Non, USA TODAY
LAS VEGAS — Lightweight fighter Nate Diaz swarmed to the most significant
win of his career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship by landing one punch
after another Friday against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
at UFC 141 in Las Vegas.
AP
Diaz halted Cerrone’s string of wins by snapping his
head with one punch after another to win a unanimous decision in the co-main
event of UFC 141 in Las Vegas. Diaz consistently landed jabs, crosses and
straight punches with both hands to rack up a 258-to-66 edge in total strikes,
according to statistics from Compustrike.
Cerrone found some success with his legs, especially with strikes to Diaz’s
legs and the occasional kick to the head. Diaz also hit the deck several times
after Cerrone tripped him or swept his leg. Compustrike saw Cerrone landing 31
of 49 leg strikes.
He never followed to the ground against Diaz, one of the more proficient
grapplers in the lightweight division. Yet Diaz’s volume and 82% striking
accuracy were simply too much for Cerrone in the stand-up game.
Until Friday, Diaz had not beaten a top-10 fighter. The USA TODAY/MMA Nation
consensus rankings rate Cerrone and Diaz at Nos. 8 and 13 for lightweights.
A victory for Cerrone might have propelled him into UFC’s title conversation.
He carried a six-fight winning streak into Friday’s fight.
It was the second consecutive victory for Diaz since returning to the
155-pound division in September.
The build-up to their fight was marked by displays of animosity, culminating
with Diaz knocking the hat off Cerrone’s head during a photo-op earlier this
week. As referee Herb Dean gave the fighters their final instructions just
before the start of Friday’s bout, Cerrone flashed an obscene gesture at Diaz in
lieu of the traditional touch of gloves.
But shook hands and embraced after the bout. Diaz in his post-fight interview
apologized for the pre-fight antics and trash talking.
