Donald Cerrone won’t quite fulfill his wish of fighting six times in 2014, but five times in a calendar year is still pretty good.
On January 3, Cowboy will take on up-and-coming lightweight Myles Jury at UFC 182. That’s according to a Tuesday post from UFC president Dana White on his Instagram account. UFC 182 is currently scheduled to be headlined by a light heavyweight title defense from Jon Jones against challenger Daniel Cormier.
“The co-main for Jones vs. Cormier is #4 Cowboy Cerrone vs. #8 Myles Jury,” the Instagram post read.
Cerrone is one of the hottest fighters in the UFC, having won five straight dating back to November 2013. He won all four of his contests in 2014, knocking off Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza, Jim Miller and former Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez in succession.
The wins have Cerrone (25-6-1) poised atop the 155-pound rankings. However, he’ll have a tricky test in the 25-year-old Jury (15-0). Though he is ranked lower and not as well known as most of his opponents (Cerrone included), Jury is a very well-rounded fighter who has yet to lose in his pro career, including in six chances in the UFC Octagon.
He had a pretty good 2014 of his own, earning a unanimous decision win over Diego Sanchez in March at UFC 171 and then knocking out Takanori Gomi in the first round of their September bout at UFC Fight Night 52.
Jury has also only gone the distance three times as a pro. That should be a good fit for Cerrone, whose muay thai-based style has earned him no less than three post-fight bonuses in 2014.
As a result, there is a good chance this fight will end in a stoppage and perhaps earn one or both men a performance bonus check.
Earlier in the year, Cerrone said in an interview with Majority Draw Radio (h/t Examiner.com) he was “broke” because of his extensive buying habits and that he was hoping to fight six times in 2014 to earn more money.
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