Following yesterday’s (Sat. April 8, 2017) UFC 210 pay-per-view (PPV), as No. 1-ranked light heavyweight Anthony Jonson was submitted by champ Daniel Cormier in the second round of their rematch, ‘Rumble’ decided to call it a career following a second unsuccessful title run. The mixed martial arts world was taken back by the news of
Following yesterday’s (Sat. April 8, 2017) UFC 210 pay-per-view (PPV), as No. 1-ranked light heavyweight Anthony Jonson was submitted by champ Daniel Cormier in the second round of their rematch, ‘Rumble’ decided to call it a career following a second unsuccessful title run.
The mixed martial arts world was taken back by the news of the beloved knockout artist’s decision, and some of the best reactions from the biggest names in the sport can be found here:
Best of luck in your future career @Anthony_Rumble The LHW will miss your bombs????????
— Alexander Gustafsson (@AlexTheMauler) April 9, 2017
Another hot topic of discussion from the event was Gegard Mousasi’s win over Chris Weidman. Mousasi landed a knee to Weidman’s skull while the New York native’s hands were down, and the referee called for a pause in action.
Soon after doctors ruled Weidman unfit to continue competing, and Mousasi was awarded a TKO victory:
Somehow for Daniel Cormier, that destroyer of worlds, Anthony Johnson, was just a thing he had to get through, twice. Like a turnstile or a toll station, on the way to a far-off destination.
And now the DC tour bus rolls on. Next stop: Jon Jones….
Somehow for Daniel Cormier, that destroyer of worlds, Anthony Johnson, was just a thing he had to get through, twice. Like a turnstile or a toll station, on the way to a far-off destination.
And now the DC tour bus rolls on. Next stop: Jon Jones.
It’s what Cormier wants and needs, and if all goes well over the next few months (and given Jones’ recent history, that’s a big “if”), the rematch becomes inevitable, and Cormier gets the chance to truly claim the belt that is already his.
Until now, he has remained in Jones’ shadow.
Even on Saturday night, the presence of the 6’4″ former champion loomed over the night’s proceedings. Jones, who is from Rochester, New York, just over an hour’s drive away, made the trip and watched from cageside, glaring at Cormier in the wake of his second-round rear-naked choke victory.
“Is that guy even eligible to fight yet?” Cormier said on the pay-per-view broadcast moments after winning. “Don’t talk to me about a guy that’s ineligible. When you get your s–t together and you’re ready to fight, I’m here waiting for you, young man. I’ve been waiting two years. You got the first one, but you knew after the first one, we had many coming. As a fighter, I respect him, but we don’t see eye to eye. He’s a good fighter, but he’s still not eligible. When he gets his academics in order, he can come back to the classroom.”
While Cormier did his best to portray that he’s the man running the division, the reality is that soon enough, it will be filtered through Jones.
It has to.
Cormier, you may remember, won the championship in the absence of Jones, after the former belt-holder was stripped in the aftermath of an April 2015 hit-and-run that Jones pleaded guilty to.
Despite beating Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson with the belt on the line (and Anderson Silva in a non-title fight), Cormier has never quite been able to win the full respect of audiences who simply can’t erase all of Jones’ brilliance from their minds, let alone the result of the first fight between them, which Jones won by a lopsided unanimous decision.
And for Cormier, therein lies the rub. Despite his amateur excellence, despite his outstanding 19-1 MMA record, his loss to Jones seems to trump all of that, or at least stand out as the most significant result.
It’s not enough to point to his accomplishments and accolades. It’s not sufficient to point to the gold around his waist. He has to erase the one blight on his record; he must beat the man who has never truly been defeated.
Is this fair? Is this right?
No, not really.
Cormier has only played the hands he’s been dealt. He’s welcomed a rematch with Jones and was set to fight him again twice, only to see extenuating circumstances scuttle both pairings.
Jones’ absence for the last year is completely out of his control.
All Cormier can do is fight the best available opponent and continue winning.
When he begs Jones to “get your s–t together,” it’s for a reason. At 38 years old, time is running out.
Finally, things seem to be lining up again for him, even if Jones doesn’t feel as compelled by the bout as some others do.
“I really don’t feel like I have unfinished business with Cormier,” Jones said during a recent media press conference (h/t The Fight Network). “I think I have unfinished business with Anthony Johnson. We’ve had quite a few fights that fell through, but Daniel Cormier, I beat him fair and square. I’m the only guy to ever beat him. So if anyone has unfinished business, I feel he has unfinished business with me.”
Yet that isn’t completely believable. For Jones, there is nothing else and no one else to look forward to once he meets all the conditions to become eligible. Johnson would have been a compelling opponent, but after losing to Cormier on Saturday, Johnson surprisingly announced his retirement, saying he’d decided before the bout that this would be his final time competing.
That declaration was only slightly more surprising than his game plan against Cormier, which consisted largely of clinches and wrestling, two tactics that most observers would have suggested would favor Cormier, a two-time freestyle Olympian.
