Donald Cerrone has finally broken his retirement to return to active competition. However, it won’t be a return to the UFC or MMA, even. Instead, the UFC veteran will compete at the Real American Freestyle (RAF) 15 event, where he will share the mat with a former UFC champion in a matchup that is sure to bring back memories of one of the biggest rivalries in UFC’s lightweight history.

According to RAF’s social media post, Cerrone will face ex-UFC lightweight king Anthony Pettis in a trilogy at RAF 15, scheduled for November 28, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois.

“COWBOY VS SHOWTIME. MMA legends Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis face off at #RAF15 in Chicago on NOV 28,” RAF noted in the caption.

For Cerrone, his return to competition will mark his first bout in four years, since he retired in 2022 following a sixth straight loss to Jim Miller at UFC 276. Anthony Pettis, on the other hand, will return after two years away, having last fought Chris Avila in July 2024.

Their showdown at RAF 15 will mark a long-awaited third meeting between the two former UFC stars. The pair met twice during their UFC careers, and each time, Pettis emerged victorious.

At first, ‘Showtime’ beat ‘Cowboy’ at UFC on FOX 6 in January 2013 via first-round TKO. Seven years later, the two collided once again at UFC 249 in 2020 in a welterweight bout, where Pettis again defeated Cerrone via unanimous decision.

Now, on November 28, Cerrone will have a golden chance to finally avenge those losses to Pettis, albeit on a freestyle wrestling mat. And with both men possessing considerable grappling experience, their latest showdown could make for an intriguing contest.

Indeed, Cerrone is more of a striker than a grappler. After all, he owns the record for the most knockdowns in UFC history, with 20 across 38 bouts. Despite that, ‘Cowboy’ has 17 submission victories under his belt, which speaks to his grappling prowess.

When it comes to pure grappling, ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone defeated Rafael dos Anjos at Submission Underground 19 via armbar. The Denver native also squared off with Craig Jones at Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds 2021, though he lost via first-round submission. Those matchups show that Cerrone has always been open to testing himself in grappling events.

For Anthony Pettis, however, the story is different. Unlike Cerrone, ‘Showtime’ never formally retired from the UFC. His contract expired after he defeated Alex Morono at a UFC Fight Night event in 2020, paving the way for his move to the PFL. However, Pettis had already left behind a legacy that endures.

Right after beating Cerrone in their first fight in 2013, Pettis submitted Benson Henderson via first-round armbar to win the lightweight gold at UFC 164. ‘Showtime’ then defended the belt against Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181. The Milwaukee native was at the height of his career, but Rafael dos Anjos eventually dethroned him at UFC 185.

Pettis also has plenty of experience outside MMA. The former champ picked up boxing fights against Roy Jones Jr. and Chris Avila as part of his ventures outside the UFC. His only standalone grappling outing came against Jorge Masvidal at the Dean Toole Promotions event in 2019, which ended in a draw. Still, he has 11 submission wins on his record, showing that Pettis is dangerous on the ground too.

Though their bout won’t allow submissions, both former UFC fighters facing off in a grappling-heavy contest could still translate into an entertaining freestyle wrestling showdown.

The MMA world is now set to see both Cerrone and Pettis make their returns to competition in November. But for ‘Cowboy,’ the comeback is especially interesting because it comes after years of trying to get back inside the Octagon.

Donald Cerrone wanted to end his retirement for two UFC fights 

Two years after Donald Cerrone laid down his gloves at UFC 276, he re-entered the drug testing pool in 2024. The reason was that ‘Cowboy’ wanted a few additional UFC fights to reach 50 bouts under the promotion’s banner before finally calling it quits for good.

“I want to go back and get two more fights,” Cerrone said in an Instagram video. “When I retired, I told you I was getting my hair done and get on steroids. The No. 50 has been sitting on my mind for a while. So, I’ve been working with Transcend for the last two years, taking (TRT) and a bunch of peptides.

“Now, we’ve got a protocol for all you people that, ‘Oh, what if you get on it, you can’t ever come off it.’ Well, I now have to come off and piss clean, and fight in a few months. Watch this.”  

Cerrone retired from MMA with a 36 wins -17 losses 2 no contest record, which totals 55 fights and already crosses that threshold. But to clear up the confusion, he was actually talking about his combined WEC and UFC fights, which stood at 48 when he retired. However, despite ‘Cowboy’s’ desire to return to the UFC, Dana White’s reluctance made it impossible.

At a Contender Series presser in 2024, White clarified that he “loves” Cerrone but hated the idea of him coming back after already taking retirement.

With that in mind, Donald Cerrone’s return to action becomes even more intriguing, especially against a very familiar name like Anthony Pettis, who is equally eager to prove he still belongs.