Donald Cerrone is starting to gain steam as a welterweight.
The longtime lightweight contender picked up his third consecutive victory in the 170-pound division with a second-round technical knockout over Rick "The Horror" Story at UFC 202 on Saturday:
Donald Cerrone def. Rick Story via TKO (strikes) Rd. 2, 2:02 #UFC202
— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) August 21, 2016
Story's wrestling against Cerrone's jiu-jitsu was the storyline as Cerrone went for a quick takedown, and the grappling continued throughout the early phases of Round 1. In all, the grappling came out as a wash, but Cerrone got the better part of exchanges in the stand-up at the end of the round.
That was the difference on MMAFighting.com's scorecard:
Cerrone 10-9. Close round, though. Cowboy landed the harder shots, especially as the round went on.
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) August 21, 2016
With Cerrone establishing an advantage on the feet, he went to work on utilizing it in the second round.
MMA writer Adam Martin enjoyed the action:
Rick Story has one of the best chins in MMA and Donald Cerrone just cracked it. MMA is such a crazy sport.
— Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) August 21, 2016
Story attempted a few takedowns, but Cowboy was able to shuck those and work combinations on the feet. Eventually, he landed a beautiful three-strike combination that was highlighted by a head kick. That was the beginning of the end, as Cerrone picked up the stoppage.
The win extended Cerrone's winning streak to three since his loss to Rafael dos Anjos, putting him in an interesting position.
Cowboy is the No. 6 lightweight in the UFC rankings, yet all three of his wins since his loss in the lightweight title fight have come at welterweight. However, Cerrone has the lightweight champion in his sights.
"Eddie Alvarez is a fight I'm definitely (interested in)," Cerrone said, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports. "After I beat Rick Story, I'm going to call him out and try to get that Eddie vs. Cowboy 2 in New York."
Cerrone has generally not been one to chase a title, instead focusing on finding money fights, but a rematch against Alvarez might be the best of both worlds. Cowboy picked up a decision over Alvarez at UFC 178 in September 2014, so there is history between the two.
But Alvarez appears to be hitting his stride as the champion of the lightweight division.
For Story, the loss ended a winning streak that showed signs he could resurrect his status as a welterweight contender. He came in with three straight wins, including decisions over Tarec Saffiedine and Gunnar Nelson, after a 3-5 stretch.
The story of this fight was the emergence of Cerrone as a legitimate two-division fighter. For an action fighter who actively seeks out fights, that's good news for both him and fans.
