Donald Cerrone continues streak, tops Myles Jury on scorecards:
LAS VEGAS – As Donald Cerrone stood over Myles Jury in the closing seconds of the fight, he wound up and then unleashed a series of soccer kicks to the legs of his downed opponent, as if driving home a point he’d already spent nearly 15 minutes making: You’re not ready for this.
It was a point Cerrone (26-6 MMA, 13-3 UFC) made with great force, beating Jury (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in every aspect of the game, from the feet to the floor, before walking out of the cage with a unanimous-decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
The lightweight fight co-headlined today’s UFC 182 main card at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
For a fight that was expected to be mostly a standup war, Cerrone nearly finished it with his jiu-jitsu in the first, using a Jury takedown in the opening moments to transition from an omaplata attempt to a body triangle from the back and a rear-naked choke that Jury just managed to fight off.
The second round saw the fighters keep it on the feet as the pace began to slow, but Cerrone still seemed to be the aggressor, keeping Jury from getting any meaningful offense going.
In the third, with the matter not yet clearly decided, Cerrone cranked up the intensity and took over the fight with his kicking game. After lacing his shin across Jury’s head, stunning the younger fighter briefly, Cerrone battered his legs, shrugged off his takedowns, and then flung him to the mat as if to show him how a takedown should be completed.
With Jury stuck on his back in those final seconds, that’s when Cerrone wound up with a series of emphatic kicks. Did they do much damage? Maybe not. But they did leave an impression on the judges, who saw it as a shutout for Cerrone.
The victory brings Cerrone’s winning streak to six, with his last loss coming in August of 2013. Jury loses for the first time officially in his professional career.