The highly-anticipated showdown between lightweight veterans Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Joe Lauzon has a new date.
Originally booked for the UFC’s April 30, 2022 Fight Night event, the fight has been pushed back to UFC 274 on May 7. Cageside Press confirmed the new date with a source familiar with the situation, following an initial report by MMA Junkie.
No reason has been given for the bout being shifted, but it seems only fitting that two fan favorites have the opportunity to fight in front of actual fans.
It could also be one of the last chances fight fans get to see Cerrone and Lauzon in action, though both fighters have stayed mum on the retirement question.
A longtime UFC and WEC veteran who fought for the UFC’s lightweight title in 2015, Cerrone (36-16, 2NC) has fought a who’s who of both the lightweight and welterweight rosters inside the octagon. “Cowboy” holds wins over Matt Brown, Al Iaquinta, Eddie Alvarez, Jim Miller, Benson Henderson (who he also lost to under the WEC banner), Jeremy Stephens, and a host of others.
However, the Colorado native has not won a fight since 2019, and is 0-5, 1NC since his win over Iaquinta at UFC Ottawa that year.
Lauzon (28-15) snapped a three-fight losing streak in 2019 with a win over Jonathan Pearce, but has not fought since. He holds wins over Michael Chiesa, Takanori Gomi, Diego Sanchez, and like Cerrone, has been a bonus-winning machine in the UFC. Cerrone holds the promotional record with 18 post-fight bonuses, while Lauzon sits in second place with 15 (the pair are both tied with Charles Oliveira and Nate Diaz, respectively).
UFC 274 is set to be headlined by a pair of title fights, as light heavyweight champ Glover Teixeira defends against Jiri Prochazka, and Charles Oliveira puts his lightweight title on the line against former interim champ Justin Gaethje. No location has been announced for the event as of yet.
