Jed Meshew looks back at the crazy week that led us to the new UFC 197 main event.
This past weekend, Daniel Cormier pulled out of his scheduled Light Heavyweight title defense against Jon Jones with a leg injury. However shortly after Cormier’s announcement, Jones issued a statement saying he was willing to fight a short notice opponent on the card and the UFC was ultimately able to replace Cormier with no. 6 ranked Ovince St. Preux and the LHW title with an interim championship.
To say the circumstances surrounding the creation of this bout are odd would be an understatement.
For one, the fact that any fight is happening at all is a minor miracle. Less than a week ago, Jon Jones was arrested for parole violation stemming from a traffic incident in Albuquerque, wherein Jones was cited for multiple traffic violations. Though the charges themselves were relatively minor, the totality of Jones’ legal troubles put his return to the octagon in serious jeopardy. Jones’s arrest had many speculating that the main event would be replaced with the Flyweight title defense between Demetrius Johnson vs Henry Cejudo and that Dana White would be running into traffic over replacing one of his biggest PPV draws with his worst one. Fortunately for both the UFC and fans, it was announced that the fight would go on as scheduled.
A collective sigh of relief was breathed by all.
Then just a few days later, Cormier announced his withdrawal. Jones and his camp are notoriously fastidious in their preparation for opponents. The infamous UFC 151 cancellation (wherein Dana White referred to Jones’ coach Greg Jackson as a “sport killer”) occurred because Jones refused to fight Chael Sonnen on 10 days notice when Dan Henderson withdrew from the scheduled title bout. (Granted, that was only 10 days before the event whereas this is 3 weeks before UFC 197, however that was against a Middleweight whereas this is against a top ranked and legitimate Light Heavyweight.) Preparation for MMA at the highest levels is not merely about getting in shape but also about preparing strategy and tactics and short notice fights impede the drilling required to appropriately prepare for a specific opponent. Jones and Greg Jackson are laser focused on the process of fighting and it was entirely plausible (and reasonable) that Jones would refuse to fight a short notice opponent.
To add to the weirdness, the fight was originally offered to former Light Heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson. That matchup has long held fan interest as Johnson’s other worldly power and striking acumen provide quite possibly the most dangerous threat to the dominance of Jones. However, fans were denied that fight when Johnson declined to step in citing recent oral surgery. In and of itself, that wouldn’t be particularly odd but for the fact that just a couple of days before Cormier announced his withdrawal, Johnson’s camp made a statement about his ability to step in to replace Jones should his legal troubles and arrest prevent him from fighting at UFC 197.
The weird icing on this cake of oddity is the fact that now Jones and St. Preux will be fighting for the Interim UFC Light Heavyweight championship and, should Jones win as he is widely favored to do, he will hold an interim title in lieu of the actual belt which he never lost in the cage. It may be the first time in the history of combat sports that an interim title belt, which are usually looked upon with derision, will carry more weight than the actual championship.
Not to mention the absurdity of Daniel Cormier, current UFC Champion offering to pay for division rival St. Preux to use the remainder of Cormier’s training camp to prepare for a number 1 contender bout for Cormier’s own belt!
The utter insanity of the last week is proof positive that MMA is just as wild, crazy, and unpredictable inside the cage as it is outside of it.
And we still have 3 weeks to go.
Jed Meshew looks back at the crazy week that led us to the new UFC 197 main event.
This past weekend, Daniel Cormier pulled out of his scheduled Light Heavyweight title defense against Jon Jones with a leg injury. However shortly after Cormier’s announcement, Jones issued a statement saying he was willing to fight a short notice opponent on the card and the UFC was ultimately able to replace Cormier with no. 6 ranked Ovince St. Preux and the LHW title with an interim championship.
To say the circumstances surrounding the creation of this bout are odd would be an understatement.
