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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The UFC's already stacked card for UFC on Fox 5 this December may be even bigger, as a bout between Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone may be on its way as well.
According to a report from VigilanteMMA.com, citing a source close to Cerrone, the expected matchup between Cerrone and Pettis will indeed take place on the Dec. 8 card. Not only that, but the bout is likely to be a No. 1 contender fight for the UFC Lightweight Championship.
Pettis has felt passed up on a couple of occasions in the UFC after entering with a planned title shot. Now, after two straight wins, he'll look to defeat Cerrone to earn a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship.
That bout will come against the winner of Ben Henderson vs. Nate Diaz, which headlines the UFC on Fox 5 card. If it's Henderson, it would be a rematch between he and Pettis, as Pettis defeated him in the final bout for World Extreme Cagefighting before it was folded into the UFC.
Cerrone will have something to say about Pettis' participation in a title bout, however, and after getting back on track with consecutive wins himself, he'll look for his own title fight in the division. Should Cerrone beat Pettis, he'll have a rematch on his hands against either Henderson or Diaz. Henderson holds two wins over him, which came during their runs in the WEC, while Diaz was the last man to defeat him, beating him by decision last December.
Penick's Analysis: The fight hasn't been announced or confirmed elsewhere yet, but it makes sense for it to take place on this card. It's a fantastic fight, and could be a boost to any of the other events surrounding this one, but it makes sense to put it on the same card as the title bout. With the event happening on Fox, both sides can get the same type of exposure, and the UFC can then sell the pay-per-view between two of them after fans see them get wins on Fox. That's a smart strategy to build up the next Lightweight Championship fight, and lends credence to the accuracy of this report.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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