Daniel Cormier (19-1) repeated history and submitted Anthony Johnson (22-6) a second time. The stage was set for the main event of UFC 210 inside the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. Cormier defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title against Johnson once again. Johnson landed a body kick at the start of the
Daniel Cormier (19-1) repeated history and submitted Anthony Johnson (22-6) a second time.
The stage was set for the main event of UFC 210 inside the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. Cormier defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title against Johnson once again.
Johnson landed a body kick at the start of the fight. Cormier threw a heavy overhand right. “Rumble” moved forward aggressively, but the champion tied him up. He landed a knee to the body with his back against the fence. Cormier landed was elbows and was taken down briefly. Johnson went for a takedown, but couldn’t get it.
A knee to the body landed for Johnson. “Rumble” tried to throw a high kick, but he was too close to Cormier to land. Johnson nailed Cormier with a kick. “Rumble” engaged in the clinch again. The round later ended with a Johnson takedown that may have not been before the bell.
Cormier’s nose appeared broken going into the second round. Johnson went for a knee to the body, but Cormier pushed him against the cage. Johnson reversed the position and dropped down for a takedown. Cormier got back up quickly. He ate a knee to the body before taking “Rumble” down and getting the back. Cormier land some punches before locking in the rear-naked choke.
After the fight, Johnson revealed that this was the last fight of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
Final Result: Daniel Cormier def. Anthony Johnson via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) – R2, 3:37
Former UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones is still waiting for his USADA suspension to expire in July, but he’ll make his first public appearance at tonight’s (April 8, 2017) UFC 210 from Buffalo, N.Y. since his scheduled UFC 200 main event against longtime rival Daniel Cormier fell apart due to a failed drug test. Jones
Former UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones is still waiting for his USADA suspension to expire in July, but he’ll make his first public appearance at tonight’s (April 8, 2017) UFC 210 from Buffalo, N.Y. since his scheduled UFC 200 main event against longtime rival Daniel Cormier fell apart due to a failed drug test.
Jones claimed it was a tainted sexual performance enhancer, but his arbitration ultimately led to a one-year suspension anyway. “Bones” is understandably looking to return against the winner of tonight’s Cormier vs. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson main event, and during a pre-fight media conference (via MMA Fighting), he told the press whom he thinks is going to win the bout from his birthplace of upstate New York:
“Do I think he [Johnson] beats DC? I think he has a very strong chance to do it, a puncher’s chance. But if I were to bet, I’d put my money on Daniel Cormier just because the last performance and it boils right down to what I was saying, you have to have the total package to be at a certain level of the sport and DC is closer to that level of having that complete game. So I think Anthony has a chance, but if I had to bet, I would definitely go with Cormier.”
The formerly dominant and currently disheveled MMA great opened up about that belief, noting that he believed “Rumble” is too much of a one-dimensional fighter to beat Cormier:
“I feel like he’s [Johnson] a very one-dimensional fighter,” Jones explained. “And I know he has that wrestling base and once a wrestler, always a wrestler, but you know I think he’s pretty much fallen in love with his striking and his power. I really think that to beat a guy like me, you really have to whole game down, your jiu-jitsu, your takedown defense, your takedowns, the whole shebang, and I just don’t feel like he’s that fighter. He’s extremely talented with God-given knockout power, he’s got a great kickboxing coach, but this sport is mixed martial arts.”
So “Bones” expects he’ll return to battle Cormier, whom he beat by unanimous decision at their long-awaited first match-up at UFC 182 two years ago. They’e seen multiple rematches fall apart since due to legal trouble and numerous drug issues from Jones and injuries from Cormier.
If a second fight finally does happen, however, Jone doesn’t feel like he has any unfinished business with Cormier; in fact, he believes it’s “DC” who still has something to prove against him:
“I really don’t feel like I have unfinished business with Cormier,” Jones said. “But I do feel like I do have unfinished business with Anthony Johnson. We’ve had quite a few fights that fell through. And Daniel Cormier, I beat him fare and square, I’m the only guy to ever beat him. So if anything, he has unfinished business with me. Daniel is no greater than any other person that I defeated, he just happened to be undefeated outside myself. So I just look at him like like he’s Stephan Bonnar or whoever I’ve beaten in the past.”
That’s a bit of a backhanded dig at Cormier, because while Bonnar was no doubt an entertaining competitor who helped the UFC into their current era of popularity when he fought Forrest Griffin in a classic war on TUF 1, it’s plain to see that Cormier is a champion in multiple organizations with only one loss on his record to arguably the best fighter in MMA history.
Regardless, Jones and Cormier will most likely be scheduled to fight once again and finally settle their long-standing beef. Let’s just hope they can make it to the fight if and when they are.
