Like many MMA fans, I’d love to see Jon Jones fight Alexander Gustafsson again, but the bout with Daniel Cormier Saturday in Las Vegas at UFC 182 is Bones’ defining fight. We may never see a more genuinely hate-charged buildup for a bout.
I’ve seen plenty of fights in boxing and MMA where the hype was about as real as a unicorn. Call me gullible, but I’m a believer in the bad blood between Bones and DC. Apparently, I’m not alone—Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter and Jonathan Snowden are apparently all in as well.
The atmosphere the two fighter’s volatile relationship has set up is great for the sport, but it adds a potentially harmful element for Jones. Can he fight mad?
Stakes Are High
Obviously, Jones is defending his title, but the stakes are higher than the belt. Jones already owns the record for most title defenses of the light heavyweight crown. He’s just three wins short of tying Anderson Silva’s overall mark.
If he wins Saturday, it might be a while before another legitimate threat arises. If Gustafsson gets past Anthony “Rumble” Johnson later this month, then a rematch with him seems like the next fight. With a second look, it seems as if Jones could make a rematch with Gustafsson look a little easier than the first bout.
Bones could be on his way to becoming the greatest fighter of all time.
Aside from records and titles, Jones’ pride is on the line. He and Cormier can’t stand each other, and that obviously brings about a tension. Jones put it best in this interview with UFC.com’s Matt Parrino when he said, “no one wants to lose to someone you don’t like.”
Because of that dynamic, Jones will be under even more pressure than usual.
Cormier‘s Wrestling
Jones has faced guys like Chael Sonnen and Rashad Evans. Both are tremendous wrestlers, yet neither of them are on Cormier‘s level in that regard.
When it comes to technique and brute strength, you would be hard-pressed to find any fighter—regardless of weight class—with a better wrestling base than Cormier.
He knows who he is, and he’ll bring that into the Octagon as his ace in the hole. Jones has shown the tendency to try and beat opponents at their own game. If he does that against Cormier, he’ll be playing in the lion’s den.
Cormier‘s Fighting I.Q.
Usually, Jones is the smartest man in the cage. That might not be the case when he faces Cormier. DC is a thinking man’s fighter, and he’s able to process information and incorporate it quickly in a fight.
Cormier has been so dominant that he hasn’t had to adapt much in the cage, but his game plans have been impeccable against the likes of Roy Nelson, Dan Henderson and others. Cormier used movement and kicks to keep Nelson off balance before going in for the kill.
Against Henderson, Cormier‘s takedown techniques and speed advantage made the future Hall of Famer and Greco-Roman wrestler look like an amateur.
Finding a way to beat Jones will be Cormier‘s biggest assignment, but the same can also be said for Jones. The winner of this bout be determined by the fighter who wins the chess match and not just the scrap.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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