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Fans Deserve to See Jon Jones Fight Alexander Gustafsson, Daniel Cormier

At just 26 years old, Jon Jones is the greatest fighter on the planet.
Some, including this author, might say that the reigning light heavyweight champion has placed Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko in his rear-view mirror, effectively becoming the…

At just 26 years old, Jon Jones is the greatest fighter on the planet.

Some, including this author, might say that the reigning light heavyweight champion has placed Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko in his rear-view mirror, effectively becoming the greatest fighter the world has ever seen.

Being the pound-for-pound best doesn’t come without widespread, sometimes well-deserved criticism, though.

Whether it’s refusing to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice, being arrested for DWI or declining to sign a fight contract that would ensure a sequel to one of the greatest fights in the history of the light heavyweight championship, he’s long been a target of fans’ ire.

The first was questionable. The second was inexcusable. The third is unacceptable.

Fans of Jon Jones deserve more.

Spin it however you’d like, but there’s reason for boxing diehards to disregard Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the greatest fighter to ever live. A perfect record and impenetrable defense is great and all, but many will ceaselessly question why a bout between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao never came to fruition.

Color it a dispute over revenue. Call it a clash over performance-enhancing drugs. Know it as a shame—MMA fans cannot let Jones make the same career-defining mistake.

Without a genuine statement from Jones, there’s no real way of understanding what’s preventing him from signing on for the rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. Some have speculated that he wants more money. Dana White has stated that Jones would rather fight Daniel Cormier instead. On his Facebook account, Gustafsson has gone as far as to claim Jones was “running” from him.

Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, be a man, be a champ and sign that bout agreement and stop running. Keep in mind that after I beat you and become the champ I might be doing the same for you when you chase me for a rematch, as a revenge for not accepting my challenge. Sooner or later you will have to face me, just make it sooner! The fans want this fight, UFC wants this fight and I want this fight, and I damn deserve it.

Impatient with the champ’s reluctance to defend his strap, Cormier, the UFC’s No. 2-ranked light heavyweight, has opened himself up to a fight with Gustafsson—a fight that would determine the UFC interim light heavyweight champion.

Cormier could lose his perfect record, and Gustafsson could lose that near-invincible aura he developed since going on a tear back in 2010—this fight wouldn’t be a good idea.

Jones should fight both because he’s the best to ever be, and some still don’t believe it.

Decisive victories against Gustafsson, the only man who fought him five rounds en route to a questionable decision, and Cormier, another man who many consider to be the only one who could consistently put Jones on his back, would cement his legacy and silence all the naysayers.

So, please, Jon, sign the contract and continue on your ascendance to unforeseen heights—your fans deserve it.

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Conor McGregor and the Rest of the Top 5 Dark-Horse Title Contenders

Just two weeks ago, TJ Dillashaw turned the MMA world upside down when he sent reigning UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao out of the Octagon without his title.
Many counted him out before the fight even started, criticizing the promotion for granti…

Just two weeks ago, TJ Dillashaw turned the MMA world upside down when he sent reigning UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao out of the Octagon without his title.

Many counted him out before the fight even started, criticizing the promotion for granting the seemingly unproven Team Alpha Male fighter a highly coveted title fight with Barao. It only took one round and a stunning knockdown to silence them. It took a dominant five-round performance to prove that you should never count any fighter out, no matter how underestimated.

Dillashaw now joins the ranks of current and former champions Chris Weidman, Matt Serra, Forrest Griffin, and Frankie Edgar as champions who overcame massive odds.

With the exception of Serra, it would be irresponsible to count any of these fighters as dark horses in their respective divisions leading up to their title fights. It would be even more irresponsible, however, to count any of the listed dark horses out of potential title fights with any of the current crop of champions.

In listing these fighters, only those outside of the Top 10 of the UFC’s divisional rankings will be considered. These fighters are listed in no particular order.

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UFC: Why Marlon Moraes Should Be the Next Fighter to Sign a Contract

Since the start of 2014, the UFC has been expanding the size of its roster at a pretty brisk clip. The world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion now has roughly 500 fighters under contract and is looking to scoop up talented prospect…

The next fighter to sign on the dotted line should be World Series of Fighting bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes, who is on a seven-fight winning streak and has looked like a world-beater in his five WSOF outings.

Moraes got our attention with his split-decision win over UFC veteran and former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres at the first World Series of Fighting event in November 2012. At the time, Torres was still regarded as one of the best 135-pound fighters in the world, and the Ricardo Almeida Brazilian jiu-jitsu product showed off some impressive footwork and diverse striking throughout the three-round fight.

