UFC lightweight Joe Solecki submitted veteran Donald Cerrone during their submission-only bout at FURY Pro Grappling 3 last night.
FURY Pro Grappling 3 produced another fascinating evening of entertainment on the mats on Thursday with a whole host of familiar faces taking part. Some were victorious and others fell short but given the relative stakes, it was still a nice showcase for everyone involved.
One of the most intriguing contests of the night saw Joe Solecki lock horns with Donald Cerrone. In the end, the youngster prevailed over his elder with a rear-naked choke submission win at 3:17 of their bout.
As you can imagine, Cerrone was as humble as ever in defeat.
Solecki submits Cerrone!!!! #FURYPro3 pic.twitter.com/TNTzNUqvmM
— ShayMyName2 (@imstillshannon) December 31, 2021
Joe Solecki def Cowboy Cerrone via RNC #FURYPro3 @CFFCMMA pic.twitter.com/8cDcue4Bj0
— Helen Yee (@HelenYeeSports) December 31, 2021
Here are the ruleset and scoring criteria for Thursday’s #FURYpro3 grappling featuring Carla Esparza, Craig Jones, Donald Cerrone, and more. pic.twitter.com/DyAVLgwDUg
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) December 28, 2021
Given the continued growth and popularity of mixed martial arts as a whole, we wouldn’t be surprised to see events like this go from strength to strength in 2022 and beyond.
When it comes to Donald Cerrone, though, there are still plenty of questions to be answered. The man known as “Cowboy” fought just once in 2021, in what proved to be a losing effort against Alex Morono. The loss marked his sixth consecutive fight without a win, with recent rumours suggesting he could get back in there in March to take on rising star Paddy Pimblett.
Solecki, meanwhile, dropped a split decision back in October against Jared Gordon to drop his overall pro record to 11-3.
These two individuals are quite clearly heading on very different paths in their careers but on this night, it was nice to see them collide – as was the case for everyone who competed.
Are you impressed by the performance of Joe Solecki? What does the immediate future hold for Donald Cerrone? Will we see “Cowboy” win in the Octagon again? Let us know your thoughts on the parallels between the pair down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!