Donald Cerrone: MMA's Favorite Knockaround Guy Gets a Chance to Break Big

Donald Cerrone needs no introduction to MMA fans, but if things go right for him this weekend, he’ll no doubt soon acquaint himself with a much larger audience.

There’s no way to overstate the scope of Cerrone’s opportunity on Saturday when he rematches Rafael Dos Anjos for the lightweight title at UFC on Fox 17. Not only could he win the first major championship of his career, but after nearly five years and 18 fights in the Octagon, Cerrone might also finally get his chance to break big.

I mean, really, really big.

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The finer points are still being worked out, but early indications are that the winner of Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone could be next up for fledgling featherweight champ and budding superstar Conor McGregor. He is calling his own shots these days, and his top priorities include jumping up in weight to attempt to become the first fighter to simultaneously hold two UFC titles in two separate weight classes.

It’s unknown if the fight company would allow him to do that without stripping him of the 145-pound belt, but UFC President Dana White has already confirmed he’ll book the Irishman an immediate title shot if he hops up to 155 pounds.

So Saturday’s Cerrone-Dos Anjos fight doubles as both UFC title match and big-money McGregor sweepstakes.

If Cerrone wins it—well—buckle up. It’s going to be a wild ride.

Any resulting matchup between Cerrone and McGregor would be forged in promotional heaven. It would feel right at home as the main event of a UFC mega-card in Ireland’s Croke Park in early 2016 or even as the headliner of the gala UFC 200 event scheduled for July.

Each man would bring his own signature brand of charisma and unique (but contrasting) gift of gab. Fact is, McGregor and Cerrone would be capable of putting on a “world tour” bigger than the one the UFC staged for McGregor and Jose Aldo earlier this year. It’s possible McGregor might even meet his marketing match.

“Come on with it, baby,” Cerrone said this week of McGregor’s plan to move up to 155 pounds (h/t SB Nation’s Submission Radio). “I love it. I love the idea.”

The fight would need just the slightest promotional push to catch fire. Imagine Cerrone getting the opportunity to bring the "Cowboy" lifestyle to a mass, mainstream audience:

Throughout his tenure in the UFC—and WEC before that—Cerrone has built himself into one of the sport’s most popular and dependable figures. He fought four times during 2014 and three more times this year before earning No. 1 contender status and being convinced to cool it until Dos Anjos could be ready.

He’s the UFC’s self-styled wild man, the daredevil who can’t sit still. He’s never cared much for titles, but he wants to fight (and earn) as often as possible. He’s put together a surprising 15-3 record in the UFC (26-6-1 overall). Along the way, he’s won nine of the company’s performance-based fight night bonuses and earned a legion of fans.

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Before Saturday’s bout with Dos Anjos, however, Cerrone has only fought once in a UFC main event—when he defeated Jim Miller by second-round KO in July 2014. Twice he lost out on chances to win the WEC title, but since coming to the Octagon, he’s been known more as a consummate workhorse than championship material.

That changed during his current run. Cerrone has reeled off eight wins in a row dating back to August 2013, when he lost to Dos Anjos via unanimous decision. In the UFC’s most competitive division, that's a streak that simply can’t be ignored. According to MMAJunkie’s Mike Bohn, he needs just two more to pass Gleison Tibau for most wins all-time in the lightweight division.

More importantly, after what seems like a lifetime as one of the UFC’s favorite knockaround guys, Cerrone now gets the chance to win gold and perhaps earn the sort of payday that could set him up for life.

Finances have been a concern for the Cowboy in the past. In early 2014, he confessed to Examiner.com’s Ryan McKinnell that his play-hard lifestyle swallowed up most of his earnings, and he needed to keep up his breakneck fight pace just to have some money in the bank.

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Certainly, a title fight against McGregor would be the most lucrative fight of Cerrone’s—or anyone else’s—career. Of course, to even get that far, he’ll have to beat Dos Anjos.

The 31-year-old Brazilian has been the UFC’s most invisible champion since he took the belt from Anthony Pettis in March. Aside from one appearance at the UFC’s “Go Big” press conference in September—where he beefed with both Cerrone and McGregor—it’s hard to remember seeing him at all.

But that doesn’t mean he didn’t earn his way to the top.

Dos Anjos’ (13-5 UFC, 24-7 overall) high-pressure, grappling-based style has been tailor-made for defeating more flashy strikers of late. He’s riding a four-fight win streak that includes strong consecutive showings against Nate Diaz and Pettis. He was too much for Cerrone in their first meeting and is going off here as a bit more than a 2-1 favorite, according to Odds Shark.

But after nine months on the shelf, this will also be Dos Anjos’ first fight under the UFC’s new, stricter drug-testing policies. Cerrone told MMAFighting.com’s Shaun Al-Shatti this week he thinks that will have an impact.

“We have USADA testing now, so it's going to be all different,” Cerrone said. “It's a whole new animal. I don't dwell on the last fight or anything, it's a whole new thing. I'm going out there, I'm looking to finish him, man.”

Dos Anjos hasn’t been finished in a bout since he suffered a jaw injury against Clay Guida at UFC 117 in August 2010. If Cerrone manages to pull that off and take the title, it would set him up perfectly for a high-profile run opposite McGregor.

It’d be a heck of a way to introduce himself to the world.