Myles Jury and Takanori Gomi duked it out last night (Sept. 20, 2014) in the Fight Pass co-main event at UFC Fight Night 52 inside Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Jury very much looked the part of the heavy favorite, knocking out Gomi in less than two minutes. Find out how below!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweights Myles Jury and Takanori Gomi took the center stage last night (Sept. 20, 2014) at UFC Fight Night 52 on Fight Pass from inside Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Gomi had been undergoing something of a career renaissance. On any rational scorecards, he entered Saturday's bout with Jury on a four-fight win streak and looked to be recovering a bit of his technique, too, rather than simply winging haymakers.
Jury had also been on an excellent hot streak. Undefeated professionally, Jury had won his first five fights and earned the ninth spot on UFC's Lightweight rankings. Facing an older veteran, Jury really needed to put on an impressive performance to show that he deserved to be looked at with such promise.
And that's exactly what he did.
Early on, Gomi looked to pressure. Each time he stepped forward, Jury met him with a kick then backed out of range. Jury mixed his kicks well, and although most were partially blocked, Gomi's first overhand attempt missed wide by quite a bit.
Gomi continued to eat kicks, and he then missed with a second looping punch. The next time Gomi stepped forward, Jury looked to counter with a shot, but the Japanese wrestler stuffed it. Still at a decent range, Jury stepped forward with a pair of lead hand, loaded up his right, and then fired a cross into Gomi's jaw.
"The Fireball Kid" went down as Jury pounced. "Fury's" first punch missed, but a continuous stream of punches against a shaken Gomi from top position ended the bout.
Jury had made his statement ... and it took just 92 seconds.
It is quite apparent that Jury needs to take a step up in competition. He was utterly dominant against Michael Johnson -- the sole top-ranked fighter in his win streak -- and needs to show that he can perform at that level consistently.
For his next bout, Bobby Green seems like the perfect opponent. Both men are on strong win streaks, but still need at least one more win before fighting for a near-top position in the title chase. Plus, they're both undefeated inside the Octagon, which adds some extra intrigue to the match.
This is a disappointing step back for Gomi, if not entirely unexpected. He was blown out by a younger, bigger and all-a, which was made clear quickly.
Next for Gomi is likely an experienced mid-tier fighter. Personally, I'd love to see him matched up with fellow old-school veteran Yves Edwards. Both men still have skill, but cannot compete with the athletic youth in their division.
At UFC Fight Night 52, Myles Jury made quick work of Takanori Gomi. What's next for the young Alliance MMA-trained fighter?
For complete UFC Fight Night 52: "Hunt vs Nelson" results, including blow-by-blow coverage of the entire Fight Pass event, click here.
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