UFC 210 isn’t likely to be forgotten anytime soon. The event took place inside the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. In the main event, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Daniel Cormier took on Anthony Johnson. This isn’t the first time the two have met. “Rumble” was submitted by Cormier in the third […]
UFC 210 isn’t likely to be forgotten anytime soon. The event took place inside the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. In the main event, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Daniel Cormier took on Anthony Johnson. This isn’t the first time the two have met. “Rumble” was submitted by Cormier in the third […]
Anthony Johnson came up short in his awaited light heavyweight title rematch with Daniel Cormier in the main event of tonight’s (April 8, 2017) UFC 210 from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, but no one was expecting what came right afterwards. Following the second-round submission which came by rear-naked choke just like “DC’s” first
Anthony Johnson came up short in his awaited light heavyweight title rematch with Daniel Cormier in the main event of tonight’s (April 8, 2017) UFC 210 from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, but no one was expecting what came right afterwards.
Following the second-round submission which came by rear-naked choke just like “DC’s” first win over “Rumble” at 2015’s UFC 187, Johnson shockingly revealed he was retiring from the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) after nearly 11 years in the fight game.
The announcement from an emotional “Rumble” comes as an outright shock considering Johnson had won three straight fights over Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader, and Jimi Manuwa by demolishing knockout after his first loss to “DC,” looking like a re-motivated fighter on his way back to the title shot. But Johnson revealed he had simply tired of the grind fighting was, and had a job outside of the cage that he’d been aiming to do for quite some time:
“I gave my commitment to another job,” Johnson said. “Something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while. It’s not MMA related or anything like that. It’s just time for me to move on to something else. I’m tired of getting punched by guys and rolling around on the ground with guys.”
No word has been revealed as to just what that opportunity is.
If he is indeed done fighting, Johnson will almost definitely go down as one of the most feared power punchers in the history of MMA, with his long run a unique one where he used to cut upwards of 60 pounds to make welterweight, a process that eventually got him cut after he could not make 170 pounds and then even 185 pounds for a 2012 loss to Vitor Belfort. He rebounded in lesser promotions and got another shot in the UFC, destroying current Bellator champ Phil Davis in his return at April 2014’s UFC 172 to instantly reinsert himself into the light heavyweight title picture.
“Rumble” gave his respect to both DC and former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who sat cageside. Although he may have two losses to the current champion, Johnson is still undoubtedly one of the top three light heavyweights in all of MMA, and the UFC and the sport will be sad to see him go.
Rumble on, young man, rumble on. Watch him announce his retirement courtesy of the UFC right here:
Daniel Cormier once again successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight championship, scoring a second-round submission win over Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in UFC 210’s main event at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on Saturday. …
Daniel Cormier once again successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight championship, scoring a second-round submission win over Anthony “Rumble” Johnson inUFC 210‘s main event at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on Saturday.
Rumble immediately pushed the pace, looking to pressure Cormier and even putting his back to the fence. Rather than take advantage of his power in the stand-up game, Rumble looked to take down Cormier. What resulted was a round that was mostly spent with the two jockeying for position against the cage.
Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie voiced the concern for Rumble’s fight IQ, tweeting what pretty much anyone watching the bout was thinking:
Despite Rumble’s odd approach, Josh Gross of The Guardian gave the round to Johnson in an uneventful affair:
While Rumble’s so-crazy-it-just-might-work plan looked good in the first, it took a quick turn south in the second round as a familiar sight began to form. Johnson once again looked to work the clinch game, but this time DC scored the takedown.
Cormier went to work in transitions and took Johnson’s back. From there it was deja vu all over again as he sank in the rear-naked choke and forced the tap to retain his belt. UFC tweeted the aftermath:
Mike Chiappetta of Bleacher Report noted the remarkable similarity in most of Rumble’s losses throughout his career:
After the bout, Rumble had a surprise announcement, calling it a day on his career, per Ben Fowlkes of MMAjunkie:
And of course, Cormier had to take the opportunity after the fight to talk about longtime rival Jon Jones, per MMA Fighting:
The win and title run continues to solidify Cormier’s billing as the No. 1 light heavyweight in the world who’s currently allowed to compete.
The 6’4″ elephant in the room—of course—is Jones. Inside the cage, Bones has proved to be unstoppable to any man at 205 pounds, including the current champion. Jones defeated Cormier by unanimous decision in January 2015 to hand DC his first and only career loss.
