UFC lightweight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone defeated incoming Strikeforce veteran KJ Noons at UFC 160 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Cerrone has often put his striking and submission skills on display. He has 15 finishes among his 20 victories as a professional mixed martial artist. But one of the heaviest criticisms leveled on him has been regarding his wrestling skills.
In the fight with Noons, however, Cerrone put his ever-improving wrestling ability on display. His stand-up was as sharp as ever, but he also put Noons on the mat each and every round of the fight.
Cerrone put an exclamation point on his performance in the third round, taking Noons down and bludgeoning him with punches and elbows. He couldn’t put Noons away, but Cerrone walked out of the Octagon with a unanimous decision victory… and a few bumps, bruises, and gashes as well.
“Sometimes you get cool scars to show people!” Cerrone tweeted after the fight, attaching a photo of the soon-to-be scars that he posted to Instagram.
The photo shows a significant cut over his eye and a huge gash on the elbow that he landed several times on Noons’ head.
Even on the winning end, the fight is never easy.
(Photo courtesy of @CowboyCerrone)