Donald Cerrone, better known as “cowboy” by fans due to his American simplicity, is a well-known frightening MMA competitor in the UFC. However, he truly deserves his lengthy career based on his abilities, strength, and tenacity inside the cage.
Cerrone, who made his pro debut in the lightweight class in 2006, has a 70.6% success rate in 51 fights, with just 14 defeats from which the most recent was his bout against Conor McGregor in January 2020. He has 36 victories to his credit, with ten knockouts and the rest submissions. In this Donald Cerrone biography facts, we provide details on his childhood, net worth, and personal life.
Family And Early Life Of Donald Cerrone
Cerrone was born in Denver, Colorado, and is of Irish and Italian heritage. At a young age, he was labeled with attention deficit disorder but never received treatment for it. Growing up, Cerrone used to misbehave as a youngster. He would eventually begin street fighting and be incarcerated overnight.
According to Cerrone, his parents grew tired of his misbehavior and sent him to live with his paternal grandmother, Jerry Cerrone. According to Donald, he was taken in by Jerry with open arms. She would occasionally bail Donald and his pals out of jail after getting into another scuffle. But, according to Cerrone, the next morning, she would never discuss what occurred the night before except for “you know what you did.”
He began bull riding at Air Academy High School, where he studied. Cerrone began training in kickboxing when he was 20 years old and later Muay Thai. After winning several kickboxing bouts, Cerrone turned to mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting.
Donald Cerrone | Mixed Martial Arts Career
At a gym called Freedom Fighters in Commerce City, Colorado, Cerrone began his career. In 2006, Cerrone began training at Greg Jacksons Submission Fighting Gaidojutsu school in Albuquerque with Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, Nathan Marquardt, Keith Jardine, Georges St-Pierre, Leonard Garcia, Tom Watson, and other skilled MMA fighters.
World Extreme Cage Fighting
Cerrone was invited to the WEC to compete. He made his WEC debut against Kenneth Alexander in his inaugural bout. Originally a win via Submission in 56 seconds of the first round, which was changed to a no-contest following Cerrone’s positive hydrochlorothiazide usage, owing to its prohibition as a diuretic.
Cerrone settled to meet Rich Crunkilton at WEC 34, but Crunkilton had to withdraw due to an injury and got replaced by Danny Castillo. In the opening round, Cerrone defeated Castillo via armbar.
On January 25, 2009, he lost to WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner by a technical split decision at WEC 38. The bout was quite close and received the Fight of the Night honor.
Moreover, Cerrone and Varner had agreed to a rematch, but Varner could not obtain medical clearance due to his injured hand.
Cerrone fought Benson Henderson for the WEC Interim Lightweight Championship on October 10, 2009, at WEC 43 in San Antonio, Texas, losing by unanimous decision. For 2009, the Fight was given Fight of the Year honors by Sherdog.
On December 19, 2009, Cerrone fought Ed Ratcliff in the main event at WEC 45. Cerrone won the Fight via third-round Submission. The bout also earned Cerrone Fight of the Night honors.
On April 24, 2010, Cerrone faced Benson Henderson for the WEC Lightweight Championship in a rematch of their 2009 Fight of the Year. Catliff defeated Cerrone via first-round guillotine choke submission.
Not long after losing to Cerrone, Horodecki faced him on December 16, 2010, at WEC 53. He won with a triangle choke in the second round against Cerrone.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting unified with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. All WEC fighters were absorbed into the UFC as part of the marriage.
Cerrone faced Paul Kelly at UFC 126 on February 5, 2011, replacing an injured Sam Stout. Likewise, Cerrone defeated Kelly via Tapout due to a rear-naked choke for his efforts. Both fighters were awarded the Fight of the Night award for their performance.
On June 11, 2011, Cerrone was booked to compete against Mac Danzig at UFC 131. Cerrone was set to face Paul Taylor on August 14, 2011, at UFC on Versus 5, in place of an injured John Makdessi. Three minutes into the first round, Cerrone stopped Taylor with a TKO victory, earning Knockout of Night honors for the performance.
Cerrone faced Dennis Siver on October 29, 2011, at UFC 137, replacing Sam Stout. Cerrone won via first-round Submission over Siver, earning Submission of the Night honors.
On August 11, 2012, Cerrone fought Melvin Guillard at UFC 150. He knocked him out in the first round. Cerrone received knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night accolades for his performance.
