The light heavyweight bout between Jon “Bones” Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 is arguably the most highly anticipated fight ever, and there has been no shortage of hype leading up to it.
MMA fans have had an extra long wait for this contest since Jones was forced to pull out of the original fight at UFC 178. That has only served to build even more excitement, though, and things are finally set to come to a head Saturday in Las Vegas.
The importance of this fight is lost on no one, but it becomes even clearer when looking at the combatants’ respective resumes, as provided by Bleacher Report MMA:
In addition to that, Jones and Cormier simply don’t like each other. They have made disparaging remarks and even nearly come to blows, which is why so many fans can’t wait to see what happens when they finally get their hands on one another.
As seen in this photo at UFC 182 media day, there is no love lost between two of the best fighters the sport has to offer:
Jones and Cormier dislike each other so much, in fact, that they even argued during the UFC 182 fighter meeting, courtesy of UFC president Dana White Instagram account (Some language NSFW):
It is blatantly obvious that neither Jones nor Cormier are afraid to talk trash to each other, but they have both made their feelings known in the media as well.
Jones is widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, but he’ll be facing an opponent who never lost. Cormier has deservedly received plenty of praise, however, Jones intends to make him seem ordinary, according to UFC’s official Twitter account:
Cormier clearly doesn’t like Jones, but he acknowledged that both he and his opponent are winners, and neither of them intend to go down at UFC 182:
At the same time, though, DC made it clear that Jones’ usual tactics of trying to get in the his opponent’s head won’t work on him:
From a technical perspective, this fight is quite appealing due to the fact that Jones and Cormier have very different styles. Jones is an excellent striker with some submission chops as well, while Cormier is a mat mauler who draws on his amateur wrestling experience.
Despite the fact that most assume Cormier has a significant advantage when he and his opponent are grounded, Jones wants to prove that he can excel in that area as well, per Jon Anik of Fox Sports 1:
Jones is favored to defeat Cormier, according to OddsShark, but this has the feeling of a bout that could truly go either way.
With that said, James Lynch of Sportsnet leans toward Jones due to the fact that he has a more versatile skill set than his undefeated counterpart:
Regardless of who ultimately wins the fight, though, there is no doubt that this rivalry has been great for the sport. Jones and Cormier are both elite competitors, and they have done a great job of generating interest in UFC 182.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden believes that Jones vs. Cormier is a fight that every true MMA fan absolutely must watch:
Similarly, Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com feels as though this particular contest is a perfect example of why UFC has become so popular over the years:
Jones and Cormier have a lot to live up to based on the lofty expectations for their clash, but both fighters always seem to be up to the challenge.
They have an opportunity to elevate their company and their sport to another level if they perform to their potential, and every indication is that they will do precisely that.
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