Watch: 5 of 'Cowboy' Cerrone's most memorable finishes

What better day to look back at some of Donald Cerrone's greatest finishes than his 34th birthday?

One of MMA's most beloved purveyors of carnage and highlight-reel stoppages, "Cowboy" has either knocked out or submitted 24 of his 32 pro scalps, and remains as deadly at 34 as when he tapped Paul Kelly as a fresh WEC import in his UFC debut more than six years ago.

The Denver native has since vanquished 12 foes in the Octagon before the final bell. Here are the crown jewels of the dispatched dozen:

Rick Story - UFC 202

Meryl Streep can say whatever she wants about MMA. The fight-ending combination Cowboy landed on Story in August trumps every one of her performances.

Facing a durable wrestler who'd never been finished by strikes, Cerrone masterfully tuned "The Horror" up, capping a jab, straight right to the body and left cross with a head kick, every blow sending Story's helpless person in a different direction before he was put out of his misery with punches at the 2:02 mark of Round 2.

The finish marked Cerrone's third performance bonus in as many bouts since moving up to welterweight just six months prior.

Melvin Guillard - UFC 150

Cowboy wasn't going to let his history with Guillard get in the way of a blissful homecoming.

Fighting in his native Denver for the first time in his UFC career, Cerrone didn't shy away from teeing off on his former Jackson's MMA cohort, although he didn't pick up the W without fighting through some adversity. Guillard needed seconds to rock Cowboy with his granite mitts, only for the hometown boy to recover from the onslaught and leave "The Young Assassin" out on his feet with a high kick before shutting his lights off for good with a right hand.

The frenetic scrap lasted all of 76 seconds, and remains the shortest Fight of the Night in UFC history.

Jim Miller - UFC Fight Night 45

Several dozen men have tried to put Miller away with strikes and failed. Cerrone needed just under two rounds to become the first in July 2014.

The New Jersey native went hunting for a finish in front of his Atlantic City faithful, fearlessly taking Cerrone's vaunted kickboxing to task with surprising success through the opening round and change, but Cowboy left little doubt as to who the superior striker was in the second. Cerrone regularly flicked front kicks to Miller's body, prompting the lightweight to drop his hands in anticipation and leave Cowboy the opening to flatten him with a kick that landed flush on the dome at the 3:31 mark.

Edson Barboza - UFC on FOX 11

Cerrone's fourth submission win in the UFC was a memorable one.

Sharing the Octagon with a lethal Muay Thai artist in Barboza, Cowboy wisely avoided a striker's ball. After stunning the Brazilian with a stiff jab, Cerrone pounced on his back and slapped on a rear-naked choke as swiftly as he'd dropped him, all in just 3:15.

The tapout sent Barboza - who'd taken a three-fight win streak into the bout - back to square one, and fattened Cowboy's pockets with his ninth post-fight bonus.

Adriano Martins - UFC on FOX 10

Martins earned a shot at Cerrone by tapping Daron Cruickshank in the second round of his UFC debut, and learned he wasn't ready for the leap in brutal fashion.

To his credit, the Brazilian appeared primed for the occasion early on, trading leather with Cowboy in the center of the Octagon and finding a home for his mitts more than a few times. But with just 20 seconds to go in Round 1, Martins found out he'd been fed to the lions, as Cerrone treated him to an all-shin head kick that sent his soul to a much safer place.