UFC 214 will take place tonight (July 29, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Anaheim, California, and the main event will feature arguably the biggest fight in the history of mixed martial arts, as light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and ex-titleholder Jon Jones will finally rematch after years of bad blood. Despite the magnitude of the main event, it isn’t the only pivotal light heavyweight match-up on the card.
In fact, the main card will be opened by a bout between No. 3-ranked Jimi Manuwa and No. 5-ranked Volkan Oezdemir, with the winner potentially earning a shot at the winner of Cormier vs. Jones.
Manuwa actually recently spoke with BloodyElbow.com about the main event of UFC 214, and he feels as if the bout ‘depends on which Jon Jones turns up’:
“I don’t know how Cormier is gonna do against him,” Manuwa said. “It depends on which Jon Jones turns up. Whether or not he was on drugs before, or if he’s not now or whatever, no one really knows. Only he and USADA know. I’m not here to put anyone down. Jon Jones is the greatest fighter probably to ever step foot into the Octagon, so you’ve got to give him his respect there.”
“It’s all about fighting, it’s not a personality contest. It’s not about seeing who’s got the best morals or whatever. Obviously, as a champion in the public eye, you’ve got to keep a certain standard of integrity, but ultimately, it all comes back to fighting.”
Cormier and Jones first fought at UFC 182 in Jan. 2015 in a fight in which Jones won via a one-sided unanimous decision. Over the last two years, however, he has only competed once due to a plethora of legal and personal issues that he’s run into.
Despite the layoff, Jones is the favorite heading into his rematch with Cormier, and Manuwa feels as if “Bones” can beat the former Olympian ‘ten out of ten times’. “Posterboy” also feels as if Cormier can only win the fight by taking the action to the ground:
“I believe Jones can beat Cormier eight out of ten times—even ten out of ten times,” he said. “I think Jon Jones has got his number, he really has. The only way Cormier can beat Jones is to take him down and grind him. He’s not going to knock him out because he’s unable to strike with him because Jones is too good a striker and too good at using his length and range.”
“Cormier is not a striker, he’s a messy stand-up fighter. He has to close the distance and try to take him down, but he couldn’t do it in the first fight, and I don’t believe he can do it now. Cormier hasn’t knocked someone out in—I can’t even remember the last time he knocked someone out.”
If Manuwa’s theory is correct, Cormier may be in trouble, as Jones actually out wrestled him in their first meeting.
How do you expect the fight to play out tonight?
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