Jon Jones harnessed his inner professional wrestler after defeating Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 — though “defeating” is wording it a bit lightly. Jon Jones outclassed Cormier throughout most of the fight. He even managed to trump the Olympic wrestler in the takedown and clinch-work department throughout the 25-minute ordeal.
But the coup de grace wasn’t any martial arts technique, it was a classic homage to professional wrestling that came after the bell:
Get more on Jones-Cormier and the fight card’s complete results after the jump!
Jon Jones harnessed his inner professional wrestler after defeating Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 — though “defeating” is wording it a bit lightly. Jon Jones outclassed Cormier throughout most of the fight. He even managed to trump the Olympic wrestler in the takedown and clinch-work department throughout the 25-minute ordeal.
But the coup de grace wasn’t any martial arts technique, it was a classic homage to professional wrestling that came after the bell:
You’re seeing it right. Jon Jones pulled off a classic D-Generation X “crotch chop” circa late 90′s WWE. This gesture wasn’t just for show. In Jones’ post-fight interview, he apologized for being classless but insisted he had to be that way in order to convey his intense dislike for Cormier. Like Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier legitimately did not like one another. We’re sure Jones will sleep extra well tonight, while the next thousand nights of Cormier’s life will be spent sleeplessly wondering about what he could’ve done differently.
On that note, here are the rest of UFC 182′s results. If you’re interested in a punch-by-punch recap of the admittedly lackluster card, read our full recap here.
Main Card
Jon Jones def. Daniel Cormier via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46).
Donald Cerrone def. Myles Jury via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Brad Tavares def. Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Louis Gaudinot via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
Hector Lombard def. Josh Burkman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Preliminary Card
Paul Felder def. Danny Castillo via KO (spinning back fist), round 2, 2:09.
Cody Garbrandt def. Marcus Brimage via TKO (punches), round 3, 4:50.
Shawn Jordan def. Jared Cannonier via KO (punches), round 1, 2:57.
Evan Dunham def. Rodrigo Damm via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Omari Akhmedov def. Mats Nilsson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Marion Reneau def. Alexis Dufresne via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
Twitter personality Front Row Brian was first to break the news, not Ariel Helwani and Fox like some might say.
Pettis last fought at UFC 181 in December, thrashing Gilbert Melendez and submitting him in the second round with a guillotine choke.
Dos Anjos, too, is coming off a hot victory. He dominated Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 13. Prior to that, he knocked out former lightweight champ Benson Henderson at UFC Fight Night 49.
While we were hoping for Pettis vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Pettis vs. dos Anjos isn’t a terrible booking decision either. We’re looking forward to this one.
Brock Lesnar will likely return to the UFC in 2015, but it won’t usher in a new golden age for MMA.
The news of Lesnar’s UFC return came recently. Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletterreported that “within the [WWE], the belief is that he’s going back to the UFC, and his showing up lighter to TV last week confirmed that to people who thought it.”
Earlier this year, UFC President Dana White expressed openness to a Lesnar return, and even claimed Lesnar was willing to return. “We have a great relationship with him,” said White. “We’ll see what happens.”
Furthermore, Lesnar’s longtime friend Paul Heyman noted this summer that Lesnar still has an intense drive to compete in the Octagon.
Unlike every other time Brock Lesnar’s name has been in the headlines over the last few years, this round of “Is Lesnar coming back” speculation isn’t a gimmick to drive up pageviews during a slow news week. This appears to be the real deal. Lesnar is coming back. However, unlike conventional wisdom would have you believe, it won’t do a damn thing to turn the UFC’s fortunes around.
(Brock Lesnar flashes a rare smile after being informed he’s the highest-paid 5-3 fighter of all time. / Photo via Getty)
Brock Lesnar will likely return to the UFC in 2015, but it won’t usher in a new golden age for MMA.
The news of Lesnar’s UFC return came recently. Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletterreported that “within the [WWE], the belief is that he’s going back to the UFC, and his showing up lighter to TV last week confirmed that to people who thought it.”
Earlier this year, UFC President Dana White expressed openness to a Lesnar return, and even claimed Lesnar was willing to return. “We have a great relationship with him,” said White. “We’ll see what happens.”
Furthermore, Lesnar’s longtime friend Paul Heyman noted this summer that Lesnar still has an intense drive to compete in the Octagon.
