A long-anticipated fight between lightweight contenders Anthony Pettis (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Donald Cerrone (19-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is nearly set.

Sources close to the promotion told MMAjunkie.com the fighters are targeted to meet at a UFC event on Jan. 26, possibly UFC on FOX 6.

A venue for the event could not be confirmed at the time of this writing, though sources said Chicago is one candidate.

Two of the top 155-pound fighters in the UFC, Pettis and Cerrone previously were targeted for UFC 150, which took place Aug. 11 at Denver's Pepsi Center. However, a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery forced Pettis to withdraw from the fight.

According to Cerrone, it was the first of several times that he was unsuccessful in securing a fight with the ex-WEC champ.

"Every time I suggest it, his manager comes back and says, 'Well, maybe 'Cowboy' could fight somebody else right now,' and it's just this excuse to not fight," he said.

Pettis' camp disputed that claim and said the fighter would be ready to fight Cerrone, especially if a title shot were on the line.

"Anthony is running for whoever has got the belt, and unfortunately for 'Cowboy,' it's never been him," Pettis' manager, Mike Roberts, said.

In lieu of meeting Pettis, Cerrone, who trains at Jackson-Winkeljohn's MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., fought former training partner Melvin Guillard at UFC 150 and scored his sixth octagon victory with a first-round knockout. Including the tail end of his WEC career, he's now 8-1 over his past nine fights, and the lone loss came to upcoming title challenger Nate Diaz.

Pettis most recently fought in February at UFC 144, where he notched his second UFC win with a first-round knockout of Joe Lauzon. The Duke Roufus protege and Milwaukee native took the lightweight belt from now-UFC champ Benson Henderson in the now-defunct WEC's final event. He's now 6-1 over his past seven fights.


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