For one, the fact that any fight is happening at all is a minor miracle. Less than a week ago, Jon Jones was arrested for parole violation stemming from a traffic incident in Albuquerque, wherein Jones was cited for multiple traffic violations. Though the charges themselves were relatively minor, the totality of Jones’ legal troubles put his return to the octagon in serious jeopardy. Jones’s arrest had many speculating that the main event would be replaced with the Flyweight title defense between Demetrius Johnson vs Henry Cejudo and that Dana White would be running into traffic over replacing one of his biggest PPV draws with his worst one. Fortunately for both the UFC and fans, it was announced that the fight would go on as scheduled.
A collective sigh of relief was breathed by all.
Then just a few days later, Cormier announced his withdrawal. Jones and his camp are notoriously fastidious in their preparation for opponents. The infamous UFC 151 cancellation (wherein Dana White referred to Jones’ coach Greg Jackson as a “sport killer”) occurred because Jones refused to fight Chael Sonnen on 10 days notice when Dan Henderson withdrew from the scheduled title bout. (Granted, that was only 10 days before the event whereas this is 3 weeks before UFC 197, however that was against a Middleweight whereas this is against a top ranked and legitimate Light Heavyweight.) Preparation for MMA at the highest levels is not merely about getting in shape but also about preparing strategy and tactics and short notice fights impede the drilling required to appropriately prepare for a specific opponent. Jones and Greg Jackson are laser focused on the process of fighting and it was entirely plausible (and reasonable) that Jones would refuse to fight a short notice opponent.
To add to the weirdness, the fight was originally offered to former Light Heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson. That matchup has long held fan interest as Johnson’s other worldly power and striking acumen provide quite possibly the most dangerous threat to the dominance of Jones. However, fans were denied that fight when Johnson declined to step in citing recent oral surgery. In and of itself, that wouldn’t be particularly odd but for the fact that just a couple of days before Cormier announced his withdrawal, Johnson’s camp made a statement about his ability to step in to replace Jones should his legal troubles and arrest prevent him from fighting at UFC 197.
The weird icing on this cake of oddity is the fact that now Jones and St. Preux will be fighting for the Interim UFC Light Heavyweight championship and, should Jones win as he is widely favored to do, he will hold an interim title in lieu of the actual belt which he never lost in the cage. It may be the first time in the history of combat sports that an interim title belt, which are usually looked upon with derision, will carry more weight than the actual championship.
Not to mention the absurdity of Daniel Cormier, current UFC Champion offering to pay for division rival St. Preux to use the remainder of Cormier’s training camp to prepare for a number 1 contender bout for Cormier’s own belt!
The utter insanity of the last week is proof positive that MMA is just as wild, crazy, and unpredictable inside the cage as it is outside of it.
That doesn’t sit well with fellow contender Michael Bisping.
“Tainted supplement? Six months? That’s no suspension,” Bisping wrote on Instagram. “He could have killed somebody. What was the supplement? No mention of it. Come on.”
Bisping is the winner of three straight, which includes a unanimous decision victory over Anderson Silva, and could find himself competing for the 185-pound title later this year. Whether or not it comes against the “Soldier of God” remains to be seen, but fighting has been said to “solve everything.”
That doesn’t sit well with fellow contender Michael Bisping.
“Tainted supplement? Six months? That’s no suspension,” Bisping wrote on Instagram. “He could have killed somebody. What was the supplement? No mention of it. Come on.”
Bisping is the winner of three straight, which includes a unanimous decision victory over Anderson Silva, and could find himself competing for the 185-pound title later this year. Whether or not it comes against the “Soldier of God” remains to be seen, but fighting has been said to “solve everything.”
UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum is interested in fighting Fedor Emelianenko at a UFC event in Chechnya. Over the past few months, UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has made his relationship with controversial Chechen leader R…
UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum is interested in fighting Fedor Emelianenko at a UFC event in Chechnya.
Over the past few months, UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has made his relationship with controversial Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov abundantly clear. Despite Kadyrov’s unsavoury past, the Brazilian champion suggested that the UFC should host an event in Chechnya and feature Werdum against Fedor Emelianenko in the main event.
“I wish that, one day in the near future, Fedor and I can fight in the first UFC in Chechenia,” Werdum said on his Instagram. “I think this would be a glorious inaugural event in Chechenia, and I think the fans would love to see this competition between two legends.”