The two were supposed to run back their first encounter at UFC 200, but the fight was called off days before the pay-per-view after Jonestested positive for a banned substance in an out-of-competition sample.
That doesn’t mean the fight is off the table, though.
Speaking in February, UFC President Dana White insinuated that when Jones is eligible to come back to fighting in July, he’ll do so looking to get his belt back.
“Jon Jones is supposed to return around July so the timing is perfect. I haven’t talked to him. I have not talked to Jon Jones since the whole incident [at UFC 200],” White said, per Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting. “Depending on where Jon’s head is and where he thinks he is, I would assume he would come right back and try to get his title back.”
There’s still bad blood between the two light heavyweights, too. Cormier hasn’t stopped voicing his opinion of Bones, and his presence at UFC 210 was just the last thing for him to sound off on, per Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting (via Milan Ordonez of Bloody Elbow):
If I was suspended for anything, especially for something whatever it may have said to be, there’s no way I’m out in public. I’m staying home, I’d lick my wounds until my suspension is done, and then I’d come back out. But I think that says a lot about your character. Because are you truly sorry for what you did if you’re really still willing to prance around even though you’re still actually under suspension?
Realistically, Jones is one of the few intriguing options remaining for Cormier. The 38-year-old has now beaten Rumble twice and Alexander Gustafsson once. Those two are already ranked as the top two contenders, according to the UFC’s rankings.
Glover Teixeira is technically next up according to those rankings, but the difference in draw between Teixeira and a rematch with Jones is big.
With Rumble now out of the picture, Jones-Cormier II is the only fight to make in the light heavyweight division.
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, wel…
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.
After a tough loss to UFC light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier at UFC 210, fearsome knockout artist Anthony “Rumble” Johnson announced his shocking retirement from mixed martial arts during his post-fight interview.
“I don’t have any excuses. I…
After a tough loss to UFC light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier at UFC 210, fearsome knockout artist Anthony “Rumble” Johnson announced his shocking retirement from mixed martial arts during his post-fight interview.
“I don’t have any excuses. I lost to the better man. Props to DC,” he said. He continued on:
This is something I had to do for me. I love you all—this is my last fight. I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t tell Dana White. My family and my friends knew, but I didn’t want any distractions. I enjoyed the UFC. Thank you. I will never, ever forget you, and what better place to end my career than Buffalo, New York.
The news, quite frankly, comes out of nowhere. Despite the loss, Johnson is widely regarded as one of the best fighters at 205 pounds and one of the best finishers in the sport. He has found consistent success in the cage as well, entering UFC 210 with a 12-1 record in the cage over the last five years. On top of that, at age 33, he is one of the division’s younger talents.
It is unclear what Johnson intends to do at this point, offering up no information beyond stating that he is not leaving the UFC for another promotion. What’s more, the UFC would most likely be able to block him from competing in a different sport like boxing or kickboxing, so this would likely mean his departure from all combat sports.
Of course, many fighters retire only to quickly return, and with Johnson still very relevant near the top of the light heavyweight division, there is a real chance he can be lured back into the cage. For now, though, the division has lost one of its best fighters.
Tonight’s (April 8, 2017) anticipated UFC 210 is in the books from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, and now the MMA world will begin to digest the aftermath of the impactful pay-per-view card. Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier met streaking knockout artist Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the main event. Despite a broken nose from
Tonight’s (April 8, 2017) anticipated UFC 210 is in the books from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, and now the MMA world will begin to digest the aftermath of the impactful pay-per-view card.
Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier met streaking knockout artist Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the main event. Despite a broken nose from a huge first-round head kick, Cormier weathered the storm to run through “Rumble” once again with some brutal ground and pound and the familiar rear-naked choke finish. After the fight, Johnson shockingly retired.
Former middleweight champ Chris Weidman met veteran Gegard Mousasi in the co-main event. After two exciting back-and-forth first two rounds, the fight unfortunately came to a heavily controversial finish when Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight to give Weidman a break after an illegal knee was deemed to be legal.
It’s sure to be an interesting following moments to the wild card.
Watch the post-fight presser live starting shortly after the main card right here:
Daniel Cormier once again successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight championship, scoring a second-round submission win over Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in