Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone made his highly anticipated return to the UFC lightweight division on Saturday at UFC Brooklyn during the inaugural Fight Night undercard for ESPN+. It was a thrilling matchup against up-and-comer Alexander Hernandez, who rattled off two-straight wins since debuting in the UFC last year.
Ultimately, the 35-year-old Cerrone (35-11, 1 NC), who owns the UFC record for most finishes in the promotion, proved that experience never hurts. He caught Hernandez with a powerful kick to the head that sent the 26-year-old to his knee. Like an animal stalking his prey, Cerrone pounced on Hernandez, landing multiple devastating strikes before the ref called the fight.
Check out the impressive finish below.
Cerrone was understandably giddy after the win, celebrating his return the lightweight and even challenging Conor McGregor.
“The old man’s still got it,” Cerrone said after the win. “I want top five. I even want Conor [McGregor] if he’ll agree to it. Cowboy’s back. I’m on a roll baby, here I come.”
McGregor was seemingly watching the event because it didn't take long for the former double-champ (featherweight/lightweight) to respond to the challenge. McGregor, who hasn't fought since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov last October, praised Cerrone and appears to be willing to fight him.
“For a fight like that Donald, I’ll fight you,” McGregor
responded on Twitter.
“Congratulations.”
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