Best and Worst from UFC Fight Night 143: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw

#2 Best: Cerrone gets back to his best

Donald Cerrone looked back to his best in his win over Alexander Hernandez

Judging by last night’s showing, any talk of Donald Cerrone being near the end of his storied career probably needs to stop now. Faced with a very dangerous opponent – the outstanding prospect Alexander Hernandez, 2-0 in the UFC – many people expected ‘Cowboy’ to fold under the pressure, particularly given a couple of bad losses in recent fights. But in the main fight of the first prelims to be shown on ESPN, Cerrone rolled back the years.

Simply put, Cerrone looked absolutely fantastic. His striking looked on-point throughout, and he busted Hernandez up in the first round before putting him away with a trademark head kick in the second. More impressively, Cerrone weathered an early storm from his younger foe and never really looked like he was on the verge of being finished.

Perhaps in hindsight, it was the issue of being a much smaller man in the Octagon that put paid to Cerrone’s run at Welterweight, rather than a downturn in his skill level or durability. Don’t forget that the last time he fought at 155lbs, he went on a pretty wild run of 8 straight wins before his loss to Rafael Dos Anjos. Judging by his performance last night, another run like that is definitely possible.