WEC 36 Breakdown

Donald Cerrone vs. Rob McCullough

Cerrone Scouting Report
Ht./Wt.: 6’0”/155 lbs.
Age: 25
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, N.M.
Record: 8-0 (1 NC)

The stakes: Regarded as the WEC’s resident lightweight challenger in training, Cerrone is a big win away from making a run at incumbent champion Jamie Varner. Taking out former champion Rob McCullough would all but guarantee that title shot. Of course, Cerrone isn’t the only young gun in the division, and losing to McCullough would place him on the backburner in favor of whoever is next in line.

The breakdown: Despite having won every one of his professional bouts via submission, Cerrone is starving for a throwdown on the feet. He’ll have himself a willing dance partner in McCullough, one of the division’s most dangerous strikers. The task isn’t insurmountable, however, as Varner proved McCullough’s boxing leaves much to be desired, and if Cerrone can consistently beat McCullough to the punch, his healthy reach advantage should take care of the rest.

McCullough Scouting Report
Ht./Wt.: 5’8”/155 lbs.
Age: 31
Hometown: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Fighting out of: Irvine, Calif.
Record: 16-4

The stakes: With his run as WEC lightweight champion now a thing of the past, McCullough needs to focus on simply holding onto his spot in the promotion after a dreadful split decision win in his last bout against Kenneth Alexander. Nothing short of a dominant showing against Cerrone would revive McCullough’s hopes of regaining control of the division he once lorded over.

The breakdown: This bout hinges on McCullough getting over his binge of gun-shy conservatism and taking the fight to an opponent who won’t mind stepping into the fire. That is the strategy that can not only win this fight for McCullough but turn another run at the title into something more than just a pipedream. One thing is certain: Another lackadaisical showing will leave McCullough on the sidelines of the WEC’s lightweight division.


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The bottom line: McCullough may have been a force once upon a time, but the WEC lightweight division has become a snake pit in short order and it doesn’t look as if “Razor” has the game to come out of it unscathed. Cerrone has the striking to make McCullough pay for playing it safe and the grappling to escape any dicey situations that may arise on the feet. All in all, not the most favorable matchmaking in the world for the former champion.