Then he fought Tyson Nam, who was coming off a stunning first-round knockout win over Eduardo Dantas, who at the time was the Bellator bantamweight champion. It took Moraes less than three minutes to put Nam away with a nasty headkick and some follow-up punches.

He went on to batter and bloody a very game but overmatched Brandon Hempleman for three rounds last August at WSOF 4 and looked as precise as ever in his 30-second starching of Carson Beebe in October.

His five-round dismantling of Josh Rettinghouse was such a thorough routing that it sparked a debate about when to protect a fighter from himself. It’s clear that he is head and shoulders above the competition outside of the UFC, and the only real way for him to be tested is to be thrown in with the best fighters in the world.

The UFC’s bantamweight division was just cracked wide-open when TJ Dillashaw usurped Renan Barao at UFC 173 to take the title and hand the Brazilian his first loss in 33 fights. While Dillashaw’s next opponent hasn’t been determined yet, there are a number of options, and thus, there’s a number of potential fights for the remaining bantamweights who won’t be getting the next shot at the title.

Book Moraes against perhaps the winner of Urijah Faber vs. Alex Caceres after UFC 175 or give him a headlining spot against former champion Dominic Cruz, and you have the closest thing to a superfight this side of Aldo vs. Pettis. Moraes may very well be the best mixed martial artist not competing in the UFC.

He would most likely do what he does against the majority of the top 10 to top 15 ranked fighters in the division, but we won’t know where he stacks up until he is given the chance to ply his trade inside the Octagon.

With the recent expansion of the roster, and with bantamweight still in its developmental stage as far as birthing new stars, now is the time to get Marlon Moraes under contract and have him mix it up with the rest of the best at 135 pounds.

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UFC 175: The Addition of Vitor Belfort Creates an Entirely New Dynamic

UFC 175 received a major shake-up when Wanderlei Silva was pulled from his fight against Chael Sonnen. The announcement that his replacement would come in the form of fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort was greeted by excitement throughout the MMA community…

Now that the news has settled, there are a number of interesting factors that this new fight brings to the Pay Per View event during Fourth of July weekend.

Chael Sonnen vs. Vitor Belfort presents a completely different dynamic than the original fight against Wanderlei Silva.

The first point that must be made is the new opportunity that has been presented to both Sonnen and Belfort. Even though these two men will meet as light heavyweights, there are rumors swirling that the winner of the contest will be deemed the No. 1 contender for the middleweight championship. The UFC has yet to confirm, but Sonnen is already spreading the word of this new development.

“The stakes are up,” Sonnen said in a report presented by MMA Junkie’s Matt Erickson. “I am now fighting in a number one contenders match. The winner of my bout will take on the winner of Chris Weidman versus Lyoto Machida.”

Weidman is set to defend his belt against Machida in the main event of UFC 175.

Even though the UFC has yet to respond to this statement, it would seem as if Sonnen has once again talked himself into a potential title shot.

Vitor was widely recognized as the No. 1 contender to the middleweight title. He was Weidman’s original opponent before the UFC-wide ban on the use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) forced him to take time away from competition to meet those new demands. If Sonnen—who is a massive fan favorite within the UFC—could find a way to upset Belfort, one could expect that the UFC would be willing to give him his fourth shot at UFC gold.

Belfort also stands to benefit from this newly created contest. Before the ban on TRT, Vitor was running through his opponents in blazing fashion. While some stood in awe, there were others who questioned his usage of TRT at this point in his career. Especially when the fact that he’s failed a drug test in the past was added to the equation.

If “The Phenom” can blow through Chael to add another knockout to his highlight reel of stoppages, the mixed martial arts community would almost immediately begin clamoring for him to fight for the title once again.

Most will consider this a gift opportunity for Vitor as Chael is seen as an “easier” path back to the title. Chael has lost three of his last four fights, and his most important win of late against Michael Bisping occurred more than two years ago. Belfort’s bound to be the betting favorite coming into this contest.

Sonnen’s fight style plays directly into Vitor’s strengths. His overwhelming striking smothers fighters from the opening bell, and Chael has fallen under such pressure in the past.

Another interesting dynamic that adding Belfort creates for this fight is the continued debate about TRT in MMA. Both Vitor and Chael have stood as central figures around the controversy that has been the removal of this therapy. With two high-profile fighters placed together in such a way the MMA media should pounce on the opportunity to talk about how their past usage and ban has changed their career.

