It’s safe to say Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier don’t like each other. Even a five-round war for the UFC’s light heavyweight crown wasn’t enough to help sever this friendship that was likely never meant to be.
Jones wasn’t just satisfied with dominating …
It’s safe to say Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier don’t like each other. Even a five-round war for the UFC’s light heavyweight crown wasn’t enough to help sever this friendship that was likely never meant to be.
Jones wasn’t just satisfied with dominating his Olympic-level counterpart—he wanted everyone to know that they hadn’t hashed out any of their differences. The animosity, in many ways, continued to breathe.
“I don’t like Daniel Cormier,” Jones said Saturday night on FOX Sports 1. “I don’t respect Daniel Cormier. I hope he’s somewhere crying right now. I’m sure he is. I can’t wait until he earns his way back, so I can whoop him again.”
The men argued. The men fought. The story was over. But then this happened:
And just like that, amid the champion’s earth-shattering announcement on Tuesday, Cormier may have started moving this relationship into the right direction. He told MMAFighting.com’sAriel Helwani of Jones’ failed drug test:
“I am aware of Jon’s test and if there is anything to say it is this: there are a lot of people you impact, so please let’s get it together. Good luck on your rehab!”
Considering the positive test was conducted outside of competition, Cormier arguably has no reason to be upset. Things might be different, however, if the drug tests conducted during fight week come back with any traces of cocaine metabolites.
Be sure to keep up with Bleacher Report MMA as this story continues to develop.
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report MMA. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones tested positive for cocaine metabolites in out-of-competition testing prior to UFC 182, MMAFighting.com has learned.
A drug test on Dec. 4 showed benzoylecgonine in Jones’ system, sources said. The substance, a cocaine metabolite, is not banned out of competition by WADA, which the Nevada Athletic Commission follows. Jones passed an out-of-competition test several days later, according sources. The results of Jones’ in-competition test prior to UFC 182 have yet to be revealed, so as of right now, his unanimous decision victory over Daniel Cormier on Saturday in Las Vegas will be upheld. The results of the out-of-competition test could come up when Jones applies for a license again.
Jones announced Tuesday that he would be entering into a drug treatment facility, according to Yahoo.
“With the support of my family, I have entered into a drug treatment facility,” Jones said in a statement to Yahoo. “I want to apologize to my fiancée, my children, as well as my mother, father, and brothers for the mistake that I made. I also want to apologize to the UFC, my coaches, my sponsors and equally important to my fans. I am taking this treatment program very seriously. Therefore, at this time my family and I would appreciate privacy.”
Jones defeated Daniel Cormier on Saturday night at MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a bout considered one of the biggest the UFC has promoted in years.
Jones, 27, is regarded as the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world. The upstate New York native has a 21-1 record with his only loss coming via disqualification. He has defended his light heavyweight title eight times, a record for the weight class, and has won 12 straight UFC bouts.
Jones, who trains out of highly regarded Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., dominated Cormier in the fight after the second round. UFC president Dana White estimated UFC 182 produced more than 750,000 buys on pay-per-view, a high figure for the organization, especially in recent months.
The bout was fueled by a history of bad feelings between the two combatants. Jones and Cormier got into a brawl at a press event back in August and exchanged profanity and heated comments in subsequent interviews. Cormier, a former wrestling Olympian, came into the bout undefeated.
Jones was arrested in May 2012 on DUI charges in Binghamton, N.Y. He was sentenced to a fine of $1,000 and had his license suspended for six months later that year.
The UFC and White released statements Tuesday regarding Jones.
“We support UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ decision to enter a drug treatment facility to address his recent issue,” the UFC released. “While we are disappointed in the failed test, we applaud him for making this decision to enter a drug treatment facility. Jon is a strong, courageous fighter inside the Octagon, and we expect him to fight this issue with the same poise and diligence. We commend him on his decision, and look forward to him emerging from this program a better man as a result.”
“I am proud of Jon Jones for making the decision to enter a drug treatment facility,” White said. “I’m confident that he’ll emerge from this program like the champion he truly is.”
Jones’ striking coach Brandon Gibson added this:
“I’m going to be there for him as a friend and help guide him through this challenging time. We are behind him 100 percent, as brothers, friends and coaches. This is bigger than any other challenger that we’ve faced before.”
