Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel “DC” Cormier was scheduled to defend his 205-pound strap in a rematch against Anthony Johnson at Dec. 10’s UFC 206 from Toronto, Canada, but he was recently forced to withdraw from the bout due to an injury. Cormier revealed on today’s (Nov. 28, 2016) edition of The MMA Hour
Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel “DC” Cormier was scheduled to defend his 205-pound strap in a rematch against Anthony Johnson at Dec. 10’s UFC 206 from Toronto, Canada, but he was recently forced to withdraw from the bout due to an injury.
Cormier revealed on today’s (Nov. 28, 2016) edition of The MMA Hour that he suffered a torn right adductor muscle, which is located near the groin. The former Olympian now has a choice to make regarding his treatment, and he plans to return in the February or March:
“I don’t know, man,” Cormier said. “It’s a weird deal, because I always try not to have surgery. That’s kind of my thing. I do whatever I can to not go under the knife. I’ve got some decisions to make.”
Surgery would likely get Cormier back in the gym in eight weeks, while simply resting would likely put him out of action for five months. “DC” could also elect to get platelet-rich plasma injections which would heal his injury faster than resting.
“I told [the doctor] I would like the fastest way back to the Octagon,” Cormier said.
While his decision hasn’t been made just yet, Cormier is hoping to face off with Johnson upon his return before meeting Ryan Bader before July.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only time “DC” has suffered an injury, but the champion doesn’t plan on changing his training habits anytime soon:
“I feel if I don’t prepare in the ways I’ve always prepared in, I don’t know if I’ll be able to compete to the best of my ability,” he said. “It sucks.”
UFC 206 is now set to be headlined by an interim featherweight title fight between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis.
The title unification bout between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones has been a long time in the making. Ever since their first duel at UFC 182 there’s been the feeling that a rematch was always just around the corner. Even when ‘Bones’ was suspended and stripped of the title, we all knew that the second
The title unification bout between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones has been a long time in the making. Ever since their first duel at UFC 182 there’s been the feeling that a rematch was always just around the corner. Even when ‘Bones’ was suspended and stripped of the title, we all knew that the second fight was imminent. Now that July 9 date is within touching distance, as we stand on the cusp of UFC 200 fight week, and the rivalry between ‘DC’ and Jones has ramped up once again.
There’s been plenty said in the war of words between the two long standing rivals, but perhaps the biggest question about the fight itself is regarding growth. How much has Cormier evolved, and on the opposite side of that coin how much has Jones potentially regressed? At UFC 197 we saw an extremely rusty former champion put in a rather dull performance, albeit one sided, against Ovince St-Preux. ‘DC’ recently claimed ‘this is the new Jon Jones,’ if true this could mean a very different rematch at UFC 200.
An interesting stat about Jon Jones; he has the same number of first round finishes at 205 pounds as former middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Cormier has made use of Jones’ recent decision streak, saying ‘Bones’ lacks power and ability to stop fights. Talking during a recent podcast, as quoted by MMAFighting.com, the current interim champion Jones offered his response to Cormier’s criticism:
“The funny thing about him saying that is, Daniel Cormier doesn’t punch hard. I think the only person I can recall him knocking out is ‘Bigfoot’ Silva. I’m not trying to offend ‘Bigfoot’ Silva but, I mean, he’s not known to have the strongest chin in the game. So, you name anybody else who he knocked out with one punch and walked away, I don’t think I’ve seen it.”
Jones recounts his UFC 182 decision win over Cormier, pointing out that at no time did the wrestler inflict any damage:
“In my fight with Daniel Cormier, he always talks about how I was working his body and I kicked him in the ribs and I kneed him in the ribs, and these body shots that really sent a shockwave going through his body,” Jones said. “But at no point in the fight did one of his punches do anything to me, or kicks. At no point in the fight did he get me to bleed. At no point in the fight did he get me to lose my breath or to look up at the clock out of frustration. At no point did he wobble me with a punch. I mean, Daniel Cormier caught me with like 60 uppercuts in that fight, and I’m exaggerating. Not one of those uppercuts did anything to me.”
“Never made me stumble. None of his kicks made me back up or stop moving forward. So, he’s trying paint this picture of me not being a powerful guy, but I kicked his ass.”
I actually hurt him with strikes, where he did nothing to me. I’ve heard him in interviews say that he’s going to walk me down and take me down right away because obviously I don’t have the stopping power to stop him from walking forward. But the reality is, if I wanted to go out there and walk him down, take him down for the sixth time, he doesn’t have the stopping power to stop me.”
“We’ve brought in absolutely zero special training partners from anywhere,” Jones said. “I’ve been working with the same few guys my whole career. These guys, they’ll go southpaw for me if I need them to go southpaw, they’ll shoot on me if I need them to shoot on me more, they’ll throw uppercuts more if I need uppercuts, overhands if I need overhands. I mean, DC getting a 6-10 guy shows how big I am in his head, how deep I am in his head.
“That’s what he looks at me as, this freaking 6-10 monster.”
The American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California is home to some of the best mixed martial artists in the world including UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Daniel Cormier, former champion Cain Velasquez, and top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov. The success of the team inside of the cage speaks for itself, but AKA has also garnered
The American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California is home to some of the best mixed martial artists in the world including UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Daniel Cormier, former champion Cain Velasquez, and top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The success of the team inside of the cage speaks for itself, but AKA has also garnered its fair share of criticisms due to its somewhat questionable injury history.
Velasquez and Nurmagomedov have been plagued with injuries over the last few years, and Cormier also recently pulled out of a highly anticipated title fight to due to an injury suffered in training.
