The UFC 182 card scheduled for January 3rd, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada has added an explosive lightweight match between undefeated Miles Jury and long time contender Donald Cerrone. The match is signed as a co-main event in support of the light heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.
Cerrone is coming off a big win against UFC newcomer Eddie Alvarez, and he will miss fighting for the fifth time in 2014 by just three days with this fight. He is a perfect 4-0 in the calendar year, sparking talk of potential ‘Fighter of the Year’ honors.
Jury has run his record to (6-0) in the octagon, and he has handled increased competition very well. He has a win over surging Michael Johnson, over long time competitor Diego Sanchez and Japanese legend Takanori Gomi. Though those are all good wins and are showing that Jury is capable of winning against elevated competition, none of those previous fights saw him facing a fighter who was at the top of his game like Cerrone is right now, so this is yet another step up moment for the youngster.
What Cerrone handles better than almost any other top-notch fighter is his mindset. He is a dedicated, technical fighter who studies the game and he is sure to be very familiar with what Jury brings to the table. Jury, who has not lost in more than 20 combined amateur and pro fights, is at the very least not a complete unknown as there is a lot of material on him to study. But that isn’t what makes Cerrone most dangerous. What makes Cerrone dangerous is that he will respect what Jury brings to the table, but he is unlikely to be so impressed or intimidated by Jury that it affects him. He is confident and mentally tough, and taking out a young up and comer is sure to be the type of thing that motivates the ‘cowboy’.
The potential for a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus is there with both guys, and Cerrone has not been shy about how much he loves the extra cash.
Check out the UFC’s ‘Countdown’ feature of Donald Cerrone as he prepared for his last outing against Eddie Alvarez:
