Tomorrow night in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 26, we will see Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone (36-15, 2 NC) return to action. He will be fighting at 170 pounds as he takes on Alex Morono (18-7) on short notice.
Originally, Cerrone was supposed to fight Diego Sanchez tomorrow night in the co-main event of the evening. However, that whole thing fell apart to the point where Sanchez was pulled from the fight and then ultimately released by the UFC.Â
After that mess, Cerrone still wanted to fight tomorrow night. The UFC went through several opponents but ultimately landed on Alex Morono. Cowboy is always down to fight and he accepted the fight against the young welterweight.
Cerrone wanted to move back to lightweight after his last fight, but the UFC asked him to fight Diego Sanchez at 170. Always the company man, Cerrone accepted the fight. Cowboy walks into UFC Vegas 26 essentially on a five-fight losing streak.
His last fight with Niko Price was a draw then later turned to a No Contest. However, Cowboy looks at that fight as a loss. He’s looking at the longest losing streak of his career and a very hungry welterweight standing in front of him.
The last time we saw Morono was in December against Anthony Pettis. Pettis got the decision nod over Morono. Entering UFC Vegas 26, Morono is 4-2 in his last six overall, but he’s just 1-2 in his last three trips to the octagon.
UFC Vegas 26 Prediction
In all transparency and nothing against Alex Morono, I hope that we see a Cowboy win at UFC Vegas 26. I try to objective as possible, but how can you not root for or love Donald Cerrone.
That said, tomorrow night is going to be tough. Cowboy is known for being a very slow starter and I expect Morono to push the pace early. Morono has crisp boxing and he also has some decent wrestling.
Cerrone said this week that he’s fallen back in love with Jiu Jitsu and he’s more than willing to go the ground. Cowboy is incredibly slick off of his back which we haven’t seen a ton of in the UFC.
If I’m being honest, the smart money would probably be on Morono tomorrow. I love Cowboy, but he’s getting up there in age and just hasn’t looked the same since his fight with Tony Ferguson in 2019.
However, I’m going to go with my heart on this one. I have a sneaky suspicion that this fight hits the ground. When it does, I think we are going to see a vintage Cowboy submission finish in this one. Could be wrong, but I’m going with Cerrone at UFC Vegas 26.
Prediction: Donald Cerrone by Submission (Armbar) – Round 2