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What has gotten into Donald Cerrone?

Never a lightweight to be taken lightly, “Cowboy” has simply been mowing down opponents in the past eight months. After victories over Edson Barboza, Adriano Martins and Evan Dunham, Cerrone went into hostile territory for his July 16 encounter with New Jersey native Jim Miller. The fight got nowhere near the scheduled five rounds, as Cerrone dealt the famously durable Miller his first career knockout via second-round head kick and follow-up punches.

Once again streaking toward a possible title bid, Cerrone was immediately set up for a meeting with fellow contender Khabib Nurmagomedov -- until the Russian suffered a knee injury and was forced to withdraw on the same day bout agreements were signed. For now, Cerrone will have to settle for a spot in the crowded lightweight top 10.

While UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson keeps active with a defense against Chris Cariaso at UFC 177, potential challengers to “Mighty Mouse” continue creeping up the ranks. Ian McCall and John Lineker each moved up one slot in the 125-pound top 10 with their respective wins against Brad Pickett and Alptekin Ozkilic, while Irishman Patrick Holohan made a big impression in his UFC debut and snatched Josh Sampo’s spot on the contenders list with a first-round rear-naked choke.

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