Dana White: Cormier and Gustafsson Bouts Set, Won’t Fight Each Other Next

Mere logic would put top contenders Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson in a bout to determine the next title contender, but obviously, the UFC has other things in mind for the light heavyweight division.
During the UFC 183 post-fight press confere…

Mere logic would put top contenders Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson in a bout to determine the next title contender, but obviously, the UFC has other things in mind for the light heavyweight division.

During the UFC 183 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White confirmed that bouts for both Cormier and Gustafsson had already been booked.

Cormier’s got another fight set up right now and we actually have another fight for Gustafsson, too,” said White. “After those two fight these fights, it makes sense.”

Gustafsson is likely still shaking off the cobwebs after a first-round thrashing to Anthony Johnson. The surprising loss sent the Swedish contender tumbling down the light heavyweight ranks, and it put Johnson in the No. 1 contender’s spot to challenge Jon Jones for the UFC title.

Cormier, on the other hand, was turned back by the champ in his bid for UFC gold in early January. During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Cormier hinted at a potential fight with Gustafsson, claiming it was the fight that made the most sense.  

The UFC once again sidestepping a fight between light heavyweight contenders won’t sit well with Jones. The UFC light heavyweight champ has stated several times that he isn’t happy with top contenders bypassing bouts against other top contenders for a title shot. Cormier, Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira all received title shots without having to go through at least one top-five contender.

When speaking with Ariel Helwani, Jones claimed that the UFC saved all the tough fights for him.

“I feel like they save all the dogs for me, and they just give the toughest guys the easiest matchups to get a title shot,” said Jones. “Let’s see some of these top contenders fight each other.”

The opponents and fight dates for Cormier and Gustafsson have yet to be announced by the UFC. But from the looks of things, Jones could be gearing up to fight a recycled murderer’s row of contenders.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon and FanRag Sports.

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UFC on Fox 14: Gustafsson’s Title Hopes Crushed by Anthony Johnson, for Now

Twenty-four hours ago, my colleague Jonathan Snowden and I put together the latest edition of our new series, The Question.
In it, we tried to answer two questions:
1: Did the UFC miss the boat by not forcing an immediate rematch between Jon Jones and …

Twenty-four hours ago, my colleague Jonathan Snowden and I put together the latest edition of our new series, The Question.

In it, we tried to answer two questions:

1: Did the UFC miss the boat by not forcing an immediate rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson after their classic bout in September 2013?

2: Did Anthony Johnson have a chance to delay that rematch even further by beating Gustafsson in the UFC on Fox 14 main event?

As it turns out, the answer to both questions is a resounding “yes.”

Johnson, who has morphed from a man with weight issues at 170 pounds into the most terrifying fighter in the UFC light heavyweight division, knocked out Gustafsson in just over two minutes. Gustafsson felt Johnson’s power, and it overwhelmed him in the same way it has overwhelmed Johnson’s previous eight opponents, because Johnson is a force of nature.

I’m not going to compare him to the Mike Tyson of the 1980s, but I wouldn’t make fun of you if you felt the same twinge of fear Tyson inspired in us normal folks back in his heyday. Johnson will be a significant underdog to Jones when they eventually meet, but it is an intriguing matchup. Johnson’s power makes him an interesting opponent for anybody in the UFC.

After the fight, I sent UFC president Dana White a text message. “That guy is terrifying.”

“Real deal,” White responded in his typical short fight-night fashion. And indeed: Johnson is the real deal.

“I can’t believe I beat the guy who, in my opinion, beat Jon Jones,” Johnson said at the post-fight news conference aired on Fight Pass. “I was in a state of shock.”

But for Gustafsson, the loss was heartbreaking.

The fight ended with the lanky Swede on the canvas, unable to defend himself against Johnson’s assault. After a commercial break, we caught a glimpse of Gustafsson holding his shirt over his face, attempting to hide the tears he couldn’t stop from flowing. His dream of a rematch with Jones—one he should have received well over a year ago—has vanished, at least for the time being.

He was supposed to get an immediate rematch, but Jones allegedly wasn’t interested. So he went out and beat Jimi Manuwa to earn his way back into the title picture, only to suffer an injury and see Daniel Cormier take his place. And then—instead of waiting for Jones and the title shot already promised him—Gustafsson agreed to headline a huge Fox card in Sweden, because he is a fighter and that is what fighters do: They fight.

