With Sanchez win, UFC 171's Myles Jury crosses off one-half of his wish list

Lightweight Myles Jury isn’t sure whom he wants to fight next after beating onetime title challenger Diego Sanchez at this past Saturday’s UFC 171 event. He’s already crossed one wish off his list.

“I always thought it would be cool to fight (Takanori) Gomi or Diego, but I just fought Diego, so I can cross that one off,” Jury (14-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) told MMAjunkie after the pay-per-view event, which took place at Dallas’ American Airlines Center.

Jury might also scratch Gomi, as the Japanese vet’s most recent appearance ended in a loss to Sanchez (24-7 MMA, 13-7 UFC), albeit a controversial one. There’s little benefit to moving backward in the 155-pound division’s lightweight rankings. And as Jury’s resume attests, the only way he’s moving is up.

After beating Chris Saunders, Michael Johnson, Ramsey Nijem and Mike Ricci, the two-season veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter” earned his first win over ranked competition with a unanimous call over Sanchez (though Johnson now has crept into the top 15 with several impressive performances).

“I felt like I performed really good tonight,” Jury said of his performance. “I did what I trained to do, and yeah, I crossed a little hump there. Diego’s a household name; anybody that knows MMA knows Diego. So I was happy about it, and what’s next is up to my management and the UFC.”

Sanchez spent much of the fight trying to corner Jury and several times goaded him to stand and trade punches. Jury never obliged, working counters and dodging out of the way. By the end of the fight, several cuts had opened on Sanchez’s face. Two of three judges awarded Jury every frame of the three-round bout.

Sanchez later blamed food poisoning for his performance, which resulted in his third loss in his past four outings.

“I was just thinking, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing,’” Jury said of Sanchez’s taunts. “I was bloodying and beating him up pretty good. But sometimes when you get out there, it is tempting to get into a little bit of a brawl, so I was just making sure I was sticking to the game plan and keep piecing him up.”

Jury’s biggest task now is convincing marquee names to fight him as he continues to build his career. A bout with the winner of a UFC on FOX 10 bout between Donald Cerrone and Edson Barboza might suffice, or the winner of a UFC 171 meeting between Bobby Green and Jim Miller.

One thing is clear: No easy challenges lie ahead for the undefeated 25-year-old.

For the latest on UFC 171, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

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