UFC 182 Date: January 3, 2015 Arena: MGM Grand Garden Arena City: Las Vegas, NV Lightweight bout: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (-190) vs Myles “Fury” Jury (+165) Fight Breakdown: Co-headlining the UFC 182 Pay Per View card in Las Vegas will be a lightweight scrap between Jackson-Winklejohn MMA’s Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Alliance MMA’s Myles “Fury” Jury. Fireworks are expected in this one, as both 155 pounders look to keep their big winning streaks alive on their road towards UFC gold. “Cowboy” is currently a -190 ($190 to win $100) favorite to win according to the oddsmakers, with “Fury” being the betting underdog at +165 ($100 to win $165) at Several Bookmakerss. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (25-6-1 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and currently rides an impressive five=fight winning streak that includes four finishes, coming against Jim Miller, Adriano Martins, Evan Dunham and Edson Barboza, respectively. Heading into this 155 pound scrap against the undefeated Jury, he will be looking to extend his streak to six, in hopes of earning a title eliminator bout in the process. “Cowboy” is an excellent striker with great footwork and head movement, not to mention speed. His Muay Thai is fantastic and he is very effective from both inside the clinch and striking distance. Cerrone also possesses some of the best kicks in the UFC’s lightweight division. The former WEC title challenger has a variety of kicks in his arsenal, and is dangerously effective with all of them. He does damage with his leg kicks, as well as his head and body kicks. The Denver native works both the inside and outside leg kicks really well. He often prefers to end his combinations with a heavy outside leg kick. Sometimes he will throw a combination at half-strength, and then follow it up with a powerful leg kick in full-strength to end the combination, something he has become quite effective with. The 31 year old mixes it up well on the feet, implementing all limbs into his offensive attack. He has a nice uppercut and works a solid jab, which he used to drop Barboza in their bout, before following the Brazilian to the mat to secure the rear naked choke for the finish. As effective as “Cowboy” is with his shins, he is just as effective with his knees, which were also in full display in the Miller bout. Cerrone likes to time and catch opponents with his knee as they are either changing levels for a takedown or moving forward attempting a strike, and he has been very effective in doing so. “Cowboy” fights best when he is moving forward, being the aggressor, and is not as effective when moving backwards. His two Octagon losses which came against Nate Diaz and Rafael dos Anjos were both fights in which his opponents were the aggressors dictating control of the cage. The WEC veteran is incredibly talented on the mat, as well, having an excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game and owning a very impressive 15 of 25 professional mixed martial arts victories by way of submission. “Cowboy” is a serious threat from both top and bottom positions. He loves to choke his opponents out; the triangle choke is his favorite submission to go for, so he definitely does not mind being on his back, as it gives him an opportunity to secure his favorite finish. The 31-year old has works solid takedowns, including a nice single-leg and a great body-lock takedown. He is a tough and durable fighter who possesses a good chin and better recovery. His cardio is up there, as well, especially considering he trains in high altitude at Jackson-Winklejohn MMA in Albuquerque, NM. He’ll no doubt be ready for a full three rounds of action against Jury on Saturday night, should the scrap see it’s way all the way to the judges’ scorecards. Myles “Fury” Jury (15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is an undefeated fighter who is looking to make it seven wins in a row inside the Octagon against Donald Cerrone in the first Pay Per View co-main event fight of his career this Saturday night. He believes that a win over “Cowboy” will certainly put him in line for the UFC’s 155 pound gold, right behind Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rafael dos Anjos. His six-fight UFC winning streak includes decision victories over Mike Ricci, Michael Johnson and Diego Sanchez, and knockout finishes of Ramsey Nijem and Takanori Gomi, respectively. Jury was a contestant on season 13 of the reality television series The Ultimate Fighter, but was removed from the show due to a knee injury. However, he received another opportunity to compete on the show during season 15, but was unfortunately eliminated from the tournament by Al Iaquinta in a split decision defeat. He was a heavy favorite over Iaquinta heading into the match-up, but came out on the short end of the judges’ scorecards. Luckily for Jury, that loss does not blemish his professional mixed martial arts record, as fights on The Ultimate Fighter are not sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He is still technically an undefeated lightweight, and will be looking to keep his record intact on Saturday night. The 26-year old is a very talented, well-rounded mixed martial artist who is well versed in every aspect of the sport. He is an excellent striker who has great footwork and lateral movement. He is a fast athlete who does a tremendous job of dodging his opponents’ striker and answering back with his own. His counter-striking is very good, especially his counter right hook. Jury also has a strong overhand right, as well as a good uppercut, and he loves to implement his vicious knees and elbows in his offensive striking attack. He is good at being technical and works a solid jab, though at times he can be flashy, but if often pays off with his spinning back fists and flying knees. The Michigan native puts together some great combinations on the feet and likes to mix things up. He has a fantastic kicking game which includes nice leg kicks, great head and body kicks, as well as an effective front kick he likes to frequent. “Fury” owns a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has an excellent submission game, both offensively and defensively. He works good takedowns, including a solid double leg, though he prefers the single leg. He is dominant from top position on the mat and does a great job of advancing positions. Training out of Alliance MMA in San Diego, CA, Jury is a well-conditioned athlete who will be ready for 15 minutes of action, if necessary. Gabe’s Thoughts: I think once Cerrone starts to connect and find his groove, Jury is not going to have an answer for him. I think “Cowboy” will make “Fury” slowly crumble, either en route to a decision win or a T/KO stoppage. This fight is a big step up in competition for Jury and without a doubt the biggest challenge of his professional mixed martial arts career. I think he is a solid prospect with a bright future in the division, but I don’t think this is a test he is going to pass at this point in his career. I think Jury’s gameplan in this fight is going to be to keep it technical and outpoint Cerrone, so I think he will only be able to win a decision here. I don’t think he will be able to submit Cerrone, unless he catches him in a flukey guillotine, and I don’t think he will be able to put him away with strikes, considering Cerrone’s resiliency and the counter-striking approach he (Jury) will likey take in this match-up. I think if he wins, it will be by decision, while I could see Cerrone winning by either decision, T/KO or submission. I don’t think Jury is easy to submit, but I could see him securing something after initially hurting him with strikes. Gabe’s Call: Cerrone by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Donald Cerrone (-190) parlayed with Evan Dunham (-525) Donald Cerrone (-200) at -123 2.7u to win 2.2u