Ariel Helwani contributed to this story
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones tested positive for cocaine metabolites in out-of-competition testing prior to UFC 182, MMAFighting.com has learned.
A drug test on Dec. 4 showed benzoylecgonine in Jones’ system, sources said. The substance, a cocaine metabolite, is not banned out of competition by WADA, which the Nevada Athletic Commission follows. Jones passed an out-of-competition test several days later, according sources. The results of Jones’ in-competition test prior to UFC 182 have yet to be revealed, so as of right now, his unanimous decision victory over Daniel Cormier on Saturday in Las Vegas will be upheld. The results of the out-of-competition test could come up when Jones applies for a license again.
Jones announced Tuesday that he would be entering into a drug treatment facility, according to Yahoo.
“With the support of my family, I have entered into a drug treatment facility,” Jones said in a statement to Yahoo. “I want to apologize to my fiancée, my children, as well as my mother, father, and brothers for the mistake that I made. I also want to apologize to the UFC, my coaches, my sponsors and equally important to my fans. I am taking this treatment program very seriously. Therefore, at this time my family and I would appreciate privacy.”
Jones defeated Daniel Cormier on Saturday night at MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a bout considered one of the biggest the UFC has promoted in years.
Jones, 27, is regarded as the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world. The upstate New York native has a 21-1 record with his only loss coming via disqualification. He has defended his light heavyweight title eight times, a record for the weight class, and has won 12 straight UFC bouts.
Jones, who trains out of highly regarded Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., dominated Cormier in the fight after the second round. UFC president Dana White estimated UFC 182 produced more than 750,000 buys on pay-per-view, a high figure for the organization, especially in recent months.
The bout was fueled by a history of bad feelings between the two combatants. Jones and Cormier got into a brawl at a press event back in August and exchanged profanity and heated comments in subsequent interviews. Cormier, a former wrestling Olympian, came into the bout undefeated.
Jones was arrested in May 2012 on DUI charges in Binghamton, N.Y. He was sentenced to a fine of $1,000 and had his license suspended for six months later that year.
The UFC and White released statements Tuesday regarding Jones.
“We support UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ decision to enter a drug treatment facility to address his recent issue,” the UFC released. “While we are disappointed in the failed test, we applaud him for making this decision to enter a drug treatment facility. Jon is a strong, courageous fighter inside the Octagon, and we expect him to fight this issue with the same poise and diligence. We commend him on his decision, and look forward to him emerging from this program a better man as a result.”
“I am proud of Jon Jones for making the decision to enter a drug treatment facility,” White said. “I’m confident that he’ll emerge from this program like the champion he truly is.”
Jones’ striking coach Brandon Gibson added this:
“I’m going to be there for him as a friend and help guide him through this challenging time. We are behind him 100 percent, as brothers, friends and coaches. This is bigger than any other challenger that we’ve faced before.”
Several UFC fighters stepped up to the plate and made names for themselves in 2014. Some talked their way into title contendership, while others flourished in the underdog role and earned the respect of their peers.
Fighters like Yoel Romero, Kel…
Several UFC fighters stepped up to the plate and made names for themselves in 2014. Some talked their way into title contendership, while others flourished in the underdog role and earned the respect of their peers.
Fighters like Yoel Romero, Kelvin Gastelum and Conor McGregor ran through opponents en route to establishing divisional dominance. This year will feature a new crop of prospects looking to pave their way toward Top Five territory.
So who will be this year’s Gastelum? Brazilians Charles Oliveira and Edson Barboza sure hope it’s them. A win or two may be all it takes to turn a prospect into a contender. Here are 10 buzzworthy candidates who are primed for a big year in 2015.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has stepped up to fight at the UFC Fight Night 59 fight-card on Jan. 18 in Boston, two days after his impressive victory over Myles Jury.
He’ll replace Eddie Alvarez who originally signed up to face former UFC champio…
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has stepped up to fight at the UFC Fight Night 59 fight-card on Jan. 18 in Boston, two days after his impressive victory over Myles Jury.
He’ll replace Eddie Alvarez who originally signed up to face former UFC champion, Benson Henderson.
