Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is headed back to lightweight.
Cerrone (34-11) will drop to 155 pounds for the first time in three years next month, when he faces Alexander Hernandez (10-1) at UFC Fight Night on Jan. 19 in Brooklyn. Multiple sources confirmed the matchup to ESPN, following an initial report by MMAJunkie.
Cerrone, 35, is coming off a submission win against Mike Perry last month in Denver. It was his 21st victory in the UFC, the most in company history.
A former WEC and UFC title challenger, Cerrone has been competing at 170 pounds since a failed lightweight title bid against Rafael dos Anjos in 2015. He has stated he is returning to his former division to make one more run at a major MMA championship.
Hernandez, of San Antonio, is on an eight-fight win streak, which includes two victories in the UFC. He stunned UFC veteran Beneil Dariush in a first-round knockout in March, and followed that up with a decision win against Olivier Aubin-Mercier in August.
A flyweight title fight between Henry Cejudo and TJ Dillashaw is scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night, which takes place at Barclays Center and will air on ESPN+.