Instead of focusing on taking advantage of his significant power edge through distance control, Johnson breached the gap between them multiple times, essentially throwing himself into the spider’s web.
“I think Anthony has done so well at knocking people out that when it doesn‘t go his way he panics,” Cormier said on the UFC on FS1 post-fight show. “At the end of day, he’s a wrestler. He goes back to what he knows.”
Even the finishing sequence stemmed from Johnson’s misplays. Early in the second, Johnson managed a takedown, but Cormier got to his feet in a blink and locked in tight, tripped the challenger to the ground and quickly got to Johnson’s back. After a series of short punches, he sunk in the choke for the finish.
In doing so, Cormier proved again that he was the best of the eligible lot; that he remains right on Jones’ heels as the best light heavyweight of the last decade.
But to surpass him, to emerge from that towering shadow, there is only one path there, and that’s beating him.
Cormier can pretend he doesn’t want to hear Jones’ name and that Jones isn’t worthy of stepping back into the same spot he left behind, but the two giants are back on course, and the collision is unavoidable.
Following his retirement announcement at UFC 210 Saturday night, Anthony Johnson’s Twitter page was given some new artwork and details. Johnson announced that he was leaving MMA after a loss to Daniel Cormier, and almost immediately, his Twitter profile header picture was switched to that of a Los Angeles Rams NFL helmet. Also, under the […]
Following his retirement announcement at UFC 210 Saturday night, Anthony Johnson’s Twitter page was given some new artwork and details. Johnson announced that he was leaving MMA after a loss to Daniel Cormier, and almost immediately, his Twitter profile header picture was switched to that of a Los Angeles Rams NFL helmet. Also, under the […]
Daniel Cormier successfully defended his light heavyweight title Saturday night at UFC 210, scoring a second round submission victory over Anthony Johnson. While they are limited in what they can show, FOX Sports 1 did put together a highlight package …
Daniel Cormier successfully defended his light heavyweight title Saturday night at UFC 210, scoring a second round submission victory over Anthony Johnson. While they are limited in what they can show, FOX Sports 1 did put together a highlight package of the main event from Buffalo for the post-fight show.
Surprise retirements. Controversial finishes. Slick submissions. UFC 210 had a little bit of everything, including a fair amount of weird.
That includes how Daniel Cormier retained his light heavyweight championship against Anthony “Rumble” Johns…
Surprise retirements. Controversial finishes. Slick submissions. UFC 210 had a little bit of everything, including a fair amount of weird.
That includes how Daniel Cormier retained his light heavyweight championship against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
The end result wasn’t the surprise. It ended with Cormier locking in a rear-naked choke on the challenger—just as their fight finished at UFC 187.
What was surprising, however, was Johnson’s strategy in the fight.
Rumble—known for his incredible knockout power—opted to wrestle with the former Olympian. Johnson pinned Cormier against the fence early in Round 1 and even took down the champion. It was enough for him to actually win the opening round, per Matt Erickson of MMAjunkie:
However, Johnson’s plan proved to be unsustainable, as Cormier took charge in the second frame. He reversed the roles and scored a takedown of his own. From there, his transitional grappling took over, and he eventually worked his way to Rumble’s back and forced the tap.
The odd didn’t stop there, though.
Rather than interviewing Cormier first, Rumble addressed the crowd members to let them know that he was walking away from the sport, per Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting:
It was a puzzling night for one of the most dangerous men in the sport. However, it was business as usual for Cormier.
After defending his belt once again, he unsurprisingly took aim at longtime rival Jon Jones along with light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa, according to Ben Fowlkes of MMAjunkie:
It was an interesting night of fights to say the least. The theatrics of the main event matched the tenor of the rest of the night, including a controversial finish, the retirement of another UFC veteran and some good finishes.
Here’s a look at the complete results and a closer look at the main card fights.
UFC 210 Main Card
Daniel Cormier def. Anthony Johnson, submission (Round 2, 3:37)
Gegard Mousasi def. Chris Weidman, TKO (Round 2, 3:13)
Cynthia Calvillo def. Pearl Gonzalez, Submission (Round 3, 3:45)
Thiago Alves def. Patrick Cote, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Charles Oliveira def. Will Brooks, submission (Round 1, 2:30)
Prelims on Fox Sports 1
Myles Jury def. Mike De La Torre, TKO (Round 1, 3:30)
Kamaru Usman def. Sean Strickland, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Shane Burgos def. Charles Rosa, TKO (Round 3, 1:59)
Patrick Cummins def. Jan Blachowicz, majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Prelims on UFC Fight Pass
Gregor Gillespie def. Andrew Holbrook, knockout (Round 1, 0:21)
Desmond Green def. Josh Emmett, split-decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Even with a light heavyweight title fight headlining, this card might best be remembered for the controversial finish to the middleweight co-main event between Chris Weidman and Gegard Mousasi.