The 2013-2015 Year
On January 26, 2013, Cerrone fought Anthony Pettis at UFC on Fox 6. Pettis won the bout by TKO in the first round after knocking Cerrone down with a kick to the body. It was Cerrone’s first loss via strikes in his career.
Cerrone fought K. J. Noons on May 25, 2013, at UFC 160. He won the bout by unanimous decision.
On August 28, 2013, Cerrone fought Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC welterweight title at UFC Fight Night 27. Unfortunately, Cerrone lost by a unanimous decision.
On November 16, 2013, Cerrone fought Evan Dunham at UFC 167. In the second round, Cerrone utilized a triangle choke to defeat Dunham. Likewise, Cerrone’s victory also earned him his second Submission of the Night bonus prize.
On January 25, 2014, Cerrone faced Adriano Martins at UFC on Fox 10. In the first round, he knocked out Martins with a head kick. Cerrone’s victory added three knockouts of the Night bonuses to his total.
Cerrone went up against Edson Barboza on April 19, 2014, at UFC on Fox 11. Cerrone opened the Fight with a powerful jab and swiftly took his opponent’s rear-naked choke hold for the victory.
Moreover, Cerrone fought Jim Miller on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45.
Cerrone was booked to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov on May 23, 2015, at UFC 187. However, on April 30, Nurmagomedov withdrew from the bout due to a knee problem, and John Makdessi replaced him. Cerrone won the bout via TKO in the second round.
Cerrone made his UFC lightweight title challenge after winning eight fights in a row in less than two years. He faced Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC on Fox 17, which took place on December 19, 2015.
Moving Up To Welterweight
On February 21, 2016, Cerrone was supposed to face Tim Means in a 170-pound bout at UFC Fight Night 83. On February 3, however, he was removed from the bout and replaced by Alex Oliveira. In the first round, Cerrone defeated him via Submission. He also received a Performance of the Night award for his efforts.
On June 18, 2016, Cerrone fought Patrick Côté at UFC Fight Night 89. He submitted him in the third round with a TKO finish.
On August 20, 2016, Nick Cerrone fought Rick Story at UFC 202. Cerrone won the bout via TKO in the second round.
On August 26, 2016, His manager reported that Cerrone had re-signed with the UFC for an additional eight fights.
On October 21, 2017, Cerrone faced Darren Till for the UFC welterweight championship in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till. Unfortunately, Darren Knocked him out on the first round.
On February 18, 2018, Cerrone faced Yancy Medeiros at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros. Likewise, In the first round, he defeated him by technical knockout. With this victory, Cerrone tied the UFC records for most wins in the promotion with twenty and most finishes in a single organization with fourteen.
On June 23, 2018, Cerrone faced Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 132. Unfortunately, he lost by a unanimous decision.
On November 10, 2018, Cerrone faced Mike Perry at UFC Fight Night 139. The first round was all Cerrone as he submitted Perry with an armbar to become the first fighter to finish him in MMA.
Return To Lightweight
On January 19, 2019, Cerrone faced Alexander Hernandez in a lightweight fight for UFC Fight Night 143. After outstriking and outwrestling Hernandez throughout the bout, he was victorious in his return to Lightweight, knocking him out in the second round with a TKO victory. Cerrone extended his UFC records for most finishes (eighteen) and won (twenty-two) with this win.
On May 4, 2019, Cerrone faced Al Iaquinta at UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy. He won the bout by unanimous decision.
In just 32 days, Cerrone re-entered the cage to face Tony Ferguson at UFC 238, a rematch of their March 2018 bout.
Return To Welterweight
Cerrone fought Conor McGregor on January 18, 2020, at UFC 246, the first bout of his new six-fight contract. He lost via technical knockout in the first round.
On May 9, 2020, at UFC 249, Cerrone fought Anthony Pettis again. Unfortunately, he was defeated by a disputed unanimous decision.
On September 19, 2020, Cerrone faced Niko Price at UFC Fight Night 178. For repeated eye pokes in round one, Referee gave the price a point penalty, and the bout was declared a majority draw.
On May 8, 2021, Paul Cerrone was supposed to fight Diego Sanchez at UFC on ESPN 24. However, on April 28, for unknown reasons, he was replaced by Alex Morono. He lost his bout via technical knockout in the first round.
On April 30, 2022, Cerrone was scheduled to compete against Joe Lauzon in a lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 208. However, for reasons unknown, the Fight was rescheduled for May 7, 2022, at UFC 274.
On July 2, 2022, Cerrone faced Jim Miller at UFC 276 in place of Bobby Green. In the second round, he lost the bout via guillotine choke submission and subsequently announced his retirement during the post-fight interview.
