On the list of main event fights UFC could put together, Jon Jones defending the light heavyweight championship against Daniel Cormier would be right at the top. The two stars will finally lock horns at UFC 182 on Saturday night.
Jones is a controversial superstar with an ego to fill the Grand Canyon, while Cormier is the budding star looking to make a name for himself with the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion.
There’s certainly no love between the two fighters, as fans have seen dating back to the build for their originally scheduled bout in September and embedded in the video below, via MMAWeekly.com:
Given the way Jones has acted toward Cormier, as well as his arrogance over the years, fans have made him the fighter they love to hate. Cormier noted at the weigh-in on Friday he’s become the most popular fighter in the world because of his opponent, via Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports:
Last April, Jones told Marc Raimondi of FoxSports.com that he didn’t want to go full heel because he didn’t “want to quite accept that role” and he wants “to be the good guy.”
In the same piece, Jones’ manager Malki Kawa admitted to cluing his fighter in on some of the best heels in professional wrestling history:
I’ve shown him The Rock clips from the WWE when he turned heel. I showed him ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin against the authority or going against Vince McMahon and him maybe one day against [UFC president] Dana [White] type of [stuff].
…
He doesn’t want to be a heel, but he’s not going to be phony for anyone. So if that means what he believes or says is going to turn people off, he’s going to say it regardless.
Whether Jones has turned a corner on the heel role or note in the last eight months, he’s not going to be the fan-favorite on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Jones doesn’t need to be liked by everyone to retain his title, which seems to be the consensus from analysts around the web.
Dan Downes of UFC.com predicts a slow start for Jones against Cormier before he kicks it in gear during the second round:
Television cameras may catch Jon Jones off-guard, but Daniel Cormier won’t. Cormier has KO power, but I don’t see how he gets inside Jones’s reach. Even when he can generate offense, Cormier falls out of his stance. Heavyweights didn’t have the speed to take advantage of his miscues and neither did Cummins or Henderson. Jon Jones will make him pay for it. As Cormier loads up, Jones will slide out and counter with kicks, knees, and/or elbows. Jones will take damage because he’ll want to “prove a point” by out-wrestling Cormier, but he’ll eventually come to his senses and win by second-round TKO.
It’s no secret that Jones’ long limbs and reach give him a decided advantage over everyone in the sport. The champion has a reach of 84″, compared to 72″ for Cormier, which former UFC fighter Michael Guymon noted makes it difficult for the challenger even in training:
Elias Cepeda of FoxSports.com also believes that Jones will walk away with a victory but expects a much closer fight that ends at the judges’ table:
Cormier will have to be as quick against Jones as he was against heavyweight opponents, in order to press the champ backwards with prudent aggression. Jones largely backs straight up when attacked, instead of angling out.
If Cormier can hit angles on Jones and press him backwards, the champ will open himself up to takedowns and strikes.
If Cormier were four inches taller, we’d pick him to upset the champ. As is, he still stands a great chance of beating Jones.
Cormier is a standout wrestler who won’t be intimidated by Jones’ ability to work opponents to the ground. He’s proved to be a powerful striker, dating back to his time fighting as a heavyweight in Strikeforce, but the 35-year-old will have a hard time getting to Jones because of the reach difference.
Jones’ versatility is what makes him so lethal. He can attack opponents on the ground or standing up, showing no real weakness in either area. He can go from defense to offense in the blink of an eye. When you have so many ways to win a fight, it’s hard to think an upset is in store.
Prediction: Jones wins via third-round TKO
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