Cormier vs. Gustafsson Results: Highlights and Reaction from UFC 192

Daniel Cormier showed his grit and toughness like never before, overcoming an incredible challenge from Alexander Gustafsson in a five-round slugfest to retain the light heavyweight title at UFC 192 in Houston on Saturday night.
The fight was so close …

Daniel Cormier showed his grit and toughness like never before, overcoming an incredible challenge from Alexander Gustafsson in a five-round slugfest to retain the light heavyweight title at UFC 192 in Houston on Saturday night.

The fight was so close that the judges couldn’t even agree on the outcome, producing a split-decision result in which Cormier won with scores of 49-46 and 48-47. One judge ruled it 48-47 in favor of Gustafsson, which wasn’t quite enough to pull off the upset.

As UFC notes, Cormier and Gustafsson took part in a bout that will immediately go down as a classic:

Cuts all over Gustafsson’s face and serious bleeding made it apparent that Cormier laid a beating on his opponent, but the same could be said of the champion. The Swedish challenger succeeded in turning the 25-minute bout into a dirty brawl, standing and striking to land numerous crushing blows to Cormier’s face.

When the dust settled and Cormier stood with the belt, he couldn’t help but laud his opponent for giving him quite the beating, per MMAFighting.com:

Based on Cormier’s comments after the fight, his title retention was far from easy.

Despite that, it seemed early on that Cormier was going to ground-and-pound his opponent into submission just as he’s done countless times to taller opponents. The 36-year-old notched an early takedown, ripping Gustafsson to the mat with force and making Round 1 a nasty affair on the ground.

As Motmaitre noted, keeping Gustafsson on the bottom was a big key to winning the fight:

Instead of keeping the fight on the mat where he had a decided advantage, however, Cormier proved unable to fight that way as the five rounds wore on. Gustafsson’s evasive abilities kept him standing, where he could punish Cormier with brutal punches and knees.

Along with some timely takedowns, Gustafsson fought his way back into it in the middle rounds. With the bout entering a fifth and final round that would decide the fight, UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman chimed in:

Gustafsson seemed intent on avoiding the final-round takedown in Round 5, but Cormier obliged and chose to punish his opponent’s face even further. The bleeding from Gustafsson’s face was so severe that the referee could have stopped the fight.

But the Swede held on in the final round, as the fight went to the judges’ scorecards that left him oh so close to a career-changing victory.

Regardless, Cormier heaped praise upon his opponent after the fight, per Chamatkar Sandhu of MMAJunkie.com:

While Cormier’s status as the light heavyweight champion is still secure after Saturday night, reasons cropped up to believe it will be short-lived. His struggles in dealing with Gustafsson’s power leave many believing that when (or if) Jon Jones makes his likely return, he won’t have trouble getting back his belt.

Still, that didn’t produce any reason to discount what Cormier has done in the time since, as Luke Thomas of MMAFighting.com noted:

There’s no telling what’s next for Gustafsson, who will likely once again need some extra time to heal and recover after taking another beating. The loss gives him three losses in his last four fights, although two have been tight affairs for the title.

Given his performance Saturday, it won’t be long until Gustafsson gets another crack at the belt. As for Cormier, he can at least enjoy several more months at the top.

The shadow of Jones obviously appeared over this fight and will continue to be a footnote to Cormier’s title until he puts that talk to rest by facing off against Bones for the second time.

Until then, it’s Cormier’s world in the light heavyweight spectrum of the UFC, and everyone else is just living in it. 

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UFC 192: Cormier and Gustafsson Star, but Could Either Win a Rematch with Jones?

Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson did everything they could on Saturday to make us forget about Jon Jones.
Cormier and Gustafsson had a whale of a scrap at UFC 192—a five-round epic so close the outcome was in doubt until the moment the thi…

Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson did everything they could on Saturday to make us forget about Jon Jones.

Cormier and Gustafsson had a whale of a scrap at UFC 192—a five-round epic so close the outcome was in doubt until the moment the third cageside judge confirmed Cormier had retained his light heavyweight championship by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46).

They scraped, clawed, bled and sweated through a back-and-forth battle that will wind up on numerous Fight of the Year ballots. Without exaggeration, we can safely say this was one of the best 205-pound title fights in company history.

“These are the ones that you dream about when you start doing this,” Cormier said at the post-fight press conference. “You don’t dream about them as you [just] want to be involved—you want to be involved and you want to win.”

