DONALD “COWBOY” CERRONE can boast of more wins, fight finishes and post-fight bonuses than any fighter in UFC history.
But things could have been very different for the American MMA star.
Cerrone, 36, has experienced multiple near-death experiences, street brawls and crazy antics, living up to his name as the ultimate “Cowboy” in his life.
He is such an adrenaline junkie, he has named his young son Danger – actually it’s his middle name but it’s what everyone calls him.
And he is bringing up his offspring to love dangerous sports, as he takes him with him whenever he can.
Hopefully young Danger will have fewer scrapes with death than his father.
In 2006, Cerrone was racing Motorcross when he lost control and crashed his body into the handlebars.
The collision effectively disembowelled Cerrone and he was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.
He had to be revived THREE times by medics and was put into an induced coma for two weeks.
His organs shifted so the doctor had to take out part of his stomach and intestines.
Luckily, Cerrone recovered, but six years later the injury returned suddenly.
He was doubled up in pain and it was found his stomach had moved around his intestines.
Doctors flushed out his digestive system and then managed to manipulate his stomach back in place.
Just two weeks later he fought Jeremy Stephens – and won by an unanimous decision.
On a rock-climbing trip with fighter Leonard Garcia and his former coach Mike Winkeljohn, the daredevil fell 40ft after his climbing anchors gave way.
Cerrone said: “I was showing them how to set gear.
“I should’ve set way more gear, but it was just such an easy climb. I wasn’t concerned. Just being overconfident, man…”
Cowboy plummeted backwards 40ft.
He escaped death, but he couldn’t escape a fractured hip and foot from the fall.
He posted on Twitter: “I guess you need to dance with death just so you know how precious life is.”
In 2016, the fighter had another close call during a scuba diving session in Santa Rosa, New Mexico.
At approximately 60ft below the surface, Cerrone suffered a leak in his scuba diving equipment which sent him plummeting to the depths of the lake.
With a short window of time before his air supply ran out, he was forced to use the lake walls to climb from the bottom towards dry land.
Cerrone recalled: “My dry suit flooded. That’s how scuba diving works, it snowballs.
“If something bad happens, one thing leads to another. So I literally just crawled out of the lake.”
Luckily, he made it out in one piece.
Just a few years later, he suffered a similar fate during a cave diving expedition.
Cerrone went cave diving in New Mexico when he lost sight of his friend and the cave line (a navigation tool essential for divers to get back to the surface.)
With a rapidly draining air tank and no way out, Cerrone’s only choice was to try and navigate alone through the darkness:
Cerrone said on Instagram: “Today I can honestly say I’m happy to be alive. We had catastrophic worst-case scenario on our dive.
“Total silt out, lost the cave line and lost my buddy couldn’t see my own hands was the most scariest moment to this day in my life.”
If three-near death experiences weren’t enough action, Cerrone gets into his fair share of drama outside of the Octagon too.
During a boating trip in Colorado with friends, Cerrone got in trouble for fighting another boat driver who was antagonising his group.
The welterweight was charged with a misdemeanour assault but was found not guilty.
In 2010, Cerrone also got into a backstage brawl at a sporting event.
He fought the heavyweight fighter who happens to be his partner’s ex-boyfriend, Marcus Sursa.
The fight was broken up but both were left wounded from the altercation.
When he’s not getting into random scraps, Cerrone is sparring at his training facility on his 40-acre complex in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He calls it the BMF ranch, as he says on Twitter: “We don’t Breed livestock we Train Bad Mother F*****s”.
Cowboy lives a life of adventure with mishaps along the way, and his thrill-seeking fights are no different.
He joined the UFC in 2010 and is known for his willingness to fight “anyone, anytime, anywhere.”
His jiu-jitsu and striking abilities have made him a formidable opponent that stands up to any adversity.
He has tallied a professional 36-13 record and beaten legends in the sport including Eddie Alvarez, Jim Miller and Benson Henderson.
But despite accomplishing a blockbuster showreel of fights, Cerrone has always fallen at the last hurdle.
He has never claimed a UFC championship belt and has lost all four title bouts.
Most-recently he lost to Conor McGregor – who has since retired.
