‘Cowboy’ Cerrone breaks John Makdessi’s jaw at UFC 187

THIS UFC fighter has proven the best way to bring down a bull is to kick him in the face as hard as you can. Ouch.

Donald Cerrone, John Makdessi

DONALD “Cowboy” Cerrone likely punched his ticket to a UFC lightweight title shot with a second-round TKO over John “The Bull” Makdessi after shattering the Canadian’s jaw to call a stop to the contest.

It didn’t take long for Cerrone to test Makdessi’s chin as he blasted away at the Canadian with a barrage of heavy punches before opening up with several high kicks to the head.

Cerrone cracked Makdessi with a rarely-used upward back elbow, as well as a knee to the head that clearly rattled the late-notice replacement.

With less than 30 seconds to go in the round, Cerrone fired another head kick that cracked Makdessi and while he didn’t fall over, he quickly retreated and made a motion for a time-out.

Obviously there are no time-outs, and the referee realised that Makdessi was hurt and he called a stop to the contest. Based upon the replay and Makdessi’s reaction, it appeared that Cerrone broke his jaw with the final kick that put a stop to the fight.

Cerrone is likely headed for a title shot later this year in a rematch with champion Rafael dos Anjos.

The two lightweights first met in 2013 with dos Anjos coming out on top by unanimous decision in what stands as Cerrone’s last loss before going on his eight-fight win streak.

“I might get this title by default sooner or later, huh?” Cerrone asked.

Donald Cerrone gestures after defeating John Makdessi in their lightweight bout.

WEIDMAN: ‘STOP DOUBTING ME’

CHRIS Weidman proved once again why he might just be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport as he survived an early onslaught from Vitor Belfort before powering back to get a TKO finish in round one at UFC 187.

On Friday during the weigh-ins, Weidman went after Belfort because of some pre-fight drug testing that he believes showed positive results and accused the Brazilian of cheating.

It didn’t take long for the two fighters to engage once they stepped into the Octagon as Belfort cracked Weidman with a hard shot before trapping him against the cage.

Belfort blitzed Weidman with punches and it appeared as if the middleweight champion was rattled and in trouble. Belfort kept pouring it on with punches and elbows to the head and a cut opened up on Weidman’s face.

Despite the rapid-fire punches, Weidman says he was never hurt and instead was just waiting for Belfort to tire himself out.

“He hit me with some good shots, but I was just covering, covering, covering and waiting to come back,” Weidman said.

The offensive onslaught finally slowed for a moment as Weidman got his composure back and it didn’t take long for him to shoot in and take the fight to the ground.

Chris Weidman celebrates after defeating Vitor Belfort.

Once Weidman hit the mat, he was unrelenting with his attack as he absolutely mauled Belfort on the ground. Weidman quickly moved to mount and kept raining heavy punches and elbows before Belfort rolled to his side, unable to endure the punishment any longer.

Referee Herb Dean swooped in to stop the fight at 2:53 in Round One to give Weidman the win in his third consecutive title defence.

Following the loss, a broken-hearted Belfort addressed the crowd, which was filled with thousands of fans who were in his corner all night.

“Chris is a great fighter,” Belfort said. “It was a better night for him.”

Weidman celebrated while saying that he was putting the bad blood with Belfort behind him now that they finally stepped into the Octagon together. Weidman also had a very emphatic message for anyone who still doesn’t count him as the real middleweight champion and one of the best fighters on the planet.

“I got the ‘W,’ that’s all that matters,” Weidman said. “Stop doubting me; it’s enough! Stop doubting me. Join the team.”

Weidman gets yet another huge victory over a legend of the sport. The win likely will move Weidman into his next title defence later this year against top-ranked contender and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.

CORMIER WINS TITLE, TELLS JONES: ‘GET YOUR S*** TOGETHER’

DANIEL Cormier finally realised his dream by becoming the new UFC light-heavyweight champion with a third-round submission finish over Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 — and wasted no time in calling out Jon Jones to get his act together and return to the Octagon to face him.

Before Cormier could wrap the belt around his waist, he had to endure a rough start to the opening round as Johnson was looking to finish the fight while trying to remove the former Olympian’s head from his shoulders.

But Cormier survived and submitted an exhausted Johnson in round three.

Cormier now stands tall as the new UFC light heavyweight champion in his second attempt to win the belt after falling by decision to former titleholder Jones in January. Jones remains on indefinite suspension after being arrested on felony hit-and-run charges and could face jail time if convicted.

Regardless of his current standing as champion, Cormier wasted no time turning his attention towards his old rival in his only words after winning the UFC light heavyweight title.

“I have a message for one man: Jon Jones, get your s*** together,” Cormier said. “I’m waiting for you.”

As for Johnson, his improbable return to the UFC after an unceremonious exit almost ended with him holding the gold, but in the end he came up short.

Johnson says he has no regrets about the fight and encourages people to follow his example.

“Tonight I might have lost, but the one thing I want you guys to remember is that you should never give up,” Johnson said while addressing the crowd. “I was pushed down to the bottom and I worked my way up to the top. I want you all to know no matter what comes your way in life, never give up.”

Daniel Cormier, top, wrestles with Anthony Johnson during their light heavyweight title fight.

Originally published as ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone breaks John Makdessi’s jaw at UFC 187