With the fight in Boston, now less than two weeks away, Cerrone will have fought six times in the span of 12 months. But even for Cerrone, this is an incredibly short turnaround time.
Cowboy beat Alvarez on his UFC debut in September, before defeating Jury via unanimous decision on Saturday. He is now on a six-fight winning streak, and a win over the former titleholder at UFC Fight Night 59 could seal him his own shot at the belt.
Cerrone and Henderson have fought twice before, according to MMA Fighting. Both those fights were for the WEC lightweight title, and both were won by Bendo.
But Cerrone is on the run of his life. Six straight wins in the UFC’s toughest, meanest division.
Henderson, on the other hand, is coming off a first-round TKO loss to No. 1 contender, Rafael dos Anjos.
However, despite his string of victories, Cerrone was decidedly unhappy about his last performance. As he grounded out a lopsided victory, some of the crowd began to boo.
“I’m a guy, I don’t like hearing boos,” Cerrone said (h/t MMA Fighting). “My legacy is I want to be fighting my ass off every time, so I don’t consider that a win. I’m not happy with my performance and I’m gonna go watch the tape and figure out what I need to do to capitalize if that happens again.”
He’ll have a chance to put that right against Bendo.
The two men are set to face each other in the co-main event, with Irishman ConorMcGregor taking on Germany’s Dennis Siver in the headliner.
It wouldn’t be crazy to say that Jon Jones’ wrestling is what won him his fight against Daniel Cormier on Saturday. Of course, there were plenty of other things at play, like superior cardio and striking. But Cormier, a former Olympian, was …
It wouldn’t be crazy to say that Jon Jones‘ wrestling is what won him his fight against Daniel Cormier on Saturday. Of course, there were plenty of other things at play, like superior cardio and striking. But Cormier, a former Olympian, was supposed to outwrestle Jones. Instead, it was the other way around.
Jones said before and after UFC 182 that he believed Cormier could be broken, because of what people had told him about Cormier’s past in wrestling. Izzy Martinez, Jones’ wrestling coach, was the one who passed that onto him.
“I talked to people and people tell you, ‘Yeah you know Daniel Cormier used to do some things that not some of the other guys did,'” Martinez told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour.” “I’m not here to bash Daniel Cormier. He’s a great guy. But we found some weaknesses. I told Jon that he had weaknesses and I emphasized it. I emphasized that you can break him, because I’ve seen him break before. That was part of training camp, just explaining to Jon that he is not invincible like they’re portraying him. No one’s invincible.”
The biggest key to Jones’ victory in the wrestling aspect of Saturday’s fight was his positioning. Martinez said Jones had great hand control, shoulder position and head position. Jones used his height and reach advantages beautifully. Plus, he stymied Cormier’s explosiveness by controlling his wrist constantly.
“If you can’t slow them down by grabbing their neck, you can’t slow them down by grabbing their elbow, you slow them down by grabbing their wrist,” Martinez said.
“I don’t care how good of a shape you’re in and I don’t care how big of a grind you think you push, when you get out of your comfort zone and you start getting frustrated you, you break and we saw that. Jon did an excellent job in just doing what Jon does. He hand-fights great.”
The comments Jones made about breaking Cormier and saying that he hoped Cormier was “somewhere crying” after the loss seemed somewhat out of character — at least publicly. Martinez said he empathized with Jones and how emotional this fight was for him.
“I understand how he feels,” Martinez said. “Daniel Cormier and King Mo and those guys, his crew that he hangs out with, those guys are confident. They’re proud guys. They’re big-time wrestlers. So those guys, they would have been talking sh*t. He has a manager that would have never shut up. Those guys would have been relentless on Jon Jones. They would have been relentless on Izzy Style wrestling. Just because we come from a junior-college background and our dreams got cut short, but there’s didn’t. I get where Jon is coming from. I’m not here to bash anyone, but I don’t feel sorry for people either.”
Everyone always seems to be trying to figure out who the real Jones is. Martinez vouched for his pupil, saying that Jones is a family man and good guy. This fight, and Cormier in particular, just brought out the ire in him.
