Donald Cerrone vs. K.J. Noons
UFC.com
Donald Cerrone may be having trouble earning his first UFC title shot, with losses to Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz in his past four fights, but "Cowboy" is still one of the very best in the 155-pound class.
K.J. Noons, on the other hand, is coming off a loss to the still-developing Ryan Couture. While that decision defeat was controversial, Noons' showing was not one many figured would earn him a UFC debut against a highly ranked opponent like Cerrone.
A former professional boxer who has had some good scraps with Nick Diaz, Noons can be dangerous when standing. However, when fighters like Josh Thomson and Jorge Masvidal decided they wanted to take Noons down, they did so with frequency and ground out decision wins.
While Cerrone isn't one to sit idle on top of an opponent, he is a deserving favorite in this matchup. His underrated grappling should be enough to score important points on the ground.
Betting Odds
Donald Cerrone -310
K.J. Noons +240
Prediction
Cerrone defeats Noons by decision.