Donald Cerrone, Joe Lauzon to Meet at UFC Fight Night Card on April 30

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It may come as a shock that these two Ultimate Fighting Championship all-action mainstays have never crossed paths before.

MMA Junkie was the first to break the news on Friday that Donald Cerrone (36-16, 2 NC) will throw down with Joe Lauzon (28-15) at lightweight on April 30. The UFC Fight Night card on that date does not currently have a destination, but it has been confirmed by the promotion’s broadcast partner of ESPN shortly after its announcement. There is no main event scheduled for the event yet, and this new bout likely serves as the highest billed fight of the lineup thus far.

The two longtime vets combine for 64 Octagon appearances, and they have taken home an incredible 33 post-fight bonus checks over their storied careers. Cerrone will tie the record for the most appearances in company history with 38 when he competes against Lauzon, and is in search of extending his top spot for the most victories in the UFC with 23. Despite this distinction, “Cowboy” has not picked up a win since 2019, when he topped Al Iaquinta in a five-round decision. Five losses and a draw overturned to a no contest due to a failed drug test from Niko Price give the BMF Ranch founder a rough stretch the last several years.

Lauzon was expected to have retired when he put Jonathan Pearce away in 93 seconds in Boston at UFC on ESPN 6, but he later disputed claims of this. The win over Pearce put an end to a three-fight losing streak made in 2017 and 2018, when he fell short to Steven Ray, Clay Guida and Chris Gruetzemacher in the span of a year. This will be Lauzon’s 28th UFC outing, where he aims to be the 13th man to achieve this feat. The 13-finish tally for “J-Lau” over the years is currently tied with several other competitors for the sixth-most in organizational history.