UFC 210 is a nice card overall, but the crown jewel is a light heavyweight title rematch between current champion Daniel Cormier and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
The first fight was an epic back-and-forth battle for the title abandoned by Jon “Bones…
UFC 210 is a nice card overall, but the crown jewel is a light heavyweight title rematch between current champion Daniel Cormier and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
The first fight was an epic back-and-forth battle for the title abandoned by Jon “Bones” Jones. So while the two wait for the return of Bones from a one-year doping suspension, the powers that be saw it fit to bless fans with another encounter between these two powerful behemoths of the 205-pound division.
The card, hosted in Buffalo, New York, at the KeyBank Center, will also feature one of the state’s most successful fighters in Chris Weidman. The All-American will take on GegardMousasi in an important middleweight scrap.
Here’s a look at the complete card along with the latest odds from Odds Shark going into fight night and a closer look at some of the biggest fights on the card:
Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira
The card kicks off with a lightweight bout between fighters who find themselves outside the lightweight rankings.
Will Brooks fell a few ranks for reasons that might not have been entirely fair. The former Bellator champion had his nine-fight win streak erased by Alex Oliveira after “Cowboy” came into the bout 5.5 pounds overweight.
In a fight that had a lot of clinching and wrestling involved before Brooks was finished in the third round, that size advantage can’t be overstated.
This time, Brooks takes on a different Oliveira in Charles. Rather than a massive lightweight who primarily fights at welterweight, “Do Bronx” is a former featherweight, though it was often a struggle for him to make that cut.
Where this bout will be interesting is in the transitions on the ground. Brooks has a mauling top game, but Oliveira‘s submission game is slick. Brooks could look to take Oliveira down and work his ground-and-pound, but he could easily be ensnared in a choke if he isn’t careful.
Ultimately, Patrick Wyman of Bleacher Report believes that Brooks is simply on another level from his opponent in this one.
Looking at what both have done in their career, that’s the easy case to make. Brooks could easily avoid what Oliveira is best at by keeping the Brazilian’s takedowns at bay and forcing a stand-up bout. Brooks wins easily in that department and should get the decision.
Brooks by decision
Chris Weidman vs. GegardMousasi
Given the climate of the middleweight division right now, neither of these fighters can really afford a loss.
Michael Bisping is still the champion and is waiting on Georges St-Pierre to set a date. The obvious next fighter in line after that is Yoel Romero. At the rate that all of the guys involved fight, it could be a long time before the next person gets a crack at the belt.
That’s a scary place to be for GegardMousasi because a shot at the championship is what he’s been pining for. He feels like a win here will prove that he deserves that chance but knows there’s a chance it still might not happen even with with a victory.
“Now if I win, I’m going to have to put everything on the line again and if I win then maybe I’m next. And still maybe,” Mousasi told the Fight Society Podcast(h/t Damon Martin of Fox Sports). “Because who knows what fight they’re going to make after this. Like I said, I deserve this.”
Weidman won’t go away easily, though. His back is truly against the wall in this fight. The once 13-0 fighter now finds himself at 13-2. Back-to-back losses to Luke Rockhold and Yoel Romero leave his contender status in question.
A loss to Mousasi would certainly be an end to Weidman‘s title hopes for an extended period of time.
Fortunately for Weidman, this is a better matchup for him than Rockhold and Romero. Both Rockhold and Romero are the physical freaks of the division. Rockhold has superior length, and Romero had the wrestling ability to out-grapple even Weidman.
Mousasi‘s streak has been impressive recently, but he hasn’t fought many fighters who are looking to turn things into a grappling exchange since JacareSouza.
In that fight, Souza took him down four times en route to a submission loss.
Mousasi has certainly improved, but a desperate Weidman is not an easy fighter to beat.
Weidman by decision
Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson
The last time these two fought, it was an awesome testament to the power of the human will.
Where most people are vaporized by an overhand right from Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Cormier took one, recovered and went on to win the fight by submission.
Now, two years later, Rumble will get the opportunity to land that right hand again. Cormier has defeated Anderson Silva and Alexander Gustafsson in the interim while Rumble has racked up three more knockout wins against JimiManuwa, Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira.
The rules of engagement here are pretty simple: If Cormier can survive the early onslaught—like he did in their first fight—he will successfully defend the title. Johnson has devastating power, but not much cardio.
If Cormier gets tagged by Rumble in the same way that he did in the first fight, he’s in serious trouble.
Cormier defeated Gustafsson and Silva, but it wasn’t without cost. Cormier absorbed 120 significant strikes from the Swede in a split decision win and was rocked by The Spider in their non-title bout at UFC 200.
Those are all signs that an aging Cormier might not have the chin and willpower that once carried him through the early storms against Rumble.
Johnson is a front-runner, but he’s among the best front-runners in MMA. Cormier‘s defense isn’t strong enough to guarantee that he won’t get tagged early in the fight, and the odds that someone survives two bombs from Rumble isn’t a gamble worth taking.
