Daniel Cormier pushed Jon Jones all night long at UFC 182 on Saturday, but it wasn’t to be. Jones is the class of the light heavyweight division and retained his championship title.
Cormier came out fast and kept a high pace through the early rounds, but he began to fade when the championship rounds hit. Jones took over the fight en route to the decision. It left Cormier broken and defeated. At the post-fight press conference, the emotions became too much.
The elite wrestler should not feel down for too long, because one look at the current light heavyweight landscape will show him that he is not far off from a rematch.
The winner of the upcoming bout between Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson will determine the next contender. That is almost a certainty. After those two contenders, the ranks are nearly depleted.
Rashad Evans is still recovering from injury. Phil Davis looked awful against Johnson. Glover Teixeira was defeated soundly by Jones, and Ryan Bader is only on a three-fight win streak over non-Top 10 competition. One win, or maybe two, for Cormier would put him right back in the catbird seat.
Cormier’s next fight will most likely still be against a Top 15 light heavyweight, but it should be a favorable matchup for him. A win there should put him right back into a title eliminator fight—or even possibly a title rematch right away, should all the pieces fall into place.
A big question mark will be the health of Cormier’s knee. If he addresses that issue, we do not know how long the contender will be on the shelf.
Jones’ dominance at 205 pounds has made many of his past opponents non-factors. The manner in which he beat most of his opposition makes them unappealing contenders even with win streaks. That is why no one is talking about Bader being a title contender.
Cormier was competitive enough to make a rematch feasible. He showed a champion’s heart and demonstrated that he can create issues for Jones while even at a physical disadvantage.
If the Jones-Cormier rematch becomes a realistic possibility in late 2015 or early 2016, the UFC will have another marquee fight on the docket. This rivalry will continue to draw the interest from hardcore and casual fans alike. And that is one of the main reasons Cormier can jump right back into title contention.
It was a rough night for the challenger, but Jones and the title are still within sight. The loss at UFC 182 did not erase Cormier from the title picture. He is good enough, and intelligent enough, to make the right adjustments to challenge Jones even more in a rematch.
The two talented fighters must win their next couple of fights, but the rematch is close, thanks to a weak division.
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