And because of all of that, and because he did not want to sit on the sidelines and watch the division pass him by, Gustafsson finds himself shoved out of the title picture in violent fashion.

It’s a shame. Gustafsson gave Jones all he could handle in their first meeting, and rare is the MMA fan who wouldn’t want to see them do it again. Depending on your viewpoint, Jones is either approaching “best fighter of all time” status, or he is already there.

But for many, the questions created by Gustafsson on that night in 2013 demand emphatic answers from Jones. If Jones faces Gustafsson again and handles him in the way he’s handled all of his other opponents, there are no more questions. There will be no more speculation about whether Jones took Gustafsson seriously; there will only be the greatest fighter of all time, standing tall and proud and unquestioned.

After Saturday, that moment is delayed, though not deferred forever. Gustafsson is just 28 years old and is one of the most talented fighters in the division. It would make sense to see him step in the cage with Daniel Cormier for his next fight; Cormier did lose to Jones recently, after all. The time frame works. And the winner of Gustafsson vs. Cormier would either be in line for a title shot or one win away. It just makes sense.

It is hard not to root for Gustafsson. He is pleasant and respectful. He is a big draw for the UFC in Sweden and will remain so despite Saturday’s loss. And he is also an incredible fighter who is still growing into his skills and still getting better at his craft.

But there will come a time—and I think it is much closer than many will expect—when Jones, feeling he has done all he can in mixed martial arts, will walk away from the sport. I believe he will do so at a young age, retiring to enjoy his millions and perhaps pursue an acting career.

Let us hope, as people who enjoy our fighting, that Gustafsson works his way back to contendership before that happens. Because it would be a shame if Gustafsson—through a combination of circumstance, bad luck and running into the Johnson freight train—never gets the second title shot he has twice earned.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. 

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UFC Fight Night Notebook: McGregor Ignites Boston Crowd En Route to Title Fight

The UFC put on its third event from the TD Garden in Boston on Sunday night. The show was headlined by the promotion’s fastest-rising star, Conor McGregor. The Notorious had a rabid Irish-American crowd on the edge of their seats anticipating his…

The UFC put on its third event from the TD Garden in Boston on Sunday night. The show was headlined by the promotion’s fastest-rising star, Conor McGregor. The Notorious had a rabid Irish-American crowd on the edge of their seats anticipating his arrival throughout the entire night.

His second-round TKO over No. 10-ranked Dennis Siver earned him a featherweight title shot opposite champion Jose Aldo, who was in attendance. After the victory McGregor jumped the cage and lunged straight for Aldo in the front row and confronted the champion with a menacing scream.  

We weren’t treated to an in-cage faceoff between the two, which UFC President Dana White explained was due to Aldo’s superstition about not entering the Octagon unless it is to fight. The stage is set now for the biggest featherweight title fight in UFC history, so let’s take a look at how we got there with my notes from UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver.

 

Fight Week

The week leading up to the event had an uncommon amount of buzz behind it partly because of the thousands of people who flew to Boston from Ireland to support their fellow countryman. The open workouts were held at the UFC Gym in Boston.

Fans packed inside the gym for the opportunity to watch McGregor hit pads and spar in the cage with his longtime friend and training partner Tom Egan, who was the first Irish person to fight in the Octagon back at UFC 93 in 2009.

The media day for UFC Fight Night was held at Ned Devine’s Irish pub in downtown Boston and was also open to the public. Fans packed and broke out into several chants throughout the afternoon of “Ole, Ole, Ole,” and erupted when it was time for McGregor to face off with Siver.

The weigh-ins were held at the Orpheum Theatre, and the crowd arrived early for a fan Q&A with Aldo. Aldo was heckled, chanted at and mocked by the riled up Irish who made the journey, as well as local fans from the Northeast.

It mirrored the treatment that McGregor received in Brazil when he flew there for a Q&A prior to Aldo’s most recent title defense against Chad Mendes. Both men seem to know how to energize their rival’s fanbase, and both are comfortable as the bad guy.

Aldo was also in attendance for the fight and throughout the night was taking photos in the media room wearing a crown and holding a staff, as well as holding up a poster of a Photoshopped McGregor made to look like a joker that read “Go Joker, Go.” Whenever the champion was shown on screen, he was received with a chorus of boos from the Boston crowd. They knew who their hero was, and it wasn’t Aldo.

 

Fight Night Numbers

The event drew $1.34 million at the gate, with 13,828 fans coming to TD Garden to watch the meteoric rise of McGregor continue. Compare that to when the UFC made its debut in Massachusetts in August 2010 with UFC 118.

