UFC 141 Results: 5 Things We Learned About Donald Cerrone

In the lead up to UFC 141, Nate Diaz's antics and Donald "The Cowboy" Cerrone being forced to answer the bell provided a jolt of energy. The fight itself delivered an exciting stand-up battle where Diaz dazzled with hands and Cerrone chopped down with his legs.

Cerrone was on a tremendous roll when he came into the fight, but the fact was that he had not really faced a truly elite UFC lightweight. That left some questions about The Cowboy that many wanted answered.

Enter an elite lightweight like Diaz, who was on a nice roll himself, to force Cerrone to provide some answers for MMA critics.

Here are five things we learned about Donald Cerrone.

He Lacks Power in His Hands

For all the talk about Diaz's pitter-patter striking and the knockout ability of Cerrone, Diaz sure showed the better power in his hands last night. Not only did Diaz have better power than Cerrone, but Cerrone showed a lack of power in the shots he landed.

It did appear that Cerrone was tired early. That may be why he lacked power last night, but it is clear that his hands need to find some power to match his legs. He needs to be able to defeat and knockout the top fighters in the division.

The first step for Cerrone may be to watch the tape on this fight, take a page out of Diaz's book and perfect his jab. If he can establish a jab and then follow up and step into his right, the power will surely come.

He looked to be throwing all arms in his strikes last night.

Best Leg Kicks in the Division

If there is one thing that Donald Cerrone did well in his fight with Diaz last night, it was deliver world-class leg kicks. Cerrone began using them in the second round. He clearly kept Diaz off balance with them, knocking him down to the canvas a few times.

They are quick, accurate and chopping kicks. Cerrone appeared confident in throwing them at Diaz and following through with sweeps like he was clearing a path in the forest.

Cerrone's opponents must be weary of his legs. He just has to improve everything else in his game to coincide.

He Lacks Focus

Did anyone hear Greg Jackson talking to and shouting at The Cowboy between rounds?

He was yelling at him to snap out of it in no uncertain terms. The yelling showed that Cerrone's focus may not have been in form. I'm not sure what was up with him, but it seemed like he is busy thinking about a lot of things—and not always about the fight.

First it seemed Jackson was telling The Cowboy to straighten out. Then it sounded like he was actually begging him to give his all so he wouldn't lose.

Maybe after the five fights in 2011, Cerrone needs a step back. We saw an unfocused Cowboy last night.

He Can Be Intimidated

I believe that Nate Diaz got into Cerrone's head with his antics leading up to the fight. In the end, that had an ill effect on him when the cage door closed.

Cerrone seemed a bit intimidated by the spotlight created by Diaz taunting the way he did. When a man flips a Cowboy's hat off his head, them's fighting words right there. Maybe it shocked Cerrone into a bit of doubt.

It's all part of the Diaz way. It really is nothing personal. It's about fighters getting up for and winning their fights—no matter how they have to do it. Nate pulled it off to a tee.

Big brother should be proud. Nate got to The Cowboy and showed that he could be intimidated by a young, brash and disrespectful fighter.

He Is Not Ready for the Title

With the incredible year that Donald Cerrone has had in 2011 many were wondering if he was ready for a title shot. Ultimately, was he ready to be the champion in the very near future?

I think the answer to that question is a crystal clear: Not yet.

You can't be too critical of a guy fighting who was in his fifth fight of the year at the UFC level. You have to cut Cerrone some slack.

But the fight last night was with a top-tier, best-we've-ever-seen Nate Diaz. It showed that Donald has some work to do to challenge for the strap.

His wars with Henderson in the WEC say he is right there, but I don't think his game has evolved as well. It may be another year before he seems ready to fight for the title.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter at wakafightermma.