most finishes in the promotion with fourteen and most wins in the promotion with twenty.
On June 23, 2018, Cerrone faced Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 132. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
In the beginning of August 2018, it was revealed that he had parted ways with his long-time striking coach Brandon Gibson after the loss against Edwards. Appearing on Joe Rogan Experience on August 29, 2018, Cerrone launched on a tirade against his training camp Jackson-Wink and announced that he had parted ways with the team altogether.
Cerrone faced Mike Perry on November 10, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 139. He won the fight by submission due to an armbar in the first round, becoming the first fighter to finish Perry in MMA. His fight earned him the Performance of the Night award. With this win, Cerrone set the UFC records for most finishes in the promotion with fifteen and most wins in the promotion with twenty one (21).
Cerrone faced Al Iaquinta on May 4, 2019, at . He won the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night bonus award.
In a quick turnaround, Cerrone returned to the Octagon just 32 days after his last win and faced Tony Ferguson on June 8, 2019, at UFC 238. Cerrone lost the fight via technical knockout in between the second and third rounds after an attempt to blow his nose caused his eye to swell shut, rendering him unable to continue. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.
Cerrone faced Justin Gaethje on September 14, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 158. He lost the fight via knockout in round one.
Cerrone faced Anthony Pettis in a rematch on May 9, 2020, at UFC 249. He lost the fight by unanimous decision although some consider it controversial.
Cerrone faced Niko Price on September 19, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 178. Price was docked a point in round one for repeated eye pokes, and the fight would be declared a majority draw. However, it was later overturned to a no contest (NC) after Price tested positive for marijuana.
Cerrone was scheduled to face Diego Sanchez on May 8, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 24. However, Sanchez was removed from the fight on April 28 for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by Alex Morono. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.
Cerrone was scheduled to face Joe Lauzon in a lightweight bout on April 30, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 208. The bout was moved to May 7, 2022, at UFC 274 for undisclosed reasons. Despite both competitors weighing in, the bout was canceled the day of the event due to Cerrone falling ill. The pair was rescheduled to meet at UFC on ESPN 37 on June 18, 2022. The bout was yet again scrapped the day of this event due to Lauzon suffering from leg cramping.
Cerrone, as a replacement for Bobby Green, faced Jim Miller on July 2, 2022, at UFC 276. He lost the fight via guillotine choke submission in the second round and subsequently announced his retirement during the post-fight interview.
On December 19, 2021, Cerrone competed in his first professional grappling match against Craig Jones under the Combat Jiu-Jitsu ruleset at the Featherweight edition of the CJJ World Championships. He tapped out after being put in a rear-naked choke by Jones a little over halfway into the regulation period.
On December 30, 2021, Cerrone competed in a grappling match against Joe Solecki at Fury Pro Grappling 3. Solecki submitted Cerrone with a rear-naked choke at 3:17 of their match.
He acted in a starring role, opposite Gina Carano, in the 2022 Daily Wire film Terror on the Prairie.
Cerrone is good friends with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenney, who has trained at BMF Ranch, and Cerrone made an appearance alongside Paul Felder, Megan Olivi and Dana White in the season 12 episode "Wolf Cola: A Public Relations Nightmare."
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling came forward with similar allegations in 2016, detailing an altercation between him and Cerrone during UFC International Fight Week. According to Sterling, after Cerrone made a comment about his gold chain that made him feel "uncomfortable", he then used an "inappropriate word" in front of Sterling. While Sterling never specified what the word was, he strongly implied it had racial overtones. When he asked for an explanation, Cerrone allegedly started to threaten him, telling him that he'd "beat the fuck out of him" and "do what Caraway did to him", referring to Sterling's UFC bout earlier that year in which he suffered his first professional loss to Bryan Caraway.
Cerrone has been criticized for his casual online usage of the racial slur "nigga", including in a 2016 exchange on Instagram with his sparring partner Said Nurmagomedov, in which each one referred to the other as "my nigga".
In an interview with Sherdog, Cerrone denied these accusations. "That was two years ago, ya' know? Why didn't any of this come out? Why didn't a fan file a lawsuit or say, 'Yo, Cowboy is groping my wife,' c'mon." he said of the alleged incidents.
Cerrone was widely criticized for his use of a homophobic slur to describe Daniel Cormier's performance against Anderson Silva at UFC 200 during a Q&A at UFC Fan Expo, where he was taking part in a panel covering the event along with CM Punk and Joe Gooden. When talking with CM Punk about the worst performances of that night, he criticized Cormier's wrestling-heavy game plan asking "How you going to give up weight and fight like a fag, man?".
After an immediate backlash, a UFC senior official told the MMA Junkie portal that the organization was "incredibly disappointed by Cerrone's comments" and will be meeting with him to discuss the severity of the situation. Cerrone reacted to the criticism with a since-deleted Instagram post, which showed a photo of him wearing a then-recently released UFC rainbow T-shirt in support of the LGBTQ community and in which he apologized for his choice of words.
While Jason Ellis was interviewing Cerrone on his radio show, Ellis mentioned he is bisexual and has had sexual relationships with men, which appeared to make Cerrone uncomfortable. During his appearance on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast some weeks later, Cerrone called Ellis "a faggot", adding that he had not wanted to say it to Ellis directly. Ellis voiced his disappointment with Cerrone's statements in an interview with outsports.com.
When discussing U.S. president Donald Trump's attempts to ban transgender people from serving in the US armed forces on an episode of The Fighter and the Kid podcast, Cerrone objected to the host, Brendan Schaub, using female pronouns to describe a trans woman, and stated: "I'm just saying, if you got a dick, you're a dude."
| + !No. !Event !Fight !Date !Venue !City !PPV Buys | ||||||
| 1. | UFC 246 | McGregor vs. Cowboy | January 18, 2020 | T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S | 1,350,000 |
| 28 Wins (19 (T)KO's), 0 Losses 1 Draw | ||||||||
| 2:21 | ||||||||
| 3:00 | ||||||||
| 3:00 | ||||||||
| N/A | ||||||||
| N/A | ||||||||
| 3:00 | ||||||||
| Legend: | ||||||||
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Geoffrey Spruiell | 2 (4), | November 21, 2003 |
| 2018 | The Equalizer 2 | Belgian Backpacker | |
| 2020 | Spenser Confidential | Big Boy (as Cowboy Cerrone) | |
| Puppy Love | Danny | ||
| Embattled | Autograph Jack | ||
| 2021 | The Outlaw Johnny Black | Crackshot Bob | |
| The Harder They Fall | Coward at Bank | ||
| 2022 | The Commando | Ray | |
| Terror on the Prairie | Jebediah McAllister | ||
| 2024 | Lights Out | Carter | |
| 2025 | Prisoner of War | Captain Collins | Direct-to-video |
| 2017 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Donald Cerrone | Episode: "Wolf Cola: A Public Relations Nightmare" |
| Godless | Gang Member | 7 episodes | |
| The Night Shift | Wounded Paramedic Nick | Episode: "Resurgence" | |
| 2020 | Magnum P.I. | Reese | Episode: "A Leopard on the Prowl" |
| 2022 | The Terminal List | Tomahawk Guard | Episode: "Reclamation" |
| 2024 | Cobra Kai | Cage Fighter | Episode: "Blood In Blood Out" |
| 2025 | Mythic Quest | Himself | Episode: "Rebrand" |
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