Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone had the magic number “50” in mind before deciding to hang up the gloves.
The 39-year-old UFC legend hits that number on Saturday.
Although it didn’t end in victory, via submission to Jim Miller, Cerrone had the entire crowd in the T-Mobile Arena on their feet as he set his cowboy hat and gloves on the floor of the octagon.
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A classy Miller, knowing what was coming, passed up the chance to speak right after his win, instead telling Rogan to pass the mic to Cerrone.
“I don’t like Joe anymore,” Cerrone told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview.
“It’s hard for me to get up. It’s time to be a movie star, baby.”
Cerrone added that “hopefully one day I’ll be in the Hall of Fame,” to which Rogan simply replied, “100% you’ll be in the Hall of Fame,” speaking to the entire UFC world.
“Donald is a legend, he is a man I look up to, who I am a fan of. We are going to miss him,” Miller added, paying tribute to his opponent.
Miller was not the only UFC legend to retire, however.
Earlier, Jessica Eye, the number 12-ranked women’s flyweight candidate, announced her retirement from the UFC after a unanimous decision by defeating Maycee Barber.
It was a dominant win for Barber, who now stands on a three-fight win and has plenty to look forward to in her career.
However, for veteran Eye, it was clear after the fight that this wasn’t a quick decision on her part, but something she’d thought hard about as she put her gloves on the floor.
“I think it’s time,” she said.
“I’ve been a pro since 2009. I’ve had a lot of UFC fights. I spent my entire 20s and 30s doing this. I would like to see what the rest of the world looks like.”
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Brad Tavares started his fight against Dricus Du Plessis with bleached blond hair.
By the end of three rounds, it was red, covered in blood after the American was brutally beaten.
Tavares may have been on the wrong end of a unanimous decision result (29-28×3), but he lost no admirers after holding the distance against a relentless Du Plessis.
“You have the toughest mom in the world right here in your city,” Du Plessis said after the fight.
You can read more about that fight here†
UNDEATED RISING STAR PUT GREEN IN PLACE
Gabe Green admitted earlier in the week that he didn’t even know who Ian Garry was when a fight with the undefeated rising star first erupted.
“His opponents weren’t super good in my opinion, so it’s going to be interesting to see how he deals with me, who I think is a step up in the league compared to who he’s fought so far,” Green said. to match reporters. UFC’s media day.
Well it’s safe to say Green knows who Garry is now and how the 24-year-old coped with the step up in the league, the unanimous decision result (30-27 x 3) says it all.
Green definitely marked a step forward in class for the Irishman and he took the opportunity, calculated and patient with his approach on the opening lap.
Garry only got better as the first round went on and put in some nice combinations after finding his range earlier.
Green came on strong in the second and had Garry pinned to the fence later in the round, but again the Irishman was able to do enough to win the round.
It made Green need something bigger and more powerful in the third to really turn the momentum around.
Instead, it was Garry who dropped Green with an overhand right to open the round and reassert his dominance.
Green kept swinging for the fences, but couldn’t find the decisive blow to turn the fight in his favor.
AUSSIE JESSICA-ROSE CLARK SUFFERS MAJOR INJURIES IN THE NETHERLANDS
It took just under four minutes for Australian Jess-Rose Clark to take a two-fight win the last time she was in the octagon.
This time she tasted defeat after just 43 seconds, and left with what appeared to be a dislocated elbow after a brutal statement from Julija Stoliarenko.
The armbar specialist had only made one of nine takedown attempts in her career prior to Saturday’s fight, but immediately nailed one against Clark to gain early momentum.
Stoliarenko then hit an armbar and Clark was in trouble and tapped out shortly after.
“She disrupted it, you can see it,” UFC Hall of Fame inductee Daniel Cormier said in comment.
“It’s badly disrupted. That was nasty. Jessica taps desperately.’
“Perfect timing and execution,” added Joe Rogan.
“The way she passed the guard, the way she got to that position. Watch this level change and watch the wonderful use of the hips and the amazing flexibility in her core to get there, pass that arm and get that armbar to the other side.
UFC 276 RESULTS
MAIN CARD
Middleweight title fight: Israel Adesanya vs Jared Cannonier
Featherweight title fight: Alexander Volkanovski vs Max Holloway
Middleweight fight: Sean Strickland vs Alex Pereira
Welterweight fight: Robbie Lawler vs Bryan Barberena
Bantamweight fight: Pedro Munhoz vs Sean O’Malley
PRELIMS
Lightweight Combat: Jalin Turner defeats. Brad Riddell by submission (guillotine)
Welterweight fight: Jim Miller def. Donald Cerrone by submission (guillotine)
Welterweight fight: Ian Garry def. Gabe Green by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Middleweight fight: Dricus Du Plessis def. Brad Tavares by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
EARLY PRELIMS
Middleweight fight: André Muniz def. Uriah Hall by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Women’s Flyweight Competition: Maycee Barber def. Jessica Eye by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Women’s Bantamweight Contest: Julija Stoliarenko beats. Jessica-Rose Clark by submission (armbar)
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The biggest day of the year has finally arrived, with two championship belts at stake at UFC 276 and just the main fights in a stacked schedule.
In the main event, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will try to make his fifth title defense when he takes on Jared Cannonier.
The American is a definite outsider to the fight, although he pays no attention to the noise from outside as he wants to make the most of his first shot at the UFC title.
Rapper Drake added to that outside noise by announcing that he had bet $1 million on Adesanya to win.
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“I don’t really think about what other people are saying, so don’t have thoughts about what he said or what he says,” Cannonier said earlier this week.
“My thoughts are only on what he is going to try on Saturday night and what I am going to do on Saturday night. So there are a lot of people saying a lot of different things. And damn almost all of them count me out. So why do I pay attention to what people say at all?”
As for Adesanya, he wants to go back to finishing with style and will try to do just that, predicting that his performance will rival Anderson Silva’s against Forrest Griffin.
“They keep talking about power, ‘power, power, power.’ Did you ever hear that when someone fights me? Power this, power that,” Adesanya said.
“It’s the same old song. Damn it, stop it, repeat, give me a new number. I’m just happy to have new blood to fight in this battle.”
Another big fight on the map sees No. 4 contender Sean Strickland take on Alex Pereira, with the result potentially deciding who will face Adesanya next, should the Kiwi get past Cannonier.
Elsewhere, Australian Alexander Volkanovski will face fierce rival Max Holloway for the third time in a fight that many consider to be the unofficial main event.
The two have exchanged in a war of words in recent days, with Holloway promising to end the fight within the first three rounds.
“If you look from the first (fight) to the second fight, (we are) two different fighters, and from the second (fight) to this fight it will be different fighters again,” he said.
“But I feel good, I feel great. I feel. I have to spend 10 rounds with this man. I’ve been saying it all week, man. You will be blessed if we go above three (rounds). I can not wait.”
Volkanovski didn’t have to take on this fight, but said it’s the perfect opportunity to cement his “legacy” and end the Holloway chapter after controversy sparked around his win in the second fight.
“This is definitely a legacy fight. That’s why we wanted this fight,” said the Australian.
“If I felt like this wouldn’t put me in a better position to move forward, you wouldn’t take it. But it does. You all want to see it, right? Everyone wants to see the trilogy. So that’s a legacy fight .
“People want to see it. I was open to it; I wanted it too. So if that helps me move forward, let’s do it.”
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