Werdum has made numerous trips to Chechnya over the past year since he became the brand ambassador for the Akhmat MMA promotion. He was even filmed walking with Kadyrov in the palace gardens for a local television show.
“I know that Chechenia has a rich history in combative sports, and I also know that the president of Chechenia is a huge MMA Fan. He has his own team and he passionately invests and supports our sport. I would hope to make this dream come true someday.”
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White continues his world tour alongside reality-show cronies Matt “The Terror” Serra and Nick “The Tooth” Gullo. The trio recently traveled to “The Gopher State” to play Rock Band (sans vi…
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White continues his world tour alongside reality-show cronies Matt “The Terror” Serra and Nick “The Tooth” Gullo. The trio recently traveled to “The Gopher State” to play Rock Band (sans video game console), work some freshly packed snow, and scout the local mixed martial arts (MMA) scene.
From the official YouTube description:
Dana, Matt and Nick head to Minneapolis to scout a heavyweight prospect at an action packed Legacy FC card. The boys also do some snowboarding, visit a local BJJ gym and learn a death metal song from the band “Roads of Glass” that they will play live at a local club.
Serra, always the realist, suggests their newly-formed rock band be called “The Douchebags” and well, I’m not touching that one (too easy). That said, this show is at its best when the three amigos are watching fights and/or training the new school.
If you missed the first three episodes of “Lookin’ for a Fight” click here, here, and here.
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones is up to his old tricks again. As well as more encounters with the law and courts lately, ‘Bones’ has once again gone full heel on social media. At first Jones actually offered commiserations to the injured Daniel Cormier, after the current champ was forced out of their UFC
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones is up to his old tricks again. As well as more encounters with the law and courts lately, ‘Bones’ has once again gone full heel on social media. At first Jones actually offered commiserations to the injured Daniel Cormier, after the current champ was forced out of their UFC 197 rematch with injury, but that amicable side of ‘Bones’ was not on show for long.
He offered ‘DC’ the best of luck with recovery at first, saying he wouldn’t wish an injury on anyone. Then, when Ovince St Preux replaced his nemesis at UFC 197, Jones was once again polite, thanking OSP for taking the fight on short notice. It wouldn’t be long before we’d see the vintage Jon Jones back in action though, and he tore in to Cormier yesterday following an appearance for both men on The MMA Hour.
During his spot on the popular MMA talk show, Cormier actually offered to pay for Ovince St Preux to train at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) for his upcoming fight with Jones. The ex-champion got win of this, and suddenly was once again bashing his old rival on Twitter:
Willing to train OSP and is willing to pay for his expenses? You are a sheep in wolves clothing and I see right through you. pussy.
Predictable? Yeah probably, but it’s led to a barrage of hot Tweets from both Daniel Cormier, but also some Jones fans that are trolling the current champion on Twitter…
Great news for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s bantamweight division, as top contender and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 champion Julianna Pena has been cleared to resume her mixed martial arts (MMA) career, following l…
Great news for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s bantamweight division, as top contender and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 champion Julianna Pena has been cleared to resume her mixed martial arts (MMA) career, following last December’s public dust-up in Spokane, Washington.
UFC announced today that an investigation into allegations of assault by UFC competitor Julianna Pena is now complete. Pena recently came to a resolution with the Prosecutor’s Office in Spokane County, Washington. The resolution was thoroughly reviewed by Campbell & Williams, a Las Vegas-based law firm hired by UFC to oversee its investigation into the matter.
UFC elected not to schedule Pena for a bout while the legal proceedings were ongoing. Now that the matter has been resolved, Pena is eligible to return to competition in the UFC and will be scheduled for a bout in the near future.
While UFC is supportive of the resolution of Pena’s criminal matter, Pena acknowledges that her actions as a professional athlete should reflect well of her, the sport of mixed martial arts, and the UFC. Consequently, Pena has volunteered to participate in counseling as a condition for her return to the Octagon.
Now it’s just a matter of time before the “Venezuelan Vixen” gets penciled in for her Octagon return. I would reckon fellow division contenders Cat Zingano and Amanda Nunes are at or near the top of the list (see it), but nothing is official at this time.