Even the UFC’s notoriously critical and independent-minded president seemed duly impressed:

And you know what?

It still wasn’t good enough.

For all their heroics, neither Cormier nor Gustafsson came away looking like men capable of suddenly beating Jones. They’ve both already lost to the light heavyweight GOAT, and while both their performances over the weekend were stellar, they fell short of proving a rematch would go any differently.

It’s painful to write that less than 24 hours removed from the thrill of watching these men put their careers on the line in the Octagon. But it would be dishonest not to acknowledge the more uncomfortable feelings lurking behind all the awe and glory.

If Jones returns from his indefinite UFC-imposed suspension in the same shape and possessing the same abilities as when he left nine months ago, he’s probably going to do exactly what we all expect him to do. He’s probably going to get his title back.

All it took to remind us of the status quo’s impending reappearance was one Instagram video—posted and then immediately deleted (naturally) by the former champion.

Less than a week since the morning he stood in front of a district court judge in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and somberly asked for a chance to redeem himself, here was Jones back to his old tricks. Still trolling. Still looking a little glassy-eyed as he delivered a message so brief and empty, the word “cryptic” doesn’t even apply.

Nonetheless, his meaning got through: He’s coming for these dudes—and during his brief absence, nobody in the 205-pound division has done anything impressive enough to make us believe they can stop him.

Don’t get it twisted, Cormier has been wonderful as the glorified interim champion. In some other, Jones-free universe, we’d likely be debating the former Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix winner as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and maybe eventually one of the best ever.

Heck, we might end up doing that anyway.

Likewise on Saturday, Gustafsson proved his UFC 165 war against Jones in September 2013 was no fluke.

But the truth was, the air had mostly come out of this fight before it even happened.

When Jones received a wrist-slap sentence of up to 18 months probation for an April hit-and-run accident, the rest was academic. Had we believed he would be away from the UFC for an extended period—or that he was in jeopardy of never returning at all—then Cormier vs. Gustafsson might’ve truly shined.

It would have been a chance for the light heavyweight division to strike out in a bold new direction and to prove it could survive and even thrive without its greatest champion. Instead, it seemed like treading water.

Still, Cormier and Gustafsson were good enough to at least momentarily put thoughts of Jones on the backburner.

After Cormier turned the 6’5” Swede upside down and bodyslammed him to the canvas less than a minute into the first round, it appeared we would be looking at an easy victory for the champion. Instead, Gustafsson marshaled his forces and pushed Cormier to the limit on nearly every front for the final 20 minutes.

Gustafsson used his ballyhooed height and reach advantages well throughout the fight. He struck Cormier in the face with hard jabs, bloodying him under the right eye and effectively keeping him at distance. He battered the champion’s body with kicks and knees and used his deft footwork to steer himself out of Cormier’s clutches. He even landed a takedown, just as he did against Jones in their bout.

Gustafsson’s best moment came in the third, when he stunned Cormier with a knee to the face and then dropped him to the canvas with a punching combination along the fence.

Had he been able to follow with more punches, referee Herb Dean might have been forced to stop the fight. But Cormier still had his wits about him, was able to get his hands around one of Gustafsson’s legs and worked immediately to his feet.

That moment was emblematic of Cormier’s performance here. He was hurt but not out and managed to pull himself up and get back in the fight. All told, it was a gritty and hard-nosed victory from a man who has made a life for himself out of being gritty and hard-nosed.

“I just want to fight,” Cormier said. “I’m 36 years old [and] I don’t know how long my body is going to hold up. I’ve been doing this for a really long time. I left a lot of myself in there tonight with Alex. I’ve got to do it while I can and just love the competition. That’s what drives me.”

He kept the pressure on Gustafsson throughout the fight, battering him with uppercuts in the clinch and landing winging overhand shots as his lanky opponent tried to move away. After a tough second round and then getting dropped in a third stanza he appeared on the verge of winning, Cormier cemented his victory with a gutty performance in the championship rounds.

Perhaps it was Gustafsson’s evasive tactics that ultimately cost him the verdict on two of three scorecards. Often when it seemed danger was imminent, he just ducked out and literally jogged away. It was effective, but perhaps ignominious.

“You cannot turn around and run away,” Cormier said of the strategy. “That might hurt you with the judges.”

It did, and in the end, Cormier got his hand raised.

Cormier is the one who will now most likely face a second fight with Jones, after a hard-fought unanimous-decision loss to Bones at UFC 182 in January. Jones has not yet been reinstated by the UFC, but with his legal troubles in New Mexico on the verge of being history, it’s a good bet he’ll be back soon.