BJ Penn lost a rematch with Frankie Edgar for the UFC lightweight title that night, and the event sold 11,205 tickets for a $2.8 million gate, according to numbers provided by the MSAC to MMAJunkie.com. Its return in August 2013, headlined by Chael Sonnen vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua sold 10,795 tickets for a $1.53 million gate.

 

Straight Blast Gym Goes 3-0 in Boston

McGregor fought alongside two of his Straight Blast Gym Ireland teammates, welterweight Cathal Pendred and flyweight Paddy Holohan. All three men were victorious under the lights at TD Garden, but they weren’t without controversy.

Holohan was up first of the three men, and being placed early on the prelim card meant that the crowd was fresh and energetic for their first Irish fighter of the night. Holohan won a unanimous decision over Shane Howell and improved his UFC record to 2-1.

Pendred competed in the night’s featured preliminary bout just before the main card kicked off. He got badly hurt by a punch from his opponent Sean Spencer and ate several more unanswered shots from Spencer throughout the round.

In a fight that nearly everyone had Spencer winning, Pendred was inexplicably declared the winner by all three judges, something that even White disagreed with. Pendred showed his warrior spirit by recovering and staying in the fight, but the decision was highly questionable.

 

Boston Strong

Aside from the SGB fighters, American Top Team (ATT) fighter and Boston area native Charles Rosa competed on the card. Complete with a signature Bruins jersey and Bruins walkout music, Rosa got the crowd amped up like it was a Bruins Stanley Cup playoff game and put on an exciting back-and-forth fight with Providence, Rhode Island, native Sean Soriano.

The two train at opposing gyms in Florida, Soriano being a Blackzilian and Rosa training out of ATT. The two gyms will be featured on the next installment of The Ultimate Fighter, which begins filming this week.

Rosa finished the fight with a third-round d’arce choke, which occurred exactly as the score for the Patriots game was displayed on the big screens in the arena.

Another Boston native, John “Doomsday” Howard, did not fare so well in front of his hometown crowd. Howard took on Lorenz Larkin, who was making his first drop to welterweight. Larkin said before the fight that the cut wasn’t all that difficult and proved against Howard that it was the right decision.

Larkin went toe-to-toe with the hard-hitting Bostonian and leveled Howard with a huge punch then followed up with a barrage that caused the referee to wave off the fight in the first round, giving Larkin the win by TKO.

 

Fight Night Notes and Quotes

Throughout the night, McGregor was shown on screen watching along in the dressing room, and each time the Irishman’s mug appeared in the arena, the crowd roared. The event security was kept busy by the numerous fans who had to be physically carted out for being overly intoxicated.

During McGregor’s walk out to the cage, fans had dislodged the small LED lights from their noisemakers and were sending them straight to the arena floor, along with quarters and screws and whatever else was in their pockets. Luckily for all, the fan favorite came out victorious, and we were spared the hostility of a Boston sporting event gone bad.

McGregor enjoyed a cup of Midleton Very Rare Whiskey at the post-fight presser and gave his thoughts on his performance, saying:

“I said the two-minute mark, but as it came closer I was thinking that I don’t want to rush this. I want to get in and I want to feel this…I wanted to find comfort in there and find calm. This is my third contest back-to-back-to-back from ACL surgery.”

He went on to give his thoughts on the news that his crack at the featherweight title will take place in Las Vegas in May, saying:

As you can see, it’s tradition. I remove a head. I bring it backstage. I place on Mr. Fertitta’s and Mr. White desk. ‘Here you go, boss. Another one done.’ And we go and discuss big business. Big business just so happens to be in Viva Las Vegas. So we will go to Las Vegas, and one more head will be collected.

 

Cerrone Edges Past Henderson, Notches 7th Straight Victory

Another fighter who solidified his place as a top contender in Boston was Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who fought Benson Henderson in the co-main event. Cerrone took the fight on two weeks’ notice, after winning a unanimous decision over Myles Jury at UFC 183 earlier this month.

In the third encounter between Cerrone and Henderson, each round was extremely close, there was a feeling-out process on the feet in the first round and neither overcame the other. It was a well-fought, technical fight, and after three rounds Cerrone was the winner.

It marks his seventh win in a row, with all seven fights occurring within a 14-month period. Not only did Cowboy cement his spot at the top of the lightweight division, he achieved he legendary status of winning two fights in two weeks.

