Bellator 239: Despite win drought, Myles Jury continues to ‘feel like I’m a champion’

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Bellator 239: Despite win drought, Myles Jury continues to ‘feel like I’m a champion’

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – Myles Jury has been around the block.

A former UFC fighter, Jury (18-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) made the jump to Bellator in mid-2019. In his promotional debut, Jury lost a unanimous decision to former UFC champion Benson Henderson. On Friday night, he’ll have the chance to get back in the win column at Bellator 239, when he takes on Brandon Girtz.

Even though Jury hasn’t won since December 2017, the Michigan-based fighter doesn’t feel down on his in-cage abilities. According to Jury, his daily grind is a championship feat within itself.

“I raise my hand every day after training,” Jury told MMA Junkie. “I feel like I’m a champion, no matter what. The outcome of the fight is going to be what it is. I’m going to go out there, leave it all out there, and I’m a winner regardless.”

Jury recognizes the veteran status Girtz (16-8 MMA, 8-6 BMMA) holds entering Bellator 239. While Fury is new to Bellator, he’s piled up a tremendous amount of experience himself. Come fight night, Fury doesn’t think Girtz presents anything he hasn’t previously seen.

“Overall, he’s a wrestler that likes to throw bombs,” Jury said. “That’s what I’ve seen out of him. … Looking back, I’ve fought a lot of wrestlers who like to throw bombs at me. Coming up, that’s how a lot of people try to fight me. I come in well-prepared. I come in sharp (and) long. I have an array of tools. I can kick, I can punch, elbows, knees. I’ve got great takedowns and am a black belt in jiu-jitsu. It’s, ‘What am I going to do?’ He has to worry about what I’m going to do.”

Not interested in speculation, Jury avoided predicting where a victory over Girtz would land him in the divisional standings. Win or lose, it’s not his decision to pick and choose who he fights next.

“We’ll see how amped I am after the fight and stuff like that, but we’ll leave that up to the Bellator management,” Jury said. “I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘I need this. I need that.’ I’m focused on this guy and I’m focused on going out there and having a great performance. That’s it.”

Bellator 239 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out MMA Junkie’s full Bellator 239 pre-fight interview with Myles Jury in the video above.

Bellator 239: Despite win drought, Myles Jury continues to 'feel like I'm a champion'