And so, the only relevant question of Cormier’s ongoing title reign may be whether he’s improved enough to change the outcome in a do-over.

It will be a gargantuan task—one in which merely being great probably isn’t going to cut it.

To win, he’ll have to be the greatest.

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Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson: Keys to Victory for Fighters at UFC 192

A last-minute cancellation of the co-main event has done little to quell the hype for the main attraction, a light heavyweight title bout between Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson Saturday night at UFC 192 in Houston. 
Johny Hendricks’ bout …

A last-minute cancellation of the co-main event has done little to quell the hype for the main attraction, a light heavyweight title bout between Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson Saturday night at UFC 192 in Houston. 

Johny Hendricks’ bout with Tyron Woodley was canceled on the eve of fight night, but the main event had no such troubles Friday. The two fighters vying for the right to eventually face Jon Jones look prepared to battle if the weigh-in is any indication, as UFC showed on Twitter:

As you can tell by simply looking at the two standing across from each other, each fighter brings a unique skill set. Both Cormier and Gustafsson will have to establish different things in order to get the advantage in what’s likely to be a five-round slugfest.

With that in mind, let’s look at the keys to victory for both.

 

Daniel Cormier

For Cormier, a triumph is easier said than done against an opponent like Gustafsson. But if he sticks to the style that has garnered him victories in 16 of his 17 career MMA appearances, he’ll remain a world champion.

He’s not the polished striker that you see on the other side of the Octagon, but that’s never mattered so far as Cormier‘s fighting goes. His prowess as an immensely strong wrestler and a sound defender gives him a combination that has frustrated even the best light heavyweights.

Cormier concedes a six-inch height disadvantage and seven inches of reach to Gustafsson, which means the champion can’t afford to get into tight positions where the Swede’s talented striking can make a difference. 

As nearly perfect as Cormier‘s UFC career has been, he showed during his fight with Jon Jones how a lengthy and aggressive opponent can get into those tight spots.

Of course, the 36-year-old proved in his recent win over Anthony “Rumble” Johnson that he can handle a powerful puncher. But as Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report notes, Gustafsson has the combination of power and stamina that Cormier has rarely faced:

For all the power and grit that the Sweden native boasts, his being in a number of bloody slugfests is no coincidence. Gustafsson struggles to defend himself, absorbing 3.38 significant strikes per minute to Cormier‘s 1.71, per UFC.com

Getting the fight to the mat at times will help, but Cormier also needs to stand tall and put plenty of shots on Gustafsson‘s chin. We’ve seen multiple times how the challenger can get it going, and Cormier cannot afford to go down that path.

 

Alexander Gustafsson

The Mauler is facing a style of opponent that he’s rarely encountered over the last several years, which could end up being the best—or the worst—thing in the world for him.

On paper, one would give Gustafsson much more than a fighting chance to pull off the upset. He has a sizable reach advantage, towers over his opponent and has that near-victory against Jones still fresh on the sport’s mind.

He’s at least confident in his chances for glory Saturday night, per MMAFighting.com:

There’s also an easy argument to make that Gustafsson stands no chance. After all, he lost in one round to the same Anthony Johnson whom Cormier turned around to convincingly submit in the third round in May.

Johnson’s fight with Cormier provided a game plan for Gustafsson, though. In the early minutes, Johnson’s ability to stay deep and focus on his striking put the champion down multiple times; Rumble looked in multiple situations like he would pull off the upset.

With that being said, Gustafsson has power in his hands and the know-how to use them that Johnson hasn’t quite figured out yet. If he can stay out of Cormier‘s zone and lean on that, he has a good chance to rough DC up throughout the five rounds.

Stay off the ground, avoid getting into striking position for Cormier and unleash those deadly hands. That’s how Gustafsson becomes a world champion.

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Cormier vs. Gustafsson: Latest Comments, Weigh-in Info, Predictions for UFC 192

Daniel Cormier will defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 192 against Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday night after both weighed in successfully ahead of their clash.
Cormier weighed in at the limit at 205 pounds, while his opponent …

Daniel Cormier will defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 192 against Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday night after both weighed in successfully ahead of their clash.

Cormier weighed in at the limit at 205 pounds, while his opponent made the grade at one pound under at 204.

