This Saturday night on the prelims of UFC 276, two of the most decorated fighters in the history of the promotion will have their rematch. Legends Jim “A-10” Miller (34-16, 1 NC) takes on Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (36-16, 2 NC). The matchup will take place at welterweight given how quickly it came together.
A couple of weeks ago, Donald Cerrone was getting ready to fight Joe Lauzon at UFC Austin. However, Lauzon’s knee locked up and the fight was called off the day of. Jim Miller was gearing up to face Bobby Green at UFC 276, but Green had to pull out of the fight.
The path then opened up for the UFC to make this rematch that is eight years in the making. When these two first fought, Cowboy won the fight by knockout. He used a brutal head kick to finish off Jim Miller. However, that was prime Cowboy taking on Miller that night.
We haven’t seen prime Cowboy in some time. It’s been over a year since we’ve seen him in the UFC and he’s 0-5, 1 NC in his last six. In reality, it should be six losses in a row. If he loses on Saturday, it might be the end of the road for Cowboy.
Jim Miller on the other hand is really turning things around. This fight will be the final one on his current UFC deal and he’s riding a two-fight winning streak. He’s hoping to win his third in a row and lock up an extension on Saturday night.
UFC 276 Prediction
If this UFC 276 fight took place three years ago, I wouldn’t have any doubt that Cowboy would win the fight. I honestly would expect a similar result that we saw in the first fight. However, this is a much different Cowboy Cerrone we are dealing with.
In his prime, Cowboy was super dangerous on the feet. He’d throw solid combinations and blistering kicks. He’d also show off slick submissions off of his back. However, the Cerrone we’ve seen in the UFC lately is timid and has become pretty chiney.
Jim Miller has been ultra-aggressive in his last few fights. He’s shown great striking and toughness. I’m expecting him to come right out and pressure Cowboy at UFC 276. I honestly don’t like the matchup for Cowboy and I think he’ll wilt under the pressure of Jim Miller.
I honestly don’t think the fight makes it out of the first round. Jim Miller will up the pressure in the second half of the first round and he’ll land something big that’ll make Cowboy crumble. From there, he’ll follow up until the referee pulls him off for the TKO win at UFC 276.
Prediction: Jim Miller by TKO – Round 1