Jon Jones was not impressed by your performance against Dan Henderson, Mr. Daniel Cormier.
At UFC 173 in May of 2014, Cormier solidified himself as the No. 1 contender to Jones’ strap by decimating Hendo via third-round submission. After repeatedly tossing Henderson to the mat like a child (no, seriously) throughout the fight, Cormier cranked the intensity and strangled his foe into unconsciousness with a rear-naked choke.
The win was dominant. It was hard to watch, even. It was a one-sided beatdown the likes of which we rarely see between two legitimate professional fighters.
And it was thoroughly unimpressive, if you ask the division’s king.
On a recent episode of UFC Presents, Bad Blood: Jones vs. Cormier, Jones talked about Cormier‘s showdown with Henderson, saying that if DC expects to waltz to the title with similar ease at UFC 182 on Jan. 3, he’s in for a rude awakening (transcription via MMAfighting.com’s David St. Martin).
“Your last fight was against Dan Henderson,” Jones told Cormier on the show. “You beat a guy that’s 50 years old and now you step in against a 27-year-old who’s going to come in there at 227 pounds healthy, young and athletic. If he thinks he’s getting in there against a Dan Henderson, or if that’s giving him any type of sense of security where he thinks he’s just going to rule the light heavyweight division, he’s sadly mistaken.”
Jones, however, did not stop there. He continued to lay it on Cormier and the former Pride champion Henderson, upping the trash-talk to the tune of one decade.
“He (Cormier) beat Dan Henderson, who’s like a 60-year old, and started talking trash to me on the mic right away,” Jones aid. “I’m going to give him what he’s wanted and that’s an opportunity to get his butt whooped by me.”
While Cormier was the last Strikeforce heavyweight champion before the organization folded, he has yet to fight for the title inside the UFC Octagon. He was a top contender at heavyweight, winning his first two UFC appearances against Frank Mir and Roy Nelson via decision, but he dropped to light heavyweight to continue his quest for gold.
There, Cormier rattled off two more wins, this time finishing his opponents with relative ease. Patrick Cummins was first up at UFC 171. Cormier obliterated him via first-round TKO. Henderson was next.
Jones, meanwhile, took over the light heavyweight class at UFC 128 in March of 2011 and hasn’t looked back.
Seven title defenses, four over former UFC champions, made him the most dominant 205-pounder of all time—and he’s still only 27 years old.
With these resumes and so much back-and-forth verbal (and physical) abuse from both Cormier and Jones, UFC 182 is one of the most anticipated fight cards since UFC 168, where UFC middleweight legend Anderson Silva rematched 185-pound champ Chris Weidman in an attempt to recapture his belt.
Who do you think will walk away with the light heavyweight strap? Will Jones reign supreme once more, or is Cormier the man to finally end his stay atop the division?
Sound off below, and we’ll discuss this titanic 205-pound matchup.
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