Here’s the official weigh-in and post-event comments, courtesy of the following video from the UFC:

As Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com notes, Cormier is known for hyping up his opponents ahead of their bouts with aplomb, but the 36-year-old has switched up his tactics in the buildup to his clash with the Swede.

Although the American conceded Gustafsson is a threat, on Monday he admitted he has played down his opponent’s credentials in order to sap The Mauler’s confidence before they step into the Octagon, per Doyle.

In the comments following the weigh-in, Cormier continued this strategy as he threw more barbs at Gustafsson.

According to Damon Martin of Fox Sports, Cormier said: “Best weight cut ever. Tomorrow, I release the chains. I allow Alex to stop worrying about being a fighter. He’s talked about retiring time and time again. Go back to Sweden and become a model.”

By contrast, The Mauler would not be drawn into a war of words with Cormier. Per Martin, he merely said, “You’ve got a new world champion tomorrow.”

Bleacher Report’s own Jonathan Snowden was less than impressed by the pair’s post-event offerings:

 

Prediction

Anthony Johnson soundly beat Gustafsson in his last outing, knocking him out in just 135 seconds.

It’s difficult to know whether Cormier’s words have affected the 28-year-old, but dwelling on the devastating defeat could produce nerves just as equally as it could drive his hunger to prove himself.

The 6’5″ Swede has the size and reach advantage in the fight, but Cormier has experienced that before in Jon Jones, and Gustafsson is far from Bones’ level.

DC’s wrestling background gives him a huge edge in close quarters, so if he can get in behind The Mauler’s defences and take the fight to the cage or the floor—as he most likely will—then he can expect to win the match relatively easily.

It won’t be over as quickly as Gustafsson’s last bout, but Cormier can take this by TKO in the fourth or fifth round.

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Cormier vs. Gustafsson: Latest Odds, Predictions and Pre-Fight Twitter Hype

Daniel Cormier is set to defend the UFC light heavyweight championship for the first time Saturday night against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192. It’s a battle of contrasting styles, and whichever fighter can better impose their preferred tactics will …

Daniel Cormier is set to defend the UFC light heavyweight championship for the first time Saturday night against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192. It’s a battle of contrasting styles, and whichever fighter can better impose their preferred tactics will walk out with the belt.

The bout headlines a solid card that also includes a pair of intriguing matchups as Ryan Bader faces off with Rashad Evans and Shawn Jordan battles Ruslan Magomedov. It should make for a highly entertaining night of action from Houston.

That said, Cormier and Gustafsson will take center stage. So let’s check out all of the important details for the event along with odds and a preview for the main event.

 

UFC 192 Details

Where: Toyota Center in Houston

When: Saturday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. ET

Watch: Pay-Per-View

Live Stream: UFC.com

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

 

Fight Odds

 

Preview

The single biggest question mark heading into this fight is which version of Gustafsson is going to show up Saturday night. It’s hard to guess whether it will be the one who seriously pushed Jon Jones two years ago or the one who got knocked out in the first round by Anthony Johnson in January.

This is a fight the 28-year-old Swede can certainly win if he returns to the form he showcased against Jones. That’s far for a guarantee, however, given the lackluster showing against Johnson. His victory over Jimi Manuwa didn’t prove much in terms of his title worthiness, either.

That said, he’s feeling confident about the way the bout sets up for him, as noted by John Gooden of UFC.com.

“It’s very simple: He’s a short wrestler and I’m a tall striker,” Gustafsson said. “He’s a great fighter but I believe that I am the type of fighter that is the absolute opposite of DC. I move a lot. I can fight backwards. I have a lot of belief in my speed and precision and I know that I have really good takedown defence.”

Cormier probably hasn’t received enough credit for his success. When you’re holding a championship and the only loss on your résumé is to Jones, you’re clearly doing something right. A victory here would help him continue to gain respect.

Like Gustafsson, he’s confident heading into the fight and believes the mental side of things will be a major advantage, per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.

“The guy just lost in two-and-a-half minutes, so why … build him up if you think his confidence is already low?” Cormier said. “Why should I rebuild it for him? I want him to have these big questions overhead. He’s very dangerous, a real threat. If I don’t fight my best, I could lose to him, but I think I’ve covered all my bases.”

