Cerrone: ‘Henderson can be knocked out’
That iron will has earned the Colorado native a reputation as one of MMA’s most exciting fighters; four of Cerrone’s…
That iron will has earned the Colorado native a reputation as one of MMA’s most exciting fighters; four of Cerrone’s past five fights have captured Fight of the Night honors, an astonishing rate rivaled by only Tyson Griffin (five Fight of the Night bonuses) and Chris Lights Out Lytle (4). But for all of the suspenseful and dramatic theater that Cerrone has treated fans to, he has no world title to show for it. Twice he has contended a lightweight world championship – against Jamie Varner and Benson Henderson – and twice Cerrone has fell short by the slimmest of margins. On Saturday in Sacramento, Cerrone will rematch world champ Benson Henderson and the challenger realizes this could be his final crack at the throne.
I guess the third time is a charm, huh? Cerrone said. Ben gave me everything he had last time. I know what I did wrong and what I need to fix.
Above all else, the Greg Jackson protégé knows he must buck a nagging trend that has caused his undoing in both title fights.
I used to start slow; I don’t start slow anymore, said Cerrone, a seasoned kickboxer who has, ironically, won 10 of his 11 matches by submission. I’ve corrected that problem of starting slow. And Ben can be finished. He’s not super-human. He can be knocked out. His jaw is definitely questionable. I feel like I knocked him out when he was on top of me and fell on me (in the second round). And he can definitely be choked out. I’ve fixed those mistakes and I’m ready to show the world that he can be put away.
