2. Crushing ‘Cowboy’
In between wins over former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Takanori Gomi and nails-tough Jim Miller, Nate Diaz matched skills with Donald Cerrone, one of the sport’s most exciting and successful lightweights. In the days and weeks leading up to their showdown at UFC 141 on Dec. 30, 2011, Diaz and “Cowboy” went at each other with merciless trash talk; and when Diaz swatted the cowboy hat off Cerrone’s head during one faceoff, it brought their dislike for one another to a boil.
Diaz obliged the Jackson-Wink MMA standout with a standup battle, proceeded to pick him apart from a distance and methodically chipped away at Cerrone’s resolve. He took his time and battered “Cowboy” with precise punches throughout their 15-minute encounter. Cerrone never stopped trying to turn the tide, but the gulf between them only grew wider as time went on. Diaz was awarded a one-sided unanimous decision before 13,793 fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
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