Previewing WEC 45: Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff

By Brett Okamoto

Friday, Dec. 18, 2009 | midnight

It’s been somewhere in the vicinity of five years since the last time WEC lightweight Donald Cerrone was on the back of a bucking bull.

Still, when Cerrone received an offer to ride a ceremonial ‘first bull’ at a Professional Bull Riders event in 2010, ‘the cowboy’ didn’t think twice.

“It’s been about five or six years since I was on a bull,” said Cerrone, who used to travel the rodeo circuit as a bull rider before becoming a professional fighter. “Hell no, I’m not nervous. I hope they give me a badass bull.”

It’s that same fearless nature that has turned Cerrone (10-2) into one of the fan favorites of the WEC.

The 155-pound fighter came up short in two championship fights this year — to Jamie Varner in January and again to Ben Henderson in October for the interim title — however both could be considered as one of the top fights of the year.

Cerrone looks to take the first step towards placing himself back at the top of the division when he takes on up-and-comer Ed Ratcliff (7-1) in the main event of WEC 45 on Saturday at The Pearl at The Palms.

An impressive win over Ratcliff would likely earn him a shot at revenge over either Varner or Henderson, who already are scheduled to meet in a championship fight next month.

“I want to face one of them — the winner or the loser,” Cerrone said. “Ben, I like him a lot but I don’t think he has what it takes to beat Varner. Even though I hate loser-ass Varner, I think he’ll outwrestle Ben. Ben’s chin is also suspect, so I think Varner will knock him out.”

Regardless of what happens between Varner and Henderson, Cerrone realizes he first needs to take care of business this weekend against a standup artist who trains alongside WEC bantamweight contender Dominic Cruz.

One issue that Cerrone addressed coming into this weekend was the slow starts that plagued him in both of the championship losses.

He was dominated in the first round of his January fight with Varner and appeared non-aggressive and sluggish during the second and third rounds of the Henderson fight.

To address the problem, Cerrone sought out the help of a sports psychologist, who pinpointed Cerrone’s self-doubt as a possible source of the problem.

“The first session he asked me why I thought I deserved to be where I am in the WEC,” Cerrone said. “It was to get me to say things like I was an undefeated kickboxer, I’ve been on main events, I’ve done this. B

“I had a lot of self doubt. It may not seem like it, but back in the locker room I was thinking, ‘What am I doing here? I shouldn’t be here.’ Now I’m turning that negative energy into positive energy.”

One downside of using a sports psychologist? It does give Cerrone’s opponents some easy material to crack jokes — material Ratcliff didn’t let go to waste.

“He’s going to need a mental psychologist after the fight because I’m going to give him a beating,” Ratcliff said. “He’ll have three losses and not just the two.”

For a man that’s perfectly willing to jump on a bull after a five-year break, maybe a mental psychologist wouldn’t be the worst thing.

Quick Hits:

Ratcliff is a talented striker with just one loss on his record, but he’ll still enter the cage as a heavy underdog Saturday night against Cerrone.

Benefiting Ratcliff, however, is that Cerrone has expressed a desire to stand and trade with him, instead of taking the safe route on the ground where he would have a clear advantage.

That willingness to put himself at risk will cost Cerrone, according to Ratcliff.

“I think his strength and weakness is one,” Ratcliff said. “He’s willing to take a beating, as we’ve seen. I’ll give him a beating. I’m down with that.”

Cerrone says the willingness to stand with Ratcliff comes down to his belief that he’s simply better than his opponent in all areas.

“I’ve seen him fight a couple times on the undercard,” Cerrone said. “His wrestling isn’t there. His submissions aren’t there. I’m real confident, I just don’t think he has what it takes to beat me. I would have a big advantage on the ground, but I feel like I need to go out there and let (my hands) go.”

While many believe Cerrone probably is right when he says he’s the better striker, it should be interesting to see if ‘the cowboy’ goes back on his word and takes Ratcliff down if he ever finds himself in trouble.

Last Time Out:

Cerrone: Unanimous decision loss to Ben Henderson at WEC 43.

Ratcliff: Unanimous decision win over Phil Cardella at WEC 41.

The Lines: Cerrone, minus-525; Ratcliff, plus-325

Final Words:

Cerrone: On his cowboy life: “Every morning I get up at 7 a.m. and feed my horses, chickens and goats. It’s the real deal. I live out on a ranch in Albuquerque, N.M.”

Ratcliff: On being a main event: “I am feeling more comfortable with it. I haven’t had this opportunity before. Before it was, ‘You have a fight coming up, come take these pictures and fight.’ Now it’s, ‘Come take these pictures, do these interviews, talk to y’all.’ I’m feeling this. It’s a little bit of a coming out party for me.”

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Also follow him on twitter: LVSunFighting.