Unlike every other time Brock Lesnar’s name has been in the headlines over the last few years, this round of “Is Lesnar coming back” speculation isn’t a gimmick to drive up pageviews during a slow news week. This appears to be the real deal. Lesnar is coming back. However, unlike conventional wisdom would have you believe, it won’t do a damn thing to turn the UFC’s fortunes around.
The UFC’s PPV buys plummeted throughout 2014, hitting an estimated low of 115,000 for UFC 174. The 2014 yearly average for PPV buys was only 256,000 — about 200,000 lower than the previous three years. The UFC’s business soured so much Standard & Poor’s downgraded Zuffa’s credit rating and financial outlook.
MMA fans have problems interpreting numbers, so let me spell it out plainly: The UFC’s domestic popularity hasn’t been this low since before the Ultimate Fighter boom. The PPV market is collapsing. The FOX deal is not the UFC’s catapult to mainstream super-stardom we all thought it would be. Casual fans have fled MMA, only to return sparingly for free television shows and almost never for PPVs. The resolve of hardcore fans, tasked with keeping the sport alive during its dark times, is withering. These problems are a result of Zuffa’s oversaturation approach as well as the fading/retirement of old stars. I’ve discussed both these problemsnumeroustimes so I won’t repeat myself suffice it to say one man can’t fix the MMA marketplace in the United States.
Brock Lesnar last fought at UFC 141 in 2011 against Alistair Overeem. Care to guess the buyrate? A mediocre 535,000. UFC 91 in 2008 — the first event Lesnar headlined, this time against Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight title — drew 1,010,000 buys.
Only half as many people cared to see Lesnar in 2011 compared to 2009. So how many people will care in 2015, four years and thousands of brand-killing, generic, unfit-for-television-and-PPV fights (that still made it onto television and PPV) later? Furthermore, Lesnar is 37 now. The last memories people have of him in the cage are Alistair Overeem liquefying his intestines with a body kick and Cain Velasquez punching him so hard he did a hilarious pirouette across the cage. Even if the UFC matches Lesnar up against the Brendan Schaubs of the heavyweight division, it’s not likely given Lesnar’s age that his second UFC run will be longer than his first.
Think about it this way, MMA is in such a state that if Lesnar’s first PPV back draws 500k buys it’ll be a tremendous success. Four plus years ago that same number would’ve been an abject failure for someone of Lesnar’s name value.
Brock Lesnar’s return is not the salvation of MMA. It’s not the restoration of MMA’s golden age. It’s Zuffa throwing two or three fight’s worth of kindling onto a dying fire — LIVE for $59.99.
If you’re subscribed to UFC Fight Pass, there’s a chance your credit card data and password have been leaked courtesy of hackers claiming allegiance to Anonymous.
A twitter account bearing their name tweeted a link to a document containing tens of thousands of user names, passwords, and credit card numbers. However, other Anonymous members claimed this hack was not the work of the official group.
(“What do you want me to do? I’m in the fight business, not the website business. Besides, I’m not afraid of these goofy Internet fucks.” / Photo via Getty)
If you’re subscribed to UFC Fight Pass, there’s a chance your credit card data and password have been leaked courtesy of hackers claiming allegiance to Anonymous.
A twitter account bearing their name tweeted a link to a document containing tens of thousands of user names, passwords, and credit card numbers. However, other Anonymous members claimed this hack was not the work of the official group.
The hackers — whatever Internet faction they belonged to — targeted more than just the UFC, however. As the Daily Dotnoted, the leaks included Xbox Live, Sony’s Playstation Network, Twitch TV, Amazon, Walmart, and Hulu Plus.
We recommend you change your passwords as soon as possible, as well as check for any suspicious activity on the credit card you used to sign up for Fight Pass.
It’s unfortunate, but it a mass data leak from UFC Fight pass was inevitable. As Iain Kidd noted back in January, the UFC’s digital security measures were lax at best. And given that the UFC feuded with Anonymous briefly in 2012, it would’ve been a good idea to strengthen security measures. This incident was preventable, but it’s too late now. So all we can do is just hope for the best, and be careful about giving the UFC any of our information in the future.
The UFC announced Rampage’s return to the company during the UFC Fight Night 58 broadcast Saturday night, though rumors had circulated days before the official announcement.
The legal implications of the signing are more interesting than any of the in-cage ones since Scott Cokertweeted Rampage was still under contract to Bellator and that the promotion would protect its rights in court.
