LAS VEGAS — Of the many UFC “rivalries” over the years, 98 percent of them are fake, created out of thin air for the purpose of selling pay-per-views.
We have heard endless stories of fighters who hate each other, only to see them hug after the fight and admit they were just trying to sell it. Fans are jaded when it comes to these kinds of things, and rightly so, because they have been burned before and expect to be burned again.
But when it comes to Saturday’s UFC 182 main event between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, they can rest assured that the hatred is 100 percent real.
This should be obvious to anyone who saw Jones and Cormier‘s faceoff devolve into a wild brawl in the lobby of the MGM Grand last summer. That moment created a sense of anticipation that arrives whenever Jones and Cormier are scheduled to face off again.
Will they fight outside the Octagon? Will newly minted UFC vice president of public relations Dave Sholler be sent flying through a backdrop? Will a reporter be hit in the face by a flying shoe?
These are all valid questions.
Jones and Cormier faced off without incident to close out Thursday’s Ultimate Media Day. Mostly. They strolled across the stage with purpose, which caused Dana White‘s spidey senses to start tingling.
“Neither one of those guys were stopping,” White said. “They were both coming forward, and they would have hit each other again. You gotta know that when guys are moving too fast, you have to get in there and stop them.”
White stepped between them, but Jones and Cormier stood inches from each other and unleashed verbal fireworks.
After what seemed like an eternity, White stepped back and told Jones and Cormier to face the crowd of media and photographers assembled in front of the stage. Out of habit, White walked to the side of the stage. Jones and Cormier turned back to face each other.
The tension in the room escalated, and White quickly jumped back between them.
After the conclusion of the media day, White met with a small group of reporters backstage in the MGM Grand Garden Arena. He said it was a mistake to allow Jones and Cormier to stand next to each other.
“That was really stupid. But it’s very rare that you can’t leave two guys there to stand shoulder to shoulder,” White said.
The build to the fight has been pitch-perfect. White never talks about PPV numbers in public, but said on Thursday that he expects the show to pull in about 750,000 buys.
After a rough 2014 in which PPV numbers were down across the board, a successful event would be a breath of fresh air for the UFC president, who returned to Las Vegas on Wednesday night after a trip to Los Angeles to promote the fight.
“Everywhere I went, people were talking about how they can’t wait for Saturday,” he said. “We had a rough year last year. We’re due for one of these.”
Gibson Confident in Star Pupil Jones
Brandon Gibson, the striking coach for Jones and other fighters at the famed Jackson/Winkeljohn gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says that Jones is better than he’s ever been.
“His cardio is better than I’ve ever seen. His mental fortitude and mindset going into this fight is the best I’ve ever seen. His weight right now, for Thursday of fight week is the best,” Gibson says. “His striking is sharp and polished, and we have new tools. He’s fantastic. I’m confident.”
The entire Jackson/Winkeljohn staff takes cues from Jackson, a massive history buff who has a habit of using military terminology when instructing his fighters.
Jackson approaches each fight like a chess match or a battle, and his goal is to give his fighters the ability to recognize certain openings and how to best take advantage of them. Gibson says Jones recognizes those openings and reacts to them better than anyone in the world.
The Jackson team also develops playbooks on each opponent, highlighting weakness and potential openings to exploit. Gibson says the playbooks take years to develop and are a constant work in progress.
“There are times we’ll be in certain camps and we’ll go back and look at the playbooks for Chael [Sonnen] or Rashad [Evans] or Shogun [Rua], and we’ll draw from them. Maybe there’s a seed we planted that wasn’t sown in that fight, but it can be in this fight,” he says. “So some of those past playbooks can inspire us. We have a lot of respect for AKA and DC. All of these guys are the best in the world, and we are striving to stay one step ahead of them.”
McGregor in Ireland Likely up Next
White also confirmed that surging UFC star Conor McGregor will earn a title shot with a win over Dennis Siver on January 18.
I asked White to confirm recent rumors (via the Irish Mirror) that the UFC has a hold on Dublin’s Croke Park in May.
“Interesting,” he said. He would not confirm or deny the reports, but the smile on his face said everything. “You know that place is a 90,000-seat arena? We could sell it out with McGregor.”
White also said that the Boston event—McGregor‘s first big main event in the United States—will be a sellout. It is clear that White believes in McGregor‘s ability to draw a crowd and said it would be a hallmark fight for the featherweight division.
“It will be the biggest fight that division’s ever had,” he said. “And it will be the biggest payday [Jose] Aldo’s ever had.”
Cerrone Relaxed in Spotlight
The first Donald Cerrone fight I covered live was WEC 43, when he challenged Benson Henderson for the WEC lightweight title.
The Cerrone I interacted with during that fight week in San Antonio is far different than the Cerrone you see today. Back then, he was tense and angry, traits he says were relics left over from his days as a kickboxer.
Today, he is relaxed. Clad in jeans, a camouflage jacket and a very large gold belt buckle, Cerrone clearly does not feel the pressure that comes with being in a high-profile bout. It is the first time his opponent, Myles Jury, has been in such a prominent position.
Cerrone used to feel the nerves he says Jury is likely experiencing, but those days are long gone.
“I’m just living life and having fun,” Cerrone says.
For his part, Jury told me he is not feeling any added pressure.
“It’s not overwhelming. I was in The Ultimate Fighter 15 for three months. I fought in the co-main event in my last fight,” Jury says. “I mean, it’s more than I’ve ever done before, but it’s not overwhelming.”
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