Cerrone had this to say about the win at the post-fight press conference:

“Ben is a friend of mine inside the cage and out, so it’s definitely a tough win to celebrate. Seven in a row, I feel good. It’s time to take some time off, and talk with Dana and Lorenzo after this, go see the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and just hang out.”

If the UFC’s most recent visit to Boston proved one thing, it’s that there are still potential stars out there in mixed martial arts. Aldo, in his reign as featherweight champion, has yet to encounter an adversary who will both test him as a fighter and attract fans the way the smooth-talking Irishman does.

McGregor has passed every test to date with flying colors and, after igniting the crowd in Boston, looks to continue his trajectory by becoming only the second featherweight champion in the UFC history and the first Irishman to claim UFC gold.

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Conor McGregor and the UFC Implemented the Right Booking and Promotions Plan

Conor McGregor did what he needed to do against Dennis Siver. His second-round stoppage has earned him a title shot against longtime champion Jose Aldo.
What’s interesting about this case is that McGregor has done so in such a way that his messaging ou…

Conor McGregor did what he needed to do against Dennis Siver. His second-round stoppage has earned him a title shot against longtime champion Jose Aldo.

What’s interesting about this case is that McGregor has done so in such a way that his messaging outside of the Octagon has been almost more important than what he was able to do within the cage. In less than two years, Conor McGregor and the UFC have learned how to properly book and promote growing stars that will benefit those to follow. 

With his fifth win in the promotion, McGregor has already been tapped as the man to face Aldo at some point in 2015. Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog reported that works are underway to get this fight scheduled for Las Vegas, potentially during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Watching this rise to fame has helped not only McGregor but the other competitors within the sport.

McGregor draws attention to the division that hasn’t garnered much without him. He’s done so by talking in a way that goes beyond promotion and borders on predetermination. Chael Sonnen is often praised for the way he promoted himself into title fights against Anderson Silva and Jon Jones, but what McGregor has done is quite different.

Sonnen‘s words were often taken in a “tongue in cheek” fashion, leaving room to question whether or not even Sonnen believed what he was saying. There isn’t a question as to whether or not McGregor believes how he talks about himself and his career.

“What he has is unbelievable confidence in himself, and when he sits in a room with you, you start to believe everything he’s saying, too,” Dana White said in a report by MMA Junkie’s John Morgan. “And he has a really good gift of explaining and breaking down a fight and how a fight is going to go and why it’s going to happen. It’s hard to argue with the kid.”

Being able to verbalize that confidence has helped McGregor jump to the top of a division that is much more competitive than perceived. He’s done so in a way that is quite different than the path many other UFC competitors had to take in order to earn a title shot.

In five fights, McGregor has yet to face an individual who is ranked within the top five of the group. Dustin Poirier, whom Conor defeated at UFC 178, sits at No. 6 and is the highest-ranked opponent against whom the Irishman has competed (via UFC.com). 

So what does this mean for the other fighters, not only at 145, but throughout the world of MMA as a whole?

The lesson to be learned is that fighters have to learn how to present themselves in a way that is believable both verbally and visually. With four stoppages in five fights, McGregor is fighting in the exact way that is meant to entice fans into watching his next foray in the cage.

Matchmakers within the UFC are also doing their part to build up their competitor. One question that many have had is whether or not McGregor would be able to deal with powerful wrestlers such as Chad Mendes or Frankie Edgar.

“But the pattern of matchmaking McGregor has been subject to has caused a bit of an uproar,” wrote Tom Taylor of Fightland. “While that argument does diminish the skill of the Irishman’s recent opponents, who have all been dangerous, it is somewhat merited. Siver is no slouch, but if the UFC is interested in establishing McGregor as a genuine contender, letting him test his chops against a wrestler wouldn’t hurt.”

With this purposeful booking style the UFC has learned that “protecting” fighters for as long as possible will have a long-term benefit. McGregor will eventually have to face an established wrestler. Keeping away from this bout until he is a guaranteed draw will benefit the organization and both men involved.

McGregor will not be the last star to emerge in mixed martial arts. His growth to main event spectacle has been a plan developed by both his and the UFC’s actions. When he faces Jose Aldo later this year, expect it to be one of the biggest fights that the UFC has put on in recent memory.

