Rightly or otherwise, there is an air of illegitimacy hanging over the UFC light heavyweight division.
Jon Jones might be the best MMA fighter ever. Until he returns to action—his current suspension ends in July—the belt feels a little, well, interim-y.
That may not sound fair to Daniel Cormier, the undisputed champion of the division (though he lost when he faced Jones in 2015. It’s certainly not fair to the main event of UFC 210, in which Cormier defended said title in a rematch with power-striking terror Anthony Johnson on Saturday.
The wrestling of Cormier and the furious, short-fused knockouts of Johnson provided a compelling stylistic contrast, whether Jones loomed over it or not. (He will, one can assume, almost surely face the winner next.)
Still, most of the fight-week intrigue was drummed up by the New York State Athletic Commission. That’s not ideal. More on that momentarily.
Back in the cage, the co-main event featured ex-champ Chris Weidman and the streaking Gegard Mousasi battling to gain headway at the crowded top of the middleweight division.
As always, there was intrigue up and down this card, and the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC 210, which went down in Buffalo, New York.
Full card results appear at the end of the article.