(Source UFC.com-Frank Curreri)

In the mold of extraordinary fighters like Arturo Gatti and “Minotauro” Nogueira, Donald Cerrone has a knack for playing the role of human punching bag in a way that is equal parts mesmerizing, unbelievable and unforgettable. Yet when opponents hurt Cerrone, crazy as it sounds, he seems to have them exactly where he wants them. Time and again the lanky lightweight has been overwhelmed and embattled inside of the cage, particularly in rounds one and two, but he always storms back and transforms into a Cain Velasquez type of terminator who relentlessly stalks winded opponents and pushes them to the brink.

That iron will has earned the Colorado native a reputation as one of MMA’s most exciting fighters; four of Cerrone’s past five fights have captured Fight of the Night honors, an astonishing rate rivaled by only Tyson Griffin (five Fight of the Night bonuses) and Chris “Lights Out” Lytle (4). But for all of the suspenseful and dramatic theater that Cerrone has treated fans to, he has no world title to show for it. Twice he has contended a lightweight world championship – against Jamie Varner and Benson Henderson – and twice Cerrone has fell short by the slimmest of margins. On Saturday in Sacramento, Cerrone will rematch world champ Benson Henderson and the challenger realizes this could be his final crack at the throne.

“I guess the third time is a charm, huh?” Cerrone said. “Ben gave me everything he had last time. I know what I did wrong and what I need to fix.”

Above all else, the Greg Jackson protégé knows he must buck a nagging trend that has caused his undoing in both title fights.

“I used to start slow; I don’t start slow anymore,” said Cerrone, a seasoned kickboxer who has, ironically, won 10 of his 11 matches by submission. “I’ve corrected that problem of starting slow. And Ben can be finished. He’s not super-human. He can be knocked out. His jaw is definitely questionable. I feel like I knocked him out when he was on top of me and fell on me (in the second round). And he can definitely be choked out. I’ve fixed those mistakes and I’m ready to show the world that he can be put away.”

For the record, Henderson (11-1) has been knocked out once in his career. It was three-and-a-half years ago against a lesser-known Colorado fighter named Chad Klingensmith. Since suffering his lone loss, Henderson has ripped off 10 straight wins, eight of them finishes. The 27-year-old Cerrone is one of two men to go the distance with Henderson, though the former college wrestler took Cerrone down at will in the opening stanzas and battered the challenger on top with heavy strikes. But it was Cerrone who came closest to ending the fight with deep submissions that Henderson somehow houdini’ed his way out of. And it was Henderson who, like Varner, ended up spending much of the night in the hospital after the fight.

Indeed, anyone watching Cerrone torment Henderson and Varner in rounds four and five had to be left with the impression that both men may well have been saved by the final horn, and might not have lasted another round if the rules permitted.

“Yeah, let’s make it a 10-round fight,” Cerrone said. “I feel that no one can keep up with my conditioning. The longer the fight goes the stronger I am.”

While Cerrone and former champ Varner have engaged in a well-publicized war of words, “Cowboy” is far more respectful toward Henderson. It’s personal with Varner; but business with Henderson. But, of course, once the cage door closes, Cerrone intends to hunt the champ as if it were round six of their previous battle, which was widely hailed as 2009’s Fight of The Year for all of MMA.

“I want to win the title and then call Varner out and settle the score with him,” Cerrone said. “I have a score to settle with Ben also – it’s not just Varner. I need to finish him this time … Bring that (expletive) on, Ben! … I got a whole ‘nother bag of tricks for Ben. I just keep thinking that after this fight I’ll hear the words, ‘And the new lightweight champion of the world … Cowboy Cerrone!’ That’s what runs through my mind. Ben and I got Fight of the Year last year. I think it will be fight of the year again. So if fans want to see a five-round, all-out war, tune in.”