Back in March Sonnen chronicled how “terrible” his life would be without TRT. “The best way to describe is that it is a completely terrible, horrible feeling,” Sonnen told Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports. “This is a medicine and it’s medicine I need to live normally on a day-to-day basis.”

Sonnen has never shied away from saying controversial things while building a fight, so it will be interesting to see how he handles these questions leading into the fight at UFC 175. Current champion Chris Weidman, has already spoken against the usage of TRT in the sport, as reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Mike Chiappetta, and with two potential contenders being former users, one can expect him to voice his concern with the situation.

Vitor Belfort is one of the most polarizing individuals within the sport of mixed martial arts. The minds behind the UFC have created a firestorm by placing him in a fight against Chael Sonnen at UFC 175. His inclusion creates a new set of questions that not only Sonnen will have to answer, but the UFC will have to address as well.

July 5 was shaping up to be one of the most anticipated nights of action that the Ultimate Fighting Championship has given fans in 2014, and this new bout has made it even more important in the MMA community.

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Breaking Down the Bellator 121 Matchups

Bellator MMA kicks off its 2014 “Summer Series” on Friday night from the Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The four-fight main card features the Bellator debuts of well-known fighters Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and James “Colossus&rdq…

Sokoudjou takes on Terry Davinney in a light heavyweight feature fight, and Thompson takes on eight-fight Bellator veteran Eric Prindle in the main event. Bellator 121 also features three light heavyweight tournament quarterfinal bouts, two of which take place on the main card.

How will Bellator follow up its first successful foray onto pay-per-view? Which fighters will move closer to a shot at the light heavyweight championship? Who will win in the battle of hard-hitting heavyweights?

Here is a breakdown of the action on the main card of Bellator 121.

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Chael Sonnen Expects Anderson Silva to Return as Light Heavyweight

Four years ago, Chael Sonnen was dragging Anderson Silva and all of Silva’s Brazilian countrymen through the proverbial mud, attempting to talk his way into a title fight with the dominant middleweight champion.
Sonnen lost in his two title opportuniti…

Sonnen lost in his two title opportunities against Silva, who is currently on the mend from a brutal leg injury suffered in a fight against Chris Weidman. Now, Sonnen wants nothing more than to see Silva make a healthy return—a healthy return at 205 pounds, that is.

Sonnen first spoke with MMAFighting.com and other reporters at a media scrum in Sao Paulo, Brazil, saying, “I think the one thing that hasn’t been discussed is what weight [Silva] comes back at. I think it’s highly likely that he comes back at light heavyweight.”

Sonnen isn’t crazy—Silva is nearing the end of his fighting career and might find it more difficult to shed all the way down to 185.

Consider a 43-year-old Dan Henderson, who even with the aid of testosterone replacement therapy chose to remain at light heavyweight after an illustrious fighting career in several different weight classes. Silva, just four years younger than Henderson, is nearing the end of his athletic prime.

It’s also worth noting Silva’s inevitable path back to the top of the middleweight mountain, one that would include Jacare Souza and Lyoto Machida, both of whom were Silva’s former training partners.

Machida is set to fight Chris Weidman in July, and Souza is still climbing the ladder. Silva would come back to murky waters.

Sonnen’s comments were provoked when asked about a potential bout between the former middleweight king and the reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Considering Sonnen is one of the few to enter the Octagon with both of the all-time greats, his opinion is as close as salivating fans could ever get to the once sought-after bout.

Immediately after the Jones fight in 2013, Sonnen gave the nod to the dominant light heavyweight.

After some time to think about it, Sonnen isn’t so sure anymore, noting “If (Silva) comes back and has a level of success, those two might answer that question for you.”

Call it mild promotion if you must, but this is still a fight people want to see.

Meanwhile, Sonnen is set to square off at UFC 175 against the surging Vitor Belfort. Sonnen has his sights set on the middleweight crown now held by an undefeated Weidman. Though UFC President Dana White doesn’t think Sonnen deserves Belfort’s No. 1 contender title with a victory, the “American Gangster” has different plans.

“It would be the same as Chris saying, ‘I’m going to fight Lyoto Machida but it’s a non-title fight,’” he said to the media. “That’s pro wrestling, that doesn’t happen.”

In his own perfect world, Sonnen would be the middleweight champion while Silva kept himself busy in a class above.

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