The uncertainty heading into the fight makes it warrant the hype. UFC President Dana White added to that by posting a video of social media:

Cormier is the favorite based on recent fights, particularly the drastically different results when they battled Johnson. The differences in height, length and styles make it a tricky fight to prepare for, though.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden explained why that’s the case:

Both fighters must also prevent themselves from looking ahead. The future of Jon Jones is once again a hot topic following a plea agreement to settle his legal situation. Mike Bohn of USA Today highlights what that means for the rest of the division:

All told, it comes back to the fighting styles. Cormier wants to turn this into a brawl to utilize his wrestling background to maximum effectiveness. Gustafsson needs to maintain distance and land as many heavy strikes as possible to wear down the champion.

There will probably be points throughout the bout where both fighters hold a clear edge. The advantage will shift back and forth. But in the end, Cormier is the more well-rounded fighter and should score the win, even if he doesn’t have quite enough left in the tank to earn a knockout.

Prediction: Cormier by unanimous decision

 

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Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson: Odds, Predictions Before Weigh-in

Although Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier are headlining UFC 192 on Saturday night, the mere thought of a return to the Octagon for Jon Jones is dominating much of the discussion heading into this weekend.
The former champion pleaded guilty to a…

Although Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier are headlining UFC 192 on Saturday night, the mere thought of a return to the Octagon for Jon Jones is dominating much of the discussion heading into this weekend.

The former champion pleaded guilty to a charge stemming from his alleged hit-and-run this past summer.

The UFC didn’t outright confirm it will lift Jones’ suspension but said in a statement it “will thoroughly review [Jones’ plea] agreement before discussing Jones’ possible reinstatement to return to competition,” via MMA Mania’s Jesse Holland.

Former UFC fighter and current Fox Sports analyst Brian Stann told FoxSports.com’s Damon Martin: 

You couldn’t have drawn up a better narrative for this thing to take place. Whether Gustafsson wins this fight, people have been clamoring to see a rematch there with Jon Jones, and obviously if Daniel Cormier defends his title and wins, it’s going to be him versus Jon Jones again. It’s going to be ridiculous in terms of the buildup for that fight and the trash talk that would take place.

Gustafsson vs. Cormier is absolutely the fight that needs to happen in UFC’s light heavyweight division and should be extremely entertaining. But in a sense, it’s really only the appetizer for the inevitable Jones return bout.

 

Prediction

According to Odds Shark, Cormier is a 1-2 favorite to win, while Gustafsson is the underdog, albeit with relatively good 17-10 odds.

While Gustafsson is the No. 3 light heavyweight in UFC’s official rankings, he lost to Jones via unanimous decision at UFC 165 and then to Anthony Johnson in a first-round TKO at UFC on Fox 14. Sandwiched between those two fights is a second-round victory over Jimi Manuwa at UFC Fight Night 37.

Cormier said of his opponent, per Martin:

If I looked at his career and his resume, I would say he beat the guys he’s supposed to beat and any time it’s a toss-up fight he loses. In the fights that he’s not overwhelmingly favored, he really hasn’t done as well as he should outside of the fight with (Jon) Jones where he was a huge underdog and he really fought outside of himself and I truly do believe it was him fighting his best fight and Jones might have fought his worst fight and it was super close.

Meanwhile, Cormier’s one loss in his competitive MMA career was to Jones at UFC 182. He followed that up with a third-round submission win over Johnson at UFC 187 for the light heavyweight title.

Since he’s the challenger, Gustafsson will need to find a delicate balance between being aggressive and cautious so he doesn’t open himself up and allow Cormier to win quickly via knockout or submission.

Gustafsson will also want to keep a safe distance so as to avoid getting in clinches, where Cormier is at his most effective. The tighter the quarters, the more Cormier dominates.

Given Gustafsson’s wrestling prowess and overall agility, staying on the outside shouldn’t be a major issue.

To a certain extent, it feels as if the 28-year-old Swede isn’t getting the respect he deserves; even Cormier is seemingly underselling Gustafsson’s accomplishments based on his above comments. Bleacher Report’s Patrick Wyman firmly believes Gustafsson is capable of winning this fight:

However, Cormier is the top guy in the light heavyweight division for a reason. He possesses a great blend of technique, strength and skill. He also proved against Jones he’s able to close the distance between himself and an opponent who tries to stay on the outside.

Plus, the onus is on Gustafsson to go above and beyond to prove he’s the better fighter. The champion’s advantage isn’t technically a real thing that’s supposed to exist, but you often see judges giving the benefit of the doubt to the guy holding the belt. If a fight is close, nine times out of 10 the champ retains.

Cormier is too good to get himself caught in a compromising situation, and he’ll do enough in the Octagon to sway the judges.

Prediction: Cormier via split decision

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