Expect Rumble to catch Cormier early and finish the job this time.
UFC 210 will be live on pay-per-view (PPV) tonight (Sat. April 8, 2017) from the KeyBank Center arena in Buffalo, New York. The main event features a light heavyweight title defense when champion Daniel Cormier takes on No. 1-ranked knockout artist Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson. Also in the co-main event of the evening, former UFC middleweight
UFC 210 will be live on pay-per-view (PPV) tonight (Sat. April 8, 2017) from the KeyBank Center arena in Buffalo, New York. The main event features a light heavyweight title defense when champion Daniel Cormier takes on No. 1-ranked knockout artist Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.
Also in the co-main event of the evening, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman looks to get back in the title hunt coming off back-to-back losses. When he meets No. 5-ranked Gegard Mousasi.
You can check out the full fight card for the PPV, including start times and how to watch, here:
Main Card (PPV at 10 p.m. ET) Light heavyweight title bout: (C) Daniel Cormier (205) vs. Anthony Johnson (203.8)
Middlweight: Chris Weidman (185.8) vs. Gegard Mousasi (185.8)
Women’s strawweight: Cynthia Calvillo (115.6) vs. Pearl Gonzalez (116)
Welterweight: Thiago Alves (170.6) vs. Patrick Cote (170)
Lightweight: Will Brooks (155.4) vs. Charles Oliveira (152.8)
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET)
Featherweight: Myles Jury (145) vs. Mike De La Torre (146)
Welterweight: Kamaru Usman (170.2) vs. Sean Strickland (170)
Featherweight: Charles Rosa (145.2) vs. Shane Burgos (146)
Light heavyweight: Patrick Cummins (205.4) vs. Jan Blachowicz (204.2)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m. ET)
Lightweight: Gregor Gillespie (154.8) vs. Andrew Holbrook (156)
Lightweight: Josh Emmett (155.6) vs. Desmond Green (154.2)
Women’s bantamweight: Katlyn Chookagian (134.8) vs. Irene Aldana (135.6)
Flyweight: Jenel Lausa (124.8) vs. Magomed Bibulatov (126)
UFC 210 is here, and it goes down tonight (Saturday, April 8, 2017) from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The prelims will air on UFC Fight Pass with four bouts at 6 p.m. ET and on FOX Sports 1 with four bouts at 8 p.m. ET. The main card will air on PPV
UFC 210 is here, and it goes down tonight (Saturday, April 8, 2017) from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The prelims will air on UFC Fight Pass with four bouts at 6 p.m. ET and on FOX Sports 1 with four bouts at 8 p.m. ET. The main card will air on PPV at 10 p.m. ET with five bouts.
A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship rematch between the current champion Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson will headline the event. The two fighters met previously in May 2015 at UFC 187 with Cormier winning the fight (and the vacant title) via submission in the third round. Chris Weidman vs. Gegard Mousasi in a middleweight bout will co-headline this event. Rounding out the main card is Cynthia Calvillo vs. Pearl Gonzalez in a strawweight bout, Thiago Alves vs. Patrick Cote in a welterweight bout and Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira in a lightweight bout.
According to oddsmakers, Johnson is a -120 favorite over Cormier, who is a +120 underdog. Other odds for the main card include Weidman being a +100 underdog against Mousasi, who is a -120 favorite. Here are the betting odds:
MAIN CARD (PPV/10 p.m. ET)
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Cormier (+100) vs. Anthony Johnson (-120)
Middleweight: Chris Weidman (+100) vs. Gegard Mousasi (-120)
Welterweight: Thiago Alves (+115) vs. Patrick Cote (-135)
Lightweight: Will Brooks (-230) vs. Charles Oliveira (+190)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1/8 p.m. ET)
Welterweight: Kamaru Usman (-325) vs. Sean Strickland (+265)
Featherweight: Shane Burgos (-240) vs. Charles Rosa (+200)
Lightweight: Josh Emmett (-190) vs. Desmond Green (+165)
Featherweight: Myles Jury (-440) vs. Mike De La Torre (+350)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass/6 p.m. ET)
Light Heavyweight: Patrick Cummins (-110) vs. Jan Blachowicz (-110)
Lightweight: Gregor Gillespie (-245) vs. Andrew Holbrook (+205)
Female Bantamweight: Katlyn Chookagian (-140) vs. Irene Aldana (+120)
Flyweight: Jenel Lausa (+425) vs. Magomed Bibulatov (-550)
Those weigh-ins sure went smoothly, didn’t they?
Friday’s weigh-ins for UFC 210 will go down as the most bizarre, exciting and controversial in UFC history for a number of reasons. For one, both Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier, the two light heavywe…
Those weigh-ins sure went smoothly, didn’t they?
