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3. Donald Cerrone vs. Rob McCullough
WEC 36 | Nov. 5, 2008

While fans viewing WEC 36 on TV were unfortunately treated to a main-card bout between Jake Rosholt and Nissen Osterneck, the undercard contained one of the very best fights in the promotion’s history. Cerrone and McCullough, a pair of converted muay Thai practitioners, put on a quick-paced, action-packed and technical matchup that set the “Cowboy” on the path to stardom.

Colorado’s Cerrone dropped McCullough twice in the first round, but “Razor” fought back and managed to stay alive. By consensus, the opening stanza was easily the “Round of the Year” in 2008. Cerrone floored McCullough again in the second, but he worked a sweep, fought off submission attempts and might have even won the round despite the knockdown. The third went to Cerrone, who mixed in a couple of takedowns in addition to his work on the feet.

The vast majority of the fight was contested in the kickboxers’ wheelhouse, and both men were essentially content to engage in a standup war. While it would take Cerrone several years to find consistency, he showed the world what he was capable of in that fight.

Number 2 » Henderson vs. Pettis