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Dana White Explains Why Jose Aldo Didn’t Face off with Conor McGregor

The UFC appeared to botch a golden opportunity to have Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo face off after the Irishman’s victory Sunday night.
But UFC President Dana White would later explain to Ariel Helwani why the two future adversaries did not face off in…

The UFC appeared to botch a golden opportunity to have Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo face off after the Irishman’s victory Sunday night.

But UFC President Dana White would later explain to Ariel Helwani why the two future adversaries did not face off in the cage.

“He is superstitious, White said. “He will not step foot inside the octagon unless it is to fight. I just wanted to clarify that because it looked weird but nobody told Jose and he doesn’t go in there except to fight.”

Indeed, it did appear weird considering Joe Rogan had called for Aldo to step into the cage to square off against McGregor during the Irishman’s post-fight interview. Those plans would be nixed on the fly and instead we had Aldo speaking through an interpreter following McGregor’s interview.

Despite the fact that the Aldo-McGregor staredown photo-op didn’t happen, fans still were able to see one of heck of an image immediately after the fight.

Following a dominant win over the out-matched Dennis Siver, McGregor hopped over the cage and went straight towards Aldo. The image of McGregor screaming into Aldo’s face while being restrained by security with Aldo simply laughing figures to be shown numerous times in the lead-up to their clash.

The fight has the potential to be one of the biggest the UFC has put on given the following McGregor has. In a short amount of time McGregor has gone from touted prospect to UFC megastar. It’s pretty telling that McGregor main-evented a card on just his third UFC appearance.

Meanwhile Aldo is the reigning champion and hasn’t lost since 2005. He was recently pushed to the limits by Chad Mendes in their epic UFC 179 fight, a fight that will surely be on anyone’s short list for Fight of the Year.

 

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Jon Jones Fined $25,000 By The UFC For Violating The Promotion’s Code of Conduct


(“I’m deeply saddened by this whole situation. I’ll be honest, though … that beard trimmer I bought yesterday was more expensive than this fine.”/Photo via Getty)

The UFC announced via its website today that current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been fined $25,000 for violating the promotion’s Athlete Code of Conduct policy.

Jones, who defeated Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 on Jan. 3, 2015, failed an out-of-competition drug test administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Dec. 4, 2014, testing positive for cocaine metabolites.

The UFC had this to say about the fine (via UFC.com):


(“I’m deeply saddened by this whole situation. I’ll be honest, though … that beard trimmer I bought yesterday was more expensive than this fine.”/Photo via Getty)

The UFC announced via its website today that current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been fined $25,000 for violating the promotion’s Athlete Code of Conduct policy.

Jones, who defeated Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 on Jan. 3, 2015, failed an out-of-competition drug test administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Dec. 4, 2014, testing positive for cocaine metabolites.

The UFC had this to say about the fine (via UFC.com):

The UFC announced today that it has fined light heavyweight champion Jon Jones $25,000 for violating the organization’s Athlete Code of Conduct policy. Jones tested positive for cocaine during an out-of-competition drug test conducted by the Nevada Athletic Commission on Dec. 4, 2014. The $25,000 will be donated to a substance abuse prevention program.

The UFC came to this decision after reviewing the facts surrounding the issue, and after receiving confirmation from the Nevada Athletic Commission that Jones passed all required drug tests following his bout at UFC 182 on Jan. 3.”

The news itself was downright shocking, yet the fact that both the UFC and the NSAC knew about this plenty of time before his eighth-consecutive title defense (Dec. 23, 2014) was disconcerting, and the positive test was only made public on Jan. 6, 2015. But as we know, the show must go on. Jones checked himself into rehab directly after the incident, only to last one night inside the joint before cashing himself out.

There were also rumors of Jones having abnormal T/E ratios and hormone levels, but those worries were taken care of when the NSAC confirmed the samples came back clean.

Also, as per a tweet from MMA Fighting’s Luke Thomas, it should be noted that “Bones” will be fined the 25 grand out of his disclosed $500,000 payout he made from his unanimous decision win over “D.C.” (which tallies at a whopping 5%).

Lastly, for what it’s worth, FOX Sports announced today Jones will be sitting down with Charissa Thompson  to “break his silence” on this whole ordeal in a segment airing at 11 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 this upcoming Monday night. Considering FOX is in bed with the UFC, serving as the promotion’s mouthpiece more often than not, it’s hard to believe this is going to be a tell-all interview, and that the reigning champ would be grilled in Bob Costas fashion.

Either way, we’ll keep you posted on it.

Alex G.