Facing a third loss in a row, Weidman came out of the gates strong, securing two takedowns in the first round and even landing some solid shots in the stand-up.
Then things got weird.
Mousasi took charge at the beginning of the second frame, but Weidman answered with another takedown attempt. Although the attempt was stuffed, Weidman put both hands on the ground to make himself a grounded opponent. As he lifted one of the hands, Mousasi hit the former champion with two knees to the head.
While the first was clearly legal, the second was deemed illegal. Referee Dan Miragliotta called a stop to the action because of the perceived infraction, however, he was informed that the knee was legal, and the fight was called a TKO victory for Mousasi.
However, as Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report notes, the New York Commission doesn’t use replay, so there was confusion as to how a call can be overturned by replay:
Ultimately it was a confusing end to a fight that appeared to be headed toward being a great one.
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Pearl Gonzalez
Cynthia Calvillo made a statement at UFC 209 when she came in on 10 days’ notice to beat Amanda Cooper on the main card.
At UFC 210, she legitimatized that result.
The Team Alpha Male fighter overwhelmed Gonzalez with volume in the opening round, then finished up the opening frame with a near-submission by triangle choke.
In the second round, Gonzalez scored a takedown that put her directly into mount and work for an armbar, putting Calvillo’s chances in question. Instead of falling victim, though, Calvillo used her slick transitions to slide out of that submission and take her opponent’s back.
Calvillo is quickly showing that the ground isn’t a place where opponents will thrive against her. In the third frame, she took the back once more and wouldn’t be denied the rear-naked choke.
Two UFC wins in back-to-back pay-per-views is certainly a rarity. It’s even more unlikely for someone who hasn’t even been fighting that long. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Online noted Calvillo’s relative lack of experience:
After that display of well-rounded game, Calvillo is a name to keep an eye on.
Patrick Cote vs. Thiago Alves
In a battle of UFC veterans, it was Thiago Alves who proved that he has a lot more left in the tank against Patrick Cote.
Cote wanted to push the pace in the fight, and Alves was more than happy to oblige. While Cote came charging forward with inefficient combinations, Pitbull was able to be the more technical, consistent counter-striker, and it stopped Cote dead in his track on more than one occasion.
Patrick Wyman of Bleacher Report praised the impressive performance:
Alves’ consistency paid off, as he swept all three rounds on the judges’ scorecards.
It was an encouraging performance from the Brazilian after a failed attempt to get down to 155 pounds last time out. With as many fighters that have had a career renaissance, it isn’t out of the question that Alves, who has battled injuries and inconsistency in the past, could be coming back at 33 years old.
There will be no comeback for Cote, however.
After the fight, the Canadian called it a career—something he planned on doing after this bout win or lose, according to MMA Fighting:
Cote’s career began in 2004 with a loss to Tito Ortiz, and he once challenged Anderson Silva for the middleweight title.
Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira has always been a man with a ton of talent, but he doesn’t always put it together in the cage.
This time, Do Bronx turned in one of the best performances of his life in his return to the lightweight division.
Taking on a former Bellator champion in Will Brooks, Oliveira showed no fear in securing a surprise takedown early in the first round and went right to work advancing position. After just over two minutes of jockeying for position, Oliveira latched onto a standing rear-naked choke that eventually forced the tap.
Brooks is a serious threat in the lightweight division, so this is a huge boost for the 27-year-old’s stock in the lightweight division.
After going 1-3 in his last four fights in the featherweight division, Oliveira would be wise to remain in the division. Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting encouraged the fighter to do so:
However, Oliveira expressed his desire to go back down to 145 pounds, for some reason, per Bleacher Report MMA:
For Brooks this is a devastating loss. It’s now his second loss in a row. He lost to Alex Oliveira last time out and is now 1-2 since joining the UFC.
While Charles Oliveira was one of the biggest winners on the night, Brooks’ career may have taken the most damaging blow at the event.
Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson met for a second time with high stakes on the line in the main event of tonight’s (April 8, 2017) UFC 210 from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The UFC light heavyweight title was on the line, and so was the perceived next bout against returning, troubled former
Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson met for a second time with high stakes on the line in the main event of tonight’s (April 8, 2017) UFC 210 from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
The UFC light heavyweight title was on the line, and so was the perceived next bout against returning, troubled former champ Jon Jones. The fight started off somewhat unpredictably with Johnson actually looking to clinch and wrestle with noted grappler Cormier, which actually brought some degree of measured success.
“Rumble” also nailed Cormier with a big kick that looked to have broken “DC’s” nose in the first round just like the huge shot he landed in the first bout, but also like the first fight, Johnson soon faded after he got a short-lived takedown that Cormier used to get his own and take “Rumble’s” back to land some absolutely brutal ground and pound that opened the clear path for a second straight rear-naked choke submission win.
After the fight, Johnson surprisingly retired from fighting.
Watch the full fight video highlights of Cormier’s statement title defense right here:
