“Cowboy” vs “The Horror Story”
To think that Donald Cerrone would become a legitimate contender at welterweight. If you told me that a year ago I would have said that he could definitely compete, but surely he wouldn’t emerge as a threat to the upper echelon. That all changed when Cerrone put a beating on Patrick Cote at UFC Fight Night 89. But at UFC 202, Donald Cerrone has a completely different challenge on his hand with bruising Rick Story. In this match up “Cowboy” Cerrone has a ton of different tools at his disposal. For one, Cerrone’s striking is on another level compared to Story. Where Story is more of a boxer wrestler who utilizes low kicks from time to time, Donald Cerrone throws all different kinds of strikes from punches to elbows, knees to kicks, and everything else in between. For those reasons, Cerrone is going to keep this fight on the feet. He’s going to want to keep Rick Story at the end of his punches and kicks as well as be busier than his wrestling based opponent. Putting pressure on a man like Rick Story won’t be easy, especially since he thrives in that kind of fight. The kind of pressure that Cerrone must put on his opponent is throwing punches in bunches and keeping Story guessing. If he’s taken down then he’ll have to immediately start working from his exceptional guard. If you take a moment to sit back and think about it, this is really Rick Story’s fight to lose. He may not be as technically sound as Cerrone on the feet, but he’s capable of pushing a tremendous pace, has a strong clinch and wrestling game, and is tough as nails. Story will want to put pressure on Cerrone before the kickboxer can get into his groove. Story has to come forward and make things a brawl. Though it may seem a bit reckless, Cerrone is a man that likes to ease himself into the fight before going into all out demon killer mode. Story needs to stop Cerrone’s forward momentum before it even starts. That means wrestling, initiating the clinch, and keeping the fight in punching range. The more that Story can keep this fight in a phone booth, the worse Saturday night will be for Cerrone. While that breakdown may make it sound like Rick Story has this in the bag, Donald Cerrone may just be able to keep things in his zone and throw the wrestler off his game. Look for Cerrone to defeat Rick Story by submission in the third round. Who do you think will triumph: Cerrone or Story? Let us know by hitting up our comments below or head on over to our official Facebook and Twitter.
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