While many have fired shots at the team, and more specifically at Velasquez, Rockhold recently spoke on the situation, saying that injuries happen in MMA, and that nothing is intentional:
“Injuries happen, we have a high level of competition at the gym,” said Rockhold in a recent interview with MMA Fighting. “But we’re family and people aren’t trying to hurt each other. From time to time, things happen. I don’t believe we have a big problem with injuries. I know myself, I know DC, I know a lot of these guys and a couple injuries plague you, but the rest of us have been pretty healthy.”
Continuing on, the reigning 185-pound champion said that AKA is simply the best camp in the world with the best fighters pushing each other to their limits:
“Cain gets some injuries, but people are fighting,” added Rockhold. “We just come from the top camp in the world with a lot of top names and there’s a lot of focus. Any time anyone gets hurt, people want to point the finger. But the thing is, we have the best camp in the world and there’s a reason why that’s happening.”
Do you agree with Rockhold, or does AKA seriously have to consider their training methods?
Jon Jones vs. Ovince St. Preux: Mike Drahota: Jon Jones is finally back, and he’s arguably in the best shape of his legendary MMA career. Time will tell if he can get past his out-of-cage struggles to regain his previously long-held UFC light heavyweight title belt, but he’s never really had much trouble winning fights
Jon Jones is finally back, and he’s arguably in the best shape of his legendary MMA career. Time will tell if he can get past his out-of-cage struggles to regain his previously long-held UFC light heavyweight title belt, but he’s never really had much trouble winning fights in the Octagon. He’s obviously not fighting arch rival champion Daniel Cormier, but late replacement St. Preux has some unorthodox striking and lethal knockout power, and Jones has had trouble with one other similarly sized opponent in Alexander Gustafsson. However, ‘OSP’ has also been handled thoroughly by touted grapplers Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader. MMA math may not be the best deciding factor, but I still see Jones winning this by second-round submission.
Rory Kernaghan:
Jon Jones faces a dangerous fighter in Ovince Saint Preux, but in all honesty nothing new. With all due respect to OSP, I simply don’t feel he belongs in the octagon with Jones at this stage in his career. Truthfully, “Bones” is without doubt one of the greatest fighters of all time, even with all of the legal trouble going on in his personal life. The reach of Jones is a problem for any fighter, and I think he’ll be using it to fire nasty oblique kicks to keep his distance early on. I expect the former champion to utilize his nasty elbow attacks to wear down on St. Preux, eventually leading to a grizzly end. Again, no disrespect to OSP, but Jones is going to feed him some punishment. Jon Jones by TKO round three.
Mike Henken:
Jones has looked like an absolute monster in preparing for his return despite having to deal with a late opponent change just a few weeks prior to his fight. With that being said, I just don’t see many ways that St. Preux can challenge Jones. OSP is an elite level athlete with serious knockout power, but “Bones” is the best in the world, and possibly the best of all-time for a reason. I expect him to pick St. Preux apart on the feet before finishing the fight on the ground. Jones by third-round submission.
Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo:
Mike Drahota:
There’s little doubt that Cejudo provides a new and perhaps more challenging test as “Mighty Mouse” attempts to inch his way closer to Anderson Silva’s UFC title defense record, but for all of the hype that heaped upon Cejudo for his Olympic wrestling gold medal, he hasn’t shown me all that much in the Octagon. Yes, his striking is sufficient and his takedowns will always be a threat, but he’s still seeking his first UFC stoppage and is arguably facing the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Johnson has simply transcended 125 pounds in recent years, and has a variety of amazing finishes as he’s seemingly toyed with his opponents. Cejudo is very tough and may very well put up more of a fight than most, but I just don’t think he’s ready to take on a challenge like Johnson. “Mighty Mouse” by unanimous decision.
Rory Kernaghan:
Demetrious Johnson is another extremely dominant force, but is flying under the radar once again for his fight with Henry Cejudo. The former Olympian is a tremendous athlete, but does he have the MMA pedigree to take out such a superb fighter in ‘Mighty Mouse?’ Many would argue the contrary, but I find myself a little stuck on this pick. Cejudo is one of very few fighters who could potentially keep the pace of Johnson all five rounds, but the champion’s footwork and overall well rounded game is just so advanced and technical. I feel an upset coming in this fight, and I don’t often go with my gut, but I just sense that ‘Mighty Mouse’ is going to get caught with a big shot here. I know it’s against all the odds and the physics of this match up, but someone has to go for the underdog. Cejudo knocks out ‘Mighty Mouse’ in round one.
Mike Henken:
In my opinion, “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is one of the best fighters on the planet, although possibly not receiving the credit he deserves. The reigning flyweight boss seemingly does everything perfect, being able to strike from numerous stances as well as being able to transition effortlessly between takedowns and submission attempts. Despite being criticized for the ‘lack’ of competition he’s faced, “Mighty Mouse” has no easy task in Cejudo, an undefeated mixed martial artist and an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling. “The Messenger” has also improved his striking, but I don’t see it being enough to dethrone the king. Johnson by unanimous decision.
This weekend (Sat., April 23, 2016), all-time great former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will finally make his awaited return to the Octagon when he faces Ovince St. Preux in the main event of UFC 197 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jones has been out of action since he beat
This weekend (Sat., April 23, 2016), all-time great former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will finally make his awaited return to the Octagon when he faces Ovince St. Preux in the main event of UFC 197 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jones has been out of action since he beat arch rival Daniel Cormier via unanimous decision at January 2015’s UFC 183 in a bout that feels like it took place ages ago. Unlike many other MMA stars of the current era, however, Jones’ absence was not due to injury.
No, “Bones” was infamously stripped of his belt in the aftermath of an incredibly tumultuous early part of