Is Cowboy Really a "Legend"?

Not at all, he was a gatekeeper that choked every time that he got a chance to be a champion or defeat the important fighters, consistent? Yes, always ready to fight? Yes, he will be remembered as a guy always ready to jump when was called but you don't become a legend just because of that.
 
absolute not

a fun fighter to watch
who lost some fights he should have won but was a mentally weak can at times

still achieved a hell of alot
fought many top fighters

WW wasn't for him & he was always going to rack a few Ls
 
he had a good schtick with the cowboy hat / southern thing. always showed up for his paycheck. never really complained about fighter pay.

he was never really that good. but seems to enjoy life and doesn't complain like alot of other fighters.
 
fzoid4454 said:
Forrest Griffin and Stefan Bonner are in the UFC HOF, and are considered "legends" because of it. Cowboy is certainly much better than them in terms of skills.

Legends aren't just talked about in the kind of GOAT context, of who would beat whom. What they bring to the sport, and what they brought for the fans is a legitimate factor in throwing that term around.
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Believe it or not I do take other accomplishments into account when anointing a legend. If we're talking about GOATs, the main criteria for me is championship dominance, everything else is of fairly little importance. Guys like Shogun, Hendo, or even Sakuraba wouldn't be on my GOAT list because they never had a dominant championship run. But they are most certainly on my legends list thanks to their accomplishments, influence, and other things they've done for the sport.

Cerrone's never touched gold in a major organization, nor has he had anything as epic as Hendo vs. Shogun 1 or Sakuraba's 90 minute fight against Royce Gracie. He's a pretty good fighter who's had a lot of good fun fights over the years, but I doubt anyone can point to any of his fights and go "yeah, that was historic" the way they do with Sakuraba, Shogun, or Hendo.
 
In this sense, ‘legend’ is being used to mean ‘long-standing fan favourite’. Which arguably isn’t what legend should mean.
 
Cowboy was the same as Nate Diaz pretty much. Gate keeper of the top 5. He folded like a cheap lawn chair in every important fight he was in. Im a huge Conor fan but that fight was fuckin ridiculous. HoF is supposed to be the most skilled athletes/fighters not a popularity contest. Donald is a pioneer and is synonymous with the UFC but if hes a "legend" then damn near everybody is a legend. Many of his records he obtained because he had so many UFC fights. He's been around for a long ass time.
 
Mixedfights said:
Cowboy was the same as Nate Diaz pretty much. Gate keeper of the top 5. He folded like a cheap lawn chair in every important fight he was in. Im a huge Conor fan but that fight was fuckin ridiculous. HoF is supposed to be the most skilled athletes/fighters not a popularity contest. Donald is a pioneer and is synonymous with the UFC but if hes a "legend" then damn near everybody is a legend. Many of his records he obtained because he had so many UFC fights. He's been around for a long ass time.
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For me, no doubt the Conor fight ruined my opinion of him.
 
bogeyj said:
people like to throw out these hyperbolic terms once someone retires (or dies).

you have sherdoggers acting like they weren't just calling Cowboy a bum a month ago,

and now that he's retired he's one of the best LW's to ever compete? {<huh}

Cowboy ain't a legend. a good fighter but not a legend. if we make an exception for Cowboy being some legendary fighter, then I guess guys like Joe Lauzon & Gray Maynard are also "legends" {<jordan}
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I dunno about legend, but yes he has one of the best resumes in lw history.
 
xn7 said:
you mean like how he was used as fodder for Conor.. that is HOF worthy?

the guy is 3-6-1(NC) in his last 10. i guess sam alvey should be HOF as well.
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Come on dude you've been here long enough to not post like a casual. Cerrone is past his best you know that. Do you judge shogun solely on his last five fights?
 
He’s a legend for his tenacity, his willingness to fight 4-5 times a year, and for taking short notice dangerous fights.

put in a solid 20 year professional career.

competed professionally nearly 90 times in 4 different combat sports winning titles along the way.

earned 18 performance bonuses paid out by the UFC and 5 from WEC

won fight if the year and round of the year multiple times.

Dude fought in Thailand in front of the king and then went on to have a wildly productive and lucrative mma career.
 
pinero said:
Not at all, he was a gatekeeper that choked every time that he got a chance to be a champion or defeat the important fighters, consistent? Yes, always ready to fight? Yes, he will be remembered as a guy always ready to jump when was called but you don't become a legend just because of that.
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He’s beaten four champions yet he’s never beat an important fighter? Huh?
 
Mixedfights said:
Cowboy was the same as Nate Diaz pretty much. Gate keeper of the top 5. He folded like a cheap lawn chair in every important fight he was in. Im a huge Conor fan but that fight was fuckin ridiculous. HoF is supposed to be the most skilled athletes/fighters not a popularity contest. Donald is a pioneer and is synonymous with the UFC but if hes a "legend" then damn near everybody is a legend. Many of his records he obtained because he had so many UFC fights. He's been around for a long ass time.
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“Damn near everyone” hasn’t gotten four title shots or beat four champions or have 23 post fight bonuses. Exaggerating to attempt to prove a point just makes you look foolish.
 
If you're using "legend" as a synonym for "all-time great" then no you can't call him one. I would say that he's a legend in that he had a career and especially a highlight reel that were incredible and can't be forgotten when discussing the era he competed in. Not many guys can match him for longevity or strength of schedule, retired at second all-time in UFC wins and finishes, took short notice fights and saved cards. High kicks, beatdowns, triangles etc on good competition. Wins over world champions. And something of a larger than life persona that connected with the crowd which absolutely is a big part if not the most important part of becoming a legend.

I'll give an example from "real" sports as a long suffering Leafs fan. Wendel Claryk wasn't an all-time great who would ever make the HOF and there have been lots of Leafs who were better players but he is absolutely considered a legend and nobody in their right mind would ever question it. Cowboy of course wasn't able to win the big one and he had his share of losses but imo his career was unique enough in the context of his times to be considered a legend and I hope he's remembered as one.
 
pinero said:
Not at all, he was a gatekeeper that choked every time that he got a chance to be a champion or defeat the important fighters, consistent? Yes, always ready to fight? Yes, he will be remembered as a guy always ready to jump when was called but you don't become a legend just because of that.
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Not a big winner like you, right?
 
bogeyj said:
people like to throw out these hyperbolic terms once someone retires (or dies).

you have sherdoggers acting like they weren't just calling Cowboy a bum a month ago,

and now that he's retired he's one of the best LW's to ever compete? {<huh}

Cowboy ain't a legend. a good fighter but not a legend. if we make an exception for Cowboy being some legendary fighter, then I guess guys like Joe Lauzon & Gray Maynard are also "legends" {<jordan}
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Cowboy was tied as the record holder for most wins at LW until Miller beat him in that fight. let alone all his other records.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Cerrone
Every single one of his losses has been to a title holder, title challenger or in a title fight besides the Morono and Miller fights (his last two).
He was top 10 his entire career at both LW and his brief stint at WW. He did that whilst averaging 4 fights a year with his last ranked win coming over Al Iaquinta who was the guy who Khabib won his belt off 2 fights before.
He has a better resume than 99% of other guys who failed to win the title. Not everyone gets to be the champion.

He is one of the best fighters to ever compete let alone LWs.
 
Skill/accomplishment wise no; but putting on exciting fights and being a fan favorite for so long is also part of being a legend.
 
There are no legends on Sherdog, no name or achievement is safe from complete demolition and utter disgust. Real Alphas that populate these pages do not accept the lowly standards set by other men.
 
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