One of the most highly-anticipated matchups in the lightweight division takes place later this year as Donald Cerrone collides with Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC Vancouver on September 14.
Though “Cowboy” dropped his last fight to Tony Ferguson at UFC 238 last month, he will always remain a fan favorite due to his entertaining fighting style and his habit of fighting anywhere, anytime. That is the case here as well, as Cerrone will be fighting on short notice yet again.
Before the Ferguson loss, Cerrone had also previously won four of his last five before that, including a dominant decision win over Al Iaquinta, and seemed to be on the verge of a title shot. A win over Gaethje would put him right back into title contention.
However, Gaethje is on the verge of a title shot as well, coming off two huge knockout wins over James Vick and Edson Barboza. Regarded as the most violent, if not most entertaining fighter in the UFC today, one can imagine a win over Cerrone would cement Gaethje’s place as the next title challenger after Ferguson.
Regardless of what happens in the title picture, UFC Vancouver’s headliner is all but guaranteed to be a barnburner.
The opening odds for Cerrone vs. Gaethje are as follows:
- Donald Cerrone: +210
- Justin Gaethje: -250
That means a $100 bet on Cerrone would give you $210 in return, while you would need to bet $250 to earn $100 by betting on Gaethje.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to many. While Cerrone is one of the best strikers in the UFC with a solid ground game, he has been known to wilt under pressure. This was most recently seen in the Ferguson fight where “El Cucuy” walked him down and overwhelmed him with strikes.
Like Ferguson, Gaethje is one of the best at pressuring fighters and has the knockout power to turn the lights off at any moment.
Here are the opening odds for the pair’s last five fights:
Donald Cerrone last five fights
- vs. Tony Ferguson (L): +175
- vs. Al Iaquinta (W): -105
- vs. Alexander Hernandez (W): -110
- vs. Mike Perry (W): -130
- vs. Leon Edwards (L): -155
Justin Gaethje last five fights
- vs. Edson Barboza (W): -105
- vs. James Vick (W): -115
- vs. Dustin Poirier (L): -110
- vs. Eddie Alvarez (L): -245
- vs. Michael Johnson (W): -240
