The last man to hold the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Lightweight championship, Anthony Pettis, was on a mission last night (Jan. 26, 2013) at UFC on FOX 6, which took place at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., running circles around Donald Cerrone before dealing him a vicious, fighting-ending belly blow.
And it all happened in less than three minutes.
"Showtime" -- who missed out on the opportunity to compete for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 155-pound title in 2011 -- came out guns blazing, launching into spinning back kicks and off-the-wall flying elbows. Cerrone, who landed a nice shot in the opening seconds, simply couldn't keep up, his mind on overload as Pettis launched into Matrix mode.
Pettis landed a body shot that appeared to hurt "Cowboy," but he remained on his feet and continued to exchange despite being in visible abdominal distress. It was a second "Showtime" shin to the midsection that doubled-over Cerrone in pain, curling him up on the canvas in a helpless heap of flesh.
It was a remarkable technical knockout win one many levels -- Pettis' striking brilliance, clutch performance and devastating power are all admirable. Finishing a gritty gamer like Cerrone for the first time ever in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career is the cherry on a very well-deserved sundae.
And so, too, is the lightweight title shot who UFC President Dana White promised Pettis (read more on that announcement here) for his "amazing" performance.
For a more detailed breakdown of the showdown between Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone click here and for complete UFC on FOX 6 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here.