MMA community reacts to Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s thunderous KO of Matt Brown

Last night, the UFC returned to Toronto, Ontario, Canada for the first time in over three years. It did so with UFC 206, a card that, despite being short on big names, delivered as one of the most exciting in recent memory.

UFC 206 was headlined by a featherweight bout between streaking Hawaiian contender Max Holloway and former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Originally this fight was intended to be an interim featherweight title fight. When Pettis missed weight for the fight, however, he lost the opportunity to win interim gold. Only Holloway was eligible to win the title in victory – and win it he did.

Before Holloway scored his interim title winning defeat of Anthony Pettis, however, fans were treated to a vintage performance from fan favorite welterweight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who took on the gritty Matt Brown in the card’s co-main event.

After two competitive rounds that saw both men hurt by strikes, Cerrone capped things off with an emphatic, head kick knockout in the third. With this win, he became the first man to legitimately knock the stone-chinned Brown unconscious.

Unsurprisingly, this thunderous knockout win generated some big reactions from the MMA community. Here are some of the highlights!

Boom boom boom #ufc206 nice yes @Cowboycerrone

— Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) December 11, 2016

Dead!!! 💀😳 #UFC206

— The Mane Event™ (@EliasTheodorou) December 11, 2016

https://twitter.com/MeansTim/status/807814870150287360

That's what @Cowboycerrone does!!!

— Paul Felder (@felderpaul) December 11, 2016

Cowboy being cowboy , pow 💥! #UFC206

— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 11, 2016

Oooohhhhh my!! Brown should not have given cowboy that friendship #ufc206 * I want my BFF bracelet back *

— Felice Herrig (@feliceherrig) December 11, 2016

Shit!!!! @Cowboycerrone finishes it with a switch head kick and lays brown out flat. Omg!!! #UFC206

— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) December 11, 2016

Guess it didn't matter #UFC206. @Cowboycerrone finishes it with his best weapon of the fight https://t.co/GKXbpKXNqi

— Stephan Bonnar (@StephanBonnar) December 11, 2016

Matt Brown has been hurt so many times by body shots that he carries his hands low to defend his body. It cost him tonight number of times

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) December 11, 2016

Was only a matter of time that combo @Cowboycerrone was going to shut it down after throwing & landing it over and over again! #UFCToronto

— Jon SuperSaiyan Tuck (@JonCruzTuck) December 11, 2016

WOW! #CerroneBrown

— Mike DOLCE (@TheDolceDiet) December 11, 2016

😳

— Mick Maynard (@Mickmaynard2) December 11, 2016

Hooooooooly moly @Cowboycerrone!!!

— Megan Olivi (@MeganOlivi) December 11, 2016

Having kicked Brown’s head into low earth orbit, Cowboy is now a solid 4-0 since moving to welterweight, having stopped Alex Oliveira, Patrick Cote, and Rick Story in his first three bouts in the division. This streak has earned him the #5 spot in the welterweight rankings  – a standing that could improve quite a bit with this defeat of Brown.

Post fight, Cowboy reiterated that he’s interested in a fight with top-ranked contender Demian Maia, though he assured he’d also take a fight with Jorge Masvidal, who has recently called him out, if that will get him back in the cage sooner.

What did you think of Cowboy’s blistering knockout win at UFC 206? Sound off, PENN Nation!