Acting career
Since 2017, Cerrone has had minor parts in film and television, including a role as Detective Bob Spenser in the 2020 Netflix movie Spenser Confidential.
He settles to star in the 2022 Daily Wire film Terror on the Prairie, his first major motion picture.
Donald Cerrone | Net Worth
In 2022, Donald Cerrone’s net worth was estimated to be around $9 million, of which his main and most notable source of income is from the MMA. As of January 2020, he was Guaranteed $2 million for a bout with Conor McGregor at the UFC 246. So his career earnings heading into this Fight were a bit more than $6 million.
Relationship Of Donald Cerrone
Even though he has not yet married, Donald Cerrone is engaged to Lindsay Sheffield. They go as a married couple regardless of whether or not they are together.
Lindsay Sheffield and Cowboy have a son named Dawson Danger Cerrone, born on June 29, 2018.
On February 14, 2020, Donald Trump announced that he and Lindsay Cerrone would have their second kid in September. On September 11 of the same year, they gave birth to Riot River Cerrone, the couple’s second child.
Donald Cerrone | Awards And Achievements
Kickboxing
- Dominion Warrior Inc
- Dominion Warrior Muay Thai World Lightweight (-73.4 kg/162 lb) Championship (One time)
- International Sport Karate Association
- ISKA Amateur Colorado State Middleweight (-75 kg/165 lb) Oriental Championship (One time)
- Kickdown Classic
- KDC Amateur Welterweight Championship (One time)
- S-1
- 2006 S-1 Muay Thai U.S. Lightweight (-73.4 kg/162 lb) Tournament Championship 270
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (Six times) vs. Paul Kelly, Nate Diaz, Melvin Guillard, Alexander Hernandez, Al Iaquinta & Tony Ferguson
- Knockout of the Night (Three times) vs. Charles Oliveira, Melvin Guillard, & Adriano Martins
- Submission of the Night (Two times) vs. Dennis Siver & Evan Dunham
- Performance of the Night (Seven times) vs. Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, Alex Oliveira, Patrick Côté, Rick Story, Mike Perry, & Alexander Hernandez
- Tied for second-most wins in UFC history (23) (w. Andrei Arlovski)
- Tied for second-most finishes in UFC history (16) (w. Jim Miller)
- Tied for most post-fight bonus awards in UFC history (18) (w. Charles Oliveira)
- Tied for second-most bouts in UFC history (38) (w. Andrei Arlovski)
- Second, most wins in UFC Lightweight history (17)
- Third most finishes in UFC Lightweight history (10)
- Most knockdowns in UFC history (20)
- World Extreme Cagefighting
- Fight of the Night (Five times) vs. Rob McCullough, Jamie Varner (2), Benson Henderson, & Ed Ratcliff
- Most Fight of the Night awards in WEC history (5)
- MMAFighting.com
- 2009 Fight of the Year vs. Benson Henderson on October 10
- MMAJunkie.com
- 2014 January Knockout of the Month vs. Adriano Martins
- 2014 July Knockout of the Month vs. Jim Miller
- Ring of Fire
- Ring of Fire Lightweight Champion
- Sherdog Awards
- 2009 Fight of the Year vs. Benson Henderson on October 10
- 2008 Round of the Year vs. Rob McCullough on November 5; Round 1
- Sports Illustrated
- 2009 Fight of the Year vs. Benson Henderson on October 10
- World MMA Awards
- 2011 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
Social Media Presence
As of May 2020, Donald Cerrone has over 2.6 million followers on Instagram and over 1.1 million followers on Twitter.
Additional Information
| Сеlеbrаtеd Nаmе: | Donald Cerrone |
| Nickname: | Cowboy |
| Rеаl Nаmе/Full Nаmе: | Donald Anthony Cerrone |
| Gеndеr: | Male |
| Аgе: | 39 |
| Віrth Dаtе: | 29 March 1983 |
| Віrth Рlасе: | Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Nаtіоnаlіtу: | American |
| Неіght: | 1.83m |
| Ѕехuаl Оrіеntаtіоn: | Straight |
| Relationship Ѕtаtuѕ: | In a relationship |
| Spouse(Ex): | Lindsay Sheffield |
| Рrоfеѕѕіоn: | Boxer, Actor |
| Nеt Wоrth іn 2022: | $9 million |
Instagram: @cowboycerrone
Facebook: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
Twitter: @Cowboycerrone
YouTube: Cowboy Cerrone