Myles Jury vs Donald Cerrone Rumored For January UFC
Undefeated No. 8-ranked UFC lightweight Myles “Fury” Jury kept his spotless record intact at September 20’s UFC Fight Night 52 from Saitama, Japan, with an impressive first round knockout of former Pride champion Takanori Gomi.
The victory gave “Fury” six straight wins since making his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15 Finale in 2012, setting him up for an absolutely huge bout in the ultra-talented UFC lightweight division. News has come today (Wed., October 1, 2014) that Jury may be in for the fight of his life, as he confirmed to BJPenn.com that he is tantalizingly close to a January date with surging No. 4-ranked Donald Cerrone:
“I’m getting asked non-stop when I’m fighting next and if it’ll be against Donald Cerrone. Just to let you all have a little inside information…The UFC has contacted my management wanting this fight, fans want the fight, I hear Cerrone wants the fight and we want the fight. Now it’s just waiting to see what January date.”
Cerrone was last seen battering former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez in the co-main event of UFC 178 last Saturday night (September 27, 2014), his fifth straight win in under a year. He’s dispatched Evan Dunham, Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, and Alvarez with relentless efficiency, putting him in line for a title shot quite soon.
But with money on his mind, Cerrone doesn’t want to wait for the winner of December 6’s title fight between champion Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez. He’d rather take a fight in the meantime, and a bout with Jury could be the perfect test for both men.
It’s plausible that both men could potentially receive a title shot with a win, but Cerrone would probably be more likely to given his recent body of work. No.2-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov sits on the sidelines recovering from knee surgery, and he may receive the next title shot once he’s able to return next year.
The lightweight division has been on hold since Pettis won the belt from Benson Henderson at UFC 164, forcing all of the Top 10 to shuffle positions until he could return. Now that he’s finally set to make his first title defense, lightweight could quickly become one of the most frenetic divisions in the UFC. Is Cerrone vs. Jury the perfect match-up to make?