“Cormier talked a lot of trash and so did his camp and his little boxing coach,” Martinez said. “It was a lot. And we know that they would have been doing the same thing. So I think that Jon Jones was just kind of answering questions with a little more emotion than he usually does. It was emotional for him. It was a big win for him. It was a great win for our team.”
Jones said Saturday night that he hoped Cormier would earn his way back so he could “whoop him again.” Martinez reiterated that Monday. Jones would like to take Cormier on again — and win even more decisively.
“He wants to fight him again,” Martinez said. “He wants to finish guys like that. We got work to do. We’re excited to get back to work.”
Lost in all of the hype surrounding the growing number of title contenders atop of the UFC lightweight division is former champion Benson Henderson.
Henderson, a former WEC lightweight champion, has one of the most spotless records in MMA and def…
Lost in all of the hype surrounding the growing number of title contenders atop of the UFC lightweight division is former champion Benson Henderson.
Henderson, a former WEC lightweight champion, has one of the most spotless records in MMA and defended his title three times before dropping his strap to Anthony Pettis in a surprise armbar loss at UFC 164. Since then, the MMA Lab fighter has rebounded with wins over Josh Thomson and RustamKhabilov, the latter being his first finish inside the UFC. But it was his first knockout defeat, at the hands of No. 1 contender Rafael dos Anjos, that has been cinched in the minds of many.
The 31-year-old has suffered a slight setback in his career, going 2-2 in a one-year span, and takes on No. 10-ranked Eddie Alvarez in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night on January 18 in Boston.
Despite being finished twice, Bendo remains one of the most talented lightweights and doesn’t have much ground to cover to go after the title once again. His matchup against the former Bellator lightweight titleholder is the first peg in his climb back up the 155-pound pecking order.
Alvarez has long been considered one of the premier lightweights in the game, which is why the UFC finally landed the Blackzilians stud last summer. He holds notable wins over Michael Chandler, ShinyaAoki and Pat Curran.
The 30-year-old began his career 11 years ago as an undersized welterweight before moving down to the 155-pound division in the Dream organization. Alvarez would then maintain a run that featured six finishes before he captured the Bellator 155-pound title.
One of the more physically imposing lightweights, like Henderson, Alvarez can—and typically does—dominate his opponents with his powerful strikes.
He brought hefty expectations with him into his Octagon debut against perennial lightweight contender Donald Cerrone, but “Cowboy” outlasted the power puncher Alvarez for a unanimous-decision victory. What Cerrone, and men like Bellator‘s Chandler, have been able to prove is that Alvarez can be picked apart and overwhelmed.
However, what they have also shown is that he is extremely durable and difficult to put away.
The road doesn’t get any easier if he ever expects to strap UFC gold around his waist when he faces Henderson in a couple of weeks. Henderson’s kicks and body shots are crippling. The damage they do internally and externally can be seen in his wars with Frankie Edgar.
If “Smooth” can batter the legs of Alvarez early in their fight, that will help negate the movement and takedown threat from the latter in the later rounds.
For Henderson, this rough stretch not only has to with his skills but also the talent-stacked lightweight division. There are arguably three fighters—Dos Anjos, Cerrone and KhabibNurmagomedov—who could all make a claim that they deserve a shot at the champion Pettis. It was a flying knee by Dos Anjos that sent Bendo on his slide.
The current crop of top contenders all have something different to offer foes, but most importantly, they all can turn it on and finish fights. We’ve yet to see that “next level” from Henderson, aside from his rear-naked choke of Khabilov, and even in that fight, he was roughed up and taken down several times. It’s time that he go back to the drawing board to try and channel the Bendo of WEC, where all but one of his wins were finishes.
With two more wins, Henderson can place himself right in the thick of the lightweight title picture again. He has the talent on the feet, the clinch and the guard to halt any offense from Alvarez. He also has fought at the pinnacle of his sport for multiple years, but it would help to see a sense of urgency from the top-five lightweight.
On a card that features the main event of ConorMcGregor and Dennis Siver, the co-main event is looking like the much more competitive one.
It’s safe to say Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier don’t like each other. Even a five-round war for the UFC’s light heavyweight crown wasn’t enough to help sever this friendship that was likely never meant to be.