Friday’s weigh-ins for UFC 210 will go down as the most bizarre, exciting and controversial in UFC history for a number of reasons. For one, both Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier, the two light heavyweights in the main event on Saturday night, didn’t show up until four minutes before the cutoff time.
Johnson, who has had a tumultuous history cutting weight, came in 1.2 pounds under the 205-pound limit. Now, remember the number 1.2. Because that’s exactly the amount of weight Cormier magically cut in the space of two minutes after weighing in at 206.2 the first time he hit the scales.
Call it a scale malfunction, Cormier’s fast metabolism/bowel movements or some sneaky behavior holding down the towel to balance out his weight. It doesn’t matter. The fight is on, and a light heavyweight championship fight is on the card in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday.
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Pearl Gonzalez
Speaking of a weird day of weigh-ins, perhaps Pearl Gonzalez had the most interesting of all.
Making her UFC debut, Gonzalez stepped on to the scale and made the 115-pound limit. No sweat. But then all of the sudden, she was pulled from the card. Why, you might ask? Gonzalez has breast implants, and that didn’t sit well with the NYSAC, even though she told them she had implants before the weigh-in.
The fight is back on, though, according to MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi, after the commission overturned its decision to remove Gonzalez from the card shortly after. It was a bizarre day for a lot of fighters, but let’s just be thankful the fights have stayed intact. Now that Gonzalez will be making her UFC debut, it’s unfortunate she has to go up against one the rising prospects in the sport.
Cynthia Calvillo is a wrecking machine. Training out of San Jose, California, with Team Alpha Male, you already know that she’s as tough as they come. And if you watched her first fight for the promotion back at the beginning of March, against Amanda Bobby Cooper at UFC 209, you wouldn’t mess with her.
Calvillo’s grappling is impressive for a fighter with only four pro fights on her resume, but she fights like an aggressive veteran in the Octagon. She is ferocious, but she doesn’t get too ahead of herself. While it’s nice to see Gonzalez back fighting on this card, she won’t last long against Calvillo.
Gegard Mousasi vs. Chris Weidman
There’s no easy way of saying this, but Chris Weidman needs to win this fight. And the only way he can do that is by taking Gegard Mousasi to the ground and sticking to wrestling.
Mousasi is lethal on his feet and should not be messed with. It remains to be seen whether Weidman will be gun-shy shooting for takedowns after Yoel Romero blew his forehead to pieces back at UFC 205 with a flying knee, but the All-American doesn’t have any more options.
The Dreamcatcher is an impressive striker who has developed his all-around game in recent fights. Since this is his last fight on his contract, a lot rides on Mousasi to show up and take care of the former UFC middleweight champion to secure a lucrative deal from the UFC or maybe from another organization.
Mousasi in Bellator has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
With a win, Mousasi moves one step closer to a title shot. That doesn’t say much when you consider the likes of Jacare Souza, Yoel Romero, Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping and now Georges St-Pierre are floating around the top of the division.
Weidman needs to fight smart and stick to the game plan. He won’t be able to finish Mousasi on the feet, so there’s no point in even trying. If he can’t keep the Dutchman on the canvas for the majority of the fight, then it’s going to be yet another loss for Weidman, who is on a two-fight losing streak.
Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson
It’s difficult to get over Friday’s weigh-in, and it’s even more difficult to understand the physics behind pushing down lightly on a towel to lose 1.2 pounds.
But there is a fight happening, so we’ll try to focus on that.
Cormier isn’t shy about poking fun at Johnson and how he tapped out back in 2015 in their first fight. Johnson tagged Cormier right out of the gate but failed to capitalize on it. Instead, he wasted his energy and stamina looking for knockout punches every time he swung his right hand toward Cormier, who evaded the No. 1 contender with ease.
The champion will be looking for the same type of fight to happen. Johnson is a one-trick pony, even though he is good at knocking people out—and I would never say that to his face. But if he can’t knock out the champ, then he won’t win. It’s that simple.
It’s no secret that Cormier thinks Johnson lacks that mental fortitude to be a champion, often calling him a quitter and saying how Rumble gave up in their first fight, per Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour:
Yes, I do [think the fight will end in the same outcome]. I don’t ever change. He’ll give up. We’ve seen it too many times. And you’re making me be kinda mean to this guy when that’s not who I am to him, but it’s the truth. You can point to it, [Josh] Koscheck and me and Vitor [Belfort] and all these. It’s only the truth. I’m only speaking the truth, and here’s the thing, I’ll say it in front of him too. It’s not like I won’t say this in front of Anthony Johnson.
The champ has a point, but that doesn’t mean he’s always right. If Cormier can withstand a barrage of strikes in the first round like he did two years ago, then he will retain his title. The key will be avoiding Johnson’s explosive right hand, which is a lot easier said than done. But if anyone knows how to defeat Rumble in the Octagon, Cormier is the man to look to.
