With TUF Coaching Gig Gone, Cowboy Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis Now Targeted for January

Just a few weeks ago, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Anthony “Showtime” Pettis were not only rivals, but both were expecting to be coaches on The Ultimate Fighter.

That was until Tuesday when the UFC announced that light heavyweight champion Jon Jones would coach the Season 17 of the reality show against former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen.

Unfortunately, the move to put Jones and Sonnen in as coaches came at the expense of Cerrone and Pettis, who had been contacted about potentially coaching the show as recently as two weeks ago.

Now with the show going in another direction, Cerrone and Pettis will instead meet in a lightweight showdown in early 2013.

MMAWeekly.com sources on Tuesday indicated that the fighters have already agreed to a match-up, and are currently awaiting word from the UFC on a date and location for their bout.

The fight is likely to take place at a card in late January, but no finalized plans have been made yet as the 2013 UFC schedule is still unfolding.

Pettis scared much of the fight world when he took to Twitter on Tuesday stating, “Can’t catch a break injuries (expletive) suck!”

Sources from inside Pettis’ camp, however, confirmed that the former WEC champion has suffered no new injury and is instead still rehabbing from shoulder surgery that’s kept him out for the majority of 2012.

MMAWeekly.com will have more information on a date for the Cerrone vs. Pettis fight when it becomes official.