However, Rampage posted a statement to his website Sunday claiming he legally voided his contract with Bellator. Get it after the jump.
(Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in 2016, after he fights twice in the UFC, complains about bad matchmaking and other (perhaps non-existent) slights, leaves, and re-signs with Bellator. / Photo via Getty)
The UFC announced Rampage’s return to the company during the UFC Fight Night 58 broadcast Saturday night, though rumors had circulated days before the official announcement.
The legal implications of the signing are more interesting than any of the in-cage ones since Scott Cokertweeted Rampage was still under contract to Bellator and that the promotion would protect its rights in court.
After five months of grueling negotiations and gray-area contract talks with Bellator MMA and parent-company Viacom, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson officially terminates his contract with the up-and-coming promotion citing multiple breaches since the removal of President and Founder Bjorn Rebney. Jackson exercises a clause in the agreement that allows for a 45-day window to satisfy any contract dispute. Bellator MMA, failing to fulfill the requests of Jackson, was put on notice, failed to respond and eventually notified that negotiations were officially terminated.
Jackson’s U.K.-based fight manager and Wolfslair Academy founder Anthony McGann confirms, late Saturday night, that “Rampage has indeed signed with the UFC.” Details of the deal have not been made public. Jackson was available for comment late Saturday night from his Laguna Hills, CA training center Rampage Family Fitness and provided the following: “I went to the UFC and we put a deal together that worked out for both of us. I’m excited to be here. The UFC had nothing to do with me leaving Bellator. I was done with Bellator when I made the final call and they still didn’t do what they had to do contractually. I wish those guys the best but I’m where I belong.
Rampage posted a link to the statement in a tweet reading “Official statement on my UFC signing and what’s happening at RampageJackson.com (so Scott Coker can shut up).”
The ensuing legal battle is going to be more interesting than anything Rampage does in the Octagon, so stay tuned.
Machida ran through Dollaway like Grant took Richmond. Seriously, the fight was reminiscent of Machida’s 2012 performance against Ryan Bader but even more devastating and one-sided. After being hit with a body kick from Machida, Dollaway recoiled back to the cage and turtled. Machida followed up with vicious strikes. Dollaway crumpled to the mat. The fight was over before it started.
See Renan Barao choke out Mitch Gagnon after the jump.
Sick of watching the same NOS and Metro PCS commercials 4,000 times just to watch one or two good fights on a Fox Sports 1 card?
Machida ran through Dollaway like Grant took Richmond. Seriously, the fight was reminiscent of Machida’s 2012 performance against Ryan Bader but even more devastating and one-sided. After being hit with a body kick from Machida, Dollaway recoiled back to the cage and turtled. Machida followed up with vicious strikes. Dollaway crumpled to the mat. The fight was over before it started.
Mitch Gagnon fought more competitively against Renan Barao despite losing. Barao seemed sluggish in the first round and a half, not steamrolling over Gagnon like many (including us) expected. However, Barao’s fighting acumen snowballed as the contest dragged on, culminating in a third-round submission victory via arm-triangle choke. A good win, but Barao will need to show up about 20x better if he’s going to avenge his loss to bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw.
Oh, and by the way, the UFC announced they resigned Quinton “Rampage” Jackson during the fight card. We’re not kidding, though we wish we were. Read more here.
The fight card’s complete results are below:
Main Card
Lyoto Machida def. C.B. Dollaway via TKO (kick and punches) (1st, 1:02).
Renan Barao def. Mitch Gagnon via submission (arm triangle) (3rd, 3:53).
Patrick Cummins def. Antonio Carlos Junior via unanimous decision (30-27 x3).
Rashid Magomedov def. Elias Silverio via TKO (punches) (3rd, 4:57).
Erick Silva def. Mike Rhodes via submission (arm triangle) (1st, 1:15).
Daniel Sarafian def. Antonio dos Santos Jr. via TKO (finger injury) (2nd, 1:01).
Preliminary Card
Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Igor Pokrajac via TKO (punches) (1st, 1:59).
Renato Carneiro def. Tom Niinimaki via submission (rear-naked choke) (2nd, 3:30).
Hacran Dias def. Darren Elkins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Leandro Issa def. Yuta Sasaki via submission (neck crank) (2nd, 4:13).
Tim Means def. Marcio Alexandre via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Vitor Miranda def. Jake Collier via knockout (head kick and punches), (1st, 4:55)
