Myles Jury was last seen inside the UFC Octagon against Takanori Gomi at UFC Fight Night 52, a fight in which "Fury" needed only 90 seconds to defeat the legendary Japanese lightweight via TKO.
Now, the eighth-ranked fighter is setting his sights on a new challenge, on a man they call "Cowboy."
UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 2:30 p.m. EST:
Donald Cerrone apparently wanted to fight Jury in December but said Jury turned that fight down. Now that Jury and his team are angling for a January fight against Cerrone, Cowboy is none too pleased.
He tweeted:
Yo @FuryJury don't try and start Twitter shit! You had the paper for dec. you turned it down! Don't come out now and say your ready
— Cowboy Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) October 1, 2014
Jury's manager, Ryan Hass, responded to these allegations, saying that his team's position has remained the same from the onset of the Jury vs. Cerrone talks.
"We want Cerrone and have made that very clear to the UFC and any time in January," Hass told Bleacher Report in a text message. "Simple, and just around the corner."
--End of Update--
According to Hass, the scrap against Donald Cerrone is still on deck for January. They're just waiting on the paperwork to get pushed through.
"We're getting asked nonstop for Cerrone vs. Jury," Hass said. "UFC has been in touch about it, they want it, fans want it, Cerrone wants it, we want it, now it's about getting all of us confirmed for which event in January."
While Jury remains undefeated in his MMA career at 15-0 and has barely been tested inside the UFC Octagon to date, Cerrone represents a serious step up in competition for the 25-year-old Michigan native.
For his part, Cowboy's career record stands at an impressive 25-6 (1), chalking up four finishes and one decision victory in his last five outings. He's hit his stride inside the UFC's deep lightweight division, and he's always looking for a fight, a point illustrated by his comments following his most recent victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 178.
Despite being able to stake a legitimate claim to the No. 1 contender's spot in the division, Cerrone wants to fight again, title or not, and the sooner that happens, the better.
"I, of course, want to stay very busy, so taking a fight on November or December would be great for me,” Cerrone told MMAjunkie at the UFC 178 post-fight press conference. “Waiting? I don’t know. I want to fight.”
While the targeted January bout against Jury does not fall within Cerrone's desired window of November or December, it's not far off. Right now, the UFC has UFC 182 scheduled for Jan. 3 and UFC 183 set for Jan. 31, and either of those events is currently on table, according to Hass.
Well the good news I had today was shot down! The fighter said he was injured?? Come on guys! Someone please ask to fight one more please
— Cowboy Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) September 30, 2014
And if Cerrone is down for that, so is Jury.
"I want to give the fans and the UFC whatever they want," Jury told Bleacher Report. "So if Cerrone in January is it, I'm in and ready to earn my way to the title."
Rankings-wise, the fight makes sense, and each fighter is itching for a fight. Cerrone might not get his end-of-the-year wish, but a fight with Jury would test him anywhere the fight went, and it would provide fireworks for fans across the globe.
Right now, however, it's important to keep in mind that nothing is official until the papers are signed. We reached out to the UFC Senior Director of Public Relations Dave Sholler for comment, and he said nothing is inked yet for either fighter.
"(We have) nothing to report at this time," Sholler told Bleacher Report in a text message. "We have nothing scheduled for either (fighter) at the moment."
What do you think? Would you like to see Jury vs. Cerrone in January, or should Cerrone take a fight against anyone before 2015 hits?
