For now, Daniel Cormier can lay claim to being the baddest 205-pound man on the planet. The 36-year-old put the light heavyweight championship belt around his waist in the main event at UFC 187 on Saturday, taking the throne left vacant by former champion Jon Jones.
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson certainly did his best to take the title for himself. He knocked Cormier down in the opening moments of the bout and threatened with his power on multiple occasions in the first two rounds.
However, Cormier is a master of the grind, and that was the difference. He scored three takedowns via FightMetric and wore out Johnson with relentless pressure before finally submitting him in the third round.
It was a main event that really left more questions than answers. Cormier left with the belt around his waist, but just how long he’ll hold it is a point of intrigue moving forward.
Here’s a look at the top storylines to watch in this new era of the light heavyweight division.
Where Does Rumble Go From Here?
Johnson left UFC 187 without the title, but he still proved he’s very capable of holding it one day. How Cormier survived some of the bombs Johnson landed in the first round is a minor miracle. In a rematch or against another opponent, the story could be different if Johnson connected with his powerful strikes again.
The good news for Rumble is that at 31 years old, he still has time to work his way back up. The even better news—as former UFC fighter Brian Stann points out—is that light heavyweight isn’t the deep division it once was:
Assuming Jones does not come back in the immediate future, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Johnson only need one win to get another shot at Cormier. With him winning the first round, it wouldn’t be a hard angle for the UFC to sell.
Johnson was focused on getting back to this point in the post fight press conference.
“My goal is still to be champion one day,” He said via Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie. “I was on a nine-fight win-streak, and Daniel just defeated me. But I promise I’ll be back. I don’t care who I have to fight, when I have to fight them or where I have to fight them. I will be back, and whoever’s there, hey, let’s do it.”
With that nine-fight win streak highlighted by Alexander Gustafsson, Johnson would likely be the favorite in any fight at light heavyweight against someone not named Jones or Cormier.
Is Ryan Bader Next for Daniel Cormier?
With Johnson out of the way and Jones’ future unclear, just who is next on the docket for Cormier is up in the air. Ryan Bader would like to clear that up, though.
As UFC on Fox tweeted, Bader and Cormier got into a heated exchange at the post-fight press conference:
Marketing a potential fight down the road, Cormier provided this gem, according to Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting, in regards to the fight between the two that was scrapped to give the title shot to DC:
It’s an unfortunate reality sometimes, but it’s possible for fighters to talk themselves into UFC title shots. That’s likely what happened at the post-fight press conference. Bader was ranked No. 5 in the division on the night of the fight and now has a marketable angle in the form of beef with the champion.
However, he’s not the only option available for Cormier. As Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report points out, Gustafsson and Rashad Evans also have compelling cases:
A matchup with Bader could ultimately be the choice to keep DC busy while Johnson or Jones sets up a rematch.
When Will Jon Jones Return to the Octagon?
What Cormier‘s victory really did is set up a potential massive rematch with Jones. He wasted no time in calling him out in the direct aftermath of the win, per UFC on Fox:
That being said, there’s no telling when that could take place.
UFC President Dana White has said Jones will have an immediate title shot when he comes back to the UFC, per Jim Rome on The Jim Rome Show (via MMA Fighting’s Al-Shatti). However, there are those who know the former champion and think he needs to take his time in coming back, including Anderson Silva.
“I don’t think so man,” Silva told TMZ Sports in response to a question about Jones coming back. “Jones is a good boy—he’s a good man. He needs to focus. … I love Jones, but he needs to change everything in life.”
There might be an expiration date for the potential rematch, though. According to MMA Fighting, Cormier hinted about possible retirement in the near future, now that he’s finally captured UFC gold:
Clearly Jones’ No. 1 priority right now needs to be getting his life together outside of the cage. The UFC can’t afford to be represented by someone who can’t be the face of the organization.
A rematch with Cormier might not fit into those plans for him to get his life together before returning to competition.
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