After that, Cormier says he’ll demand an immediate title shot against the winner of Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, which UFC President Dana White has implied he deserves. Cormier, who stays chubby all year round and had a near-death experience cutting weight as a wrestler before his second Olympic games in 2008, “is now confident he can easily make the weight cut,” according to MMA Fighting.
Also, if he beats Nelson, “Cormier said that after the fight he will publicly ask the UFC in the cage to “cut the line,” MMA Fighting reports.
(Who needs a tale-of-the-tape when we have the magic of Photoshop?)
After that, Cormier says he’ll demand an immediate title shot against the winner of Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, which UFC President Dana White has implied he deserves. Cormier, who stays chubby all year round and had a near-death experience cutting weight as a wrestler before his second Olympic games in 2008, “is now confident he can easily make the weight cut,” according to MMA Fighting.
Also, if he beats Nelson, “Cormier said that after the fight he will publicly ask the UFC in the cage to “cut the line,” MMA Fighting reports.
Of course, all these well-laid plans can only mean one thing — Cormier is going to get smashed by Nelson. Sad, because we were picking D.C. before all this.
If Cormier somehow manages to survive the “looking past your current opponent” curse, do you think there’s a more deserving light heavyweight out there, nation? We can’t really think of a more compelling match up with champion Jon Jones at this point. All reasonable suggestions will be considered.
Listen, we know that Jones is coming off of a brutal ass-kicking and nasty injury at the hands of Chael Sonnen, but while Jon needs his toe to balance himself and pivot, he doesn’t need it to do a crunch or to put down the tray of hoagies he’s evidently eating for every meal. Any serious athlete knows that when you’re laid up with an injury, you have to be even more careful with your diet so as not to get all soft, nasty and well, Jones-like.
Seriously though, we’d hate to see one of the most gifted and best young fighters in history be brought down by his own unwillingness to do what is needed in the off season: Staying disciplined, improving himself and thus being better prepared for his next battle. Champions like Georges St. Pierre, Randy Couture and Bernard Hopkins stay in shape year-round, and improve their skills in the off-season so that during training camps they can concentrate on tactics, strategy and sharpening their swords.
Their results and longevity speak for themselves. Champions like Ricky Hatton and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, on the other hand, are world-class talents who get fat in between fights and use their training camps as extreme weight-loss science experiments.
Listen, we know that Jones is coming off of a brutal ass-kicking and nasty injury at the hands of Chael Sonnen, but while Jon needs his toe to balance himself and pivot, he doesn’t need it to do a crunch or to put down the tray of hoagies he’s evidently eating for every meal. Any serious athlete knows that when you’re laid up with an injury, you have to be even more careful with your diet so as not to get all soft, nasty and well, Jones-like.
Seriously though, we’d hate to see one of the most gifted and best young fighters in history be brought down by his own unwillingness to do what is needed in the off season: Staying disciplined, improving himself and thus being better prepared for his next battle. Champions like Georges St. Pierre, Randy Couture and Bernard Hopkins stay in shape year-round, and improve their skills in the off-season so that during training camps they can concentrate on tactics, strategy and sharpening their swords.
Their results and longevity speak for themselves. Champions like Ricky Hatton and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, on the other hand, are world-class talents who get fat in between fights and use their training camps as extreme weight-loss science experiments.
Given the lofty terms with which Jones has always used to speak of his own ambition and professional dreams, we assumed he was willing to do the basic level maintenance work of not looking like your uncle Freddy — or his brother Arthur — in between fights. Increasingly, however, it has become clear that Jones might not be too concerned with staying in shape between fights.
Not to beat a dead horse, but we know the guy likes to party between fights, and now we also know he is probably chasing those drinks with a good deal of frosting. What are the chances that Alexander Gustafsson is fat and out of shape right now, eight weeks before his world title fight with Jones? Jon has a bulls-eye on his back, and it is getting wider by the minute.
How about some MMA news that doesn’t involve a fighter/manager sticking his foot in his mouth?
Yesterday, it was announced that Jon Jones will meet his next challenge in the form of Swedish wrecking machine Alexander Gustafssonat UFC 165 in September. Your reaction was the typical mix of childish enthusiasm and overwhelming positivity that we’ve come to expect: “I don’t think he has a chance!” one of you emphatically declared, “This is a dumb fight,” praised another, “blah blah blah Bones should fight at heavyweight,” chimed in a third. Damn, does anything truly put a smile on your faces?
In any case, the early gambling lines seem to agree with most of you Taters that, yes, Jones vs. Gustafsson is nothing more than the latest in a seriesofsquashmatches that have constituted the Bones Era. With the matchup still months away, Jones has already opened as a -800 favorite to Gustafsson’s +500 odds. Ouch.
How about some MMA news that doesn’t involve a fighter/manager sticking his foot in his mouth?
Yesterday, it was announced that Jon Jones will meet his next challenge in the form of Swedish wrecking machine Alexander Gustafssonat UFC 165 in September. Your reaction was the typical mix of childish enthusiasm and overwhelming positivity that we’ve come to expect: “I don’t think he has a chance!” one of you emphatically declared, “This is a dumb fight,” praised another, “blah blah blah Bones should fight at heavyweight,” chimed in a third. Damn, does anything truly put a smile on your faces?
In any case, the early gambling lines seem to agree with most of you Taters that, yes, Jones vs. Gustafsson is nothing more than the latest in a seriesofsquashmatches that have constituted the Bones Era. With the matchup still months away, Jones has already opened as a -800 favorite to Gustafsson’s +500 odds. Ouch.
Personally, I think Gustafsson’s size should at the very least prevent him from getting absolutely manhandled by the champ, and expect to see that window slightly narrow as UFC 165 approaches. That being said, Gustafsson hasn’t really proved that he has eliminated the hole in his submission defense Phil Davis was able to exploit at UFC 112. I’m not saying that he hasn’t, but his recent wins over Vladdy, Thiago Silva and “Shogun” Rua were largely contested on the feet.
Sure, “The Mauler” has two UFC submission victories to his credit, but they came over James Te Huna and Cyrille Diabate, two fighters who aren’t exactly known for their submission prowess. Jones may make the claim that Jiu-Jitsu is his weakest area, but that hasn’t stopped him from submitting such BJJ black belts as Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida, so Gustafsson better be prepared for the champ’s creative grappling attack to say the least.
So, Potato Nation, do these early odds actually make you want to risk placing a small bet on “The Mauler” or do they have you heading for the nearest exit?
The last time we saw Bones in the Octagon, he was trying not freak out about the destroyed toe he accidentally sustained during his UFC 159 whupping of Chael Sonnen. But luckily, the digit was simply dislocated, which has made a five-month turnaround between fights a possibility. By the way, this will be the third time in two years that Jones has competed at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto; he previously made belt-defenses against Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort at the venue.
The last time we saw Bones in the Octagon, he was trying not freak out about the destroyed toe he accidentally sustained during his UFC 159 whupping of Chael Sonnen. But luckily, the digit was simply dislocated, which has made a five-month turnaround between fights a possibility. By the way, this will be the third time in two years that Jones has competed at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto; he previously made belt-defenses against Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort at the venue.
The last time we saw Bones in the Octagon, he was trying not freak out about the destroyed toe he accidentally sustained during his UFC 159 whupping of Chael Sonnen. But luckily, the digit was simply dislocated, which has made a five-month turnaround between fights a possibility. By the way, this will be the third time in two years that Jones has competed at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto; he previously made belt-defenses against Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort at the venue.
The last time we saw Bones in the Octagon, he was trying not freak out about the destroyed toe he accidentally sustained during his UFC 159 whupping of Chael Sonnen. But luckily, the digit was simply dislocated, which has made a five-month turnaround between fights a possibility. By the way, this will be the third time in two years that Jones has competed at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto; he previously made belt-defenses against Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort at the venue.
According to a tweet sent out by UFC Central, Dana White expects Georges St. Pierre to make his next title defense against Johny Hendricks in October, although no date or venue have been determined. Similarly, UFC Tonight recently reported that Jon Jones’ camp expected the light heavyweight champion to be fully recovered from the gnarly toe injury he suffered at UFC 159 and back in action in October, preferably against #1 ranked contender Alexander Gustafsson. This, of course, can only mean one thing: DOUBLE TITLE-FIGHT SUPER-CARD.
Of course, the UFC also recently stated an interest in booking Jones against Anderson Silva at Cowboys Stadium in October, which can only mean one other possibility…
According to a tweet sent out by UFC Central, Dana White expects Georges St. Pierre to make his next title defense against Johny Hendricks in October, although no date or venue have been determined. Similarly, UFC Tonight recently reported that Jon Jones’ camp expected the light heavyweight champion to be fully recovered from the gnarly toe injury he suffered at UFC 159 and back in action in October, preferably against #1 ranked contender Alexander Gustafsson. This, of course, can only mean one thing: DOUBLE TITLE-FIGHT SUPER-CARD.
Of course, the UFC also recently stated an interest in booking Jones against Anderson Silva at Cowboys Stadium in October, which can only mean one other possibility…
TRIPLE TITLE-FIGHT SUPERFIGHT SUPER-CARD.
I apologize for crashing your browser, but when presented with such clear, infallible evidence as the information above, I tend to let my excitement get the best of me. Plus, it’s a slow news day, and what do you want me to do, write another article about that Yuri Alcantara fellow everyone’s been raving about?
OK, one last one.
We now return to your regularly scheduled programming.
