The UFC featured two bouts with serious implications on the title picture in their respective divisions.
The first, of course, was literally for the belt. Daniel Cormier aimed to take Jon Jones’ strap in a bout that was among the most highly anticipated in UFC history. The other featured two lightweight contenders who were looking to earn a shot at current 155-pound kingpin Anthony Pettis.
By the end of a long night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, two of those fighters made big statements. Two more walked away disappointed.
Here’s a look at what the results mean for each of the card’s top fighters.
Myles Jury: Not a Star Quite Yet
Myles Jury came into UFC 182 with the ability to make a huge statement. At 26 years old and coming off back-to-back wins over Diego Sanchez and Takanori Gomi, he had earned a shot at co-main eventing a card against the likes of Donald Cerrone.
It turned out he wasn’t ready to win that kind of fight, though.
Jury was outclassed by the 31-year-old wherever the fight went. Jury’s takedown was quickly nullified by Cerrone taking his back and working for submissions for the majority of the round. When Jury tried to make it a kickboxing bout in the second round, Cerrone won that too with vicious leg kicks.
The Cowboy finally got a takedown of his own in the third round. He converted his lone attempt to get the fight to the mat, according to FightMetric.
That would complete the domination trifecta as Cerrone cruised to a unanimous decision.
This doesn’t mean that Jury is a chump. His skills had spoken for themselves on the way to a 15-0 record. It simply means he isn’t ready for the big time quite yet. He’ll need to go back to the drawing board, earn a few victories and work on rounding out his game to be a real player in the lightweight division.
Donald Cerrone: Give the Man a Title Shot (or Whatever Fight He Wants)
You’d be hard-pressed to find too many people who weren’t impressed with Cowboy’s performance. But he would be one of them. UFC on Fox passed along his disappointment with the fight:
Unfortunately for the lightweight division, that means that the former WEC star is going to be looking to get back in the Octagon as soon as possible. He even asked UFC President Dana White about getting on a card in Denver that is set for Feb. 14:
Cerrone’s six-fight win streak includes an impressive enough litany to warrant a title shot as is. But that won’t stop Cowboy from adding to his list in order to stay active. Considering he fought four times in 2014, he isn’t the kind of fighter who is patient enough to sit around and wait for a title shot.
With another win possible in just a little more than a month, a title shot in 2015 shouldn’t be a surprise. It should be expected.
Daniel Cormier: Time for Some Soul-Searching
Everything Daniel Cormier did in his athletic career led up to his title shot at UFC 182. He understood that this was his chance to finally lay claim to being the best in the world at what he does.
“I’ve never been the best in the world at anything,” he told Jeremy Botter of Bleacher Report. “And this will probably be my last chance to do something and be the best in the world.”
Now, the question is, Can he do anything to work toward another shot? If so, does he have the ability to change the result?
Those are difficult questions to answer. At 35 years old, it’s going to take a sense of urgency.
Cormier had his successes in the bout. He was able to take a round on the scorecards and landed more significant strikes against Jones than anyone not named Alexander Gustafsson, per FightMetric.
Still, Jones was clearly the superior fighter, and Cormier acknowledged that, via MMAFighting:
It wouldn’t take much for Cormier to set up a rematch. Given the bad blood between these two and the lack of intriguing challengers outside of the winner of Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson, DC isn’t far from the top of the division.
A dominant win or two should do the trick. Can he really add anything to his game that would create a different result, though? At this point, it’s difficult to say that he could.
Jon Jones: On to the Next Challenge
There isn’t much left to say about Jones. The case for him as the greatest fighter of all time is already convincing. At this point he’s just protecting his legacy for the long term.
Any fighter who comes along in the future is going to have a hard time measuring up. At 27 years old he’s already dominated several former champions and can now add a former Olympian to his resume. What’s more, he continued his knack for beating challengers at their own game.
He didn’t just beat Cormier. He did it with clinch work and wrestling—the two places where DC theoretically had the advantage.
Now it’s on to the winner of a Jan. 24 bout between Gustafsson and Johnson. UFC on Fox reported that it will officially be the next match for Bones:
For Jones’ part, he’s hoping to see Johnson pull off the victory. He’s never fought the former welterweight and already owns a victory over the Swede:
It’s difficult to argue with a Gustafsson rematch being the more appealing option, though. The 6’5″ fighter can naturally negate Jones’ length and already gave him the toughest test of his career.
A rematch would be big business for the UFC and a chance for Jones to further cement his legacy. That’s a win-win for fans who either want to see the divisive champion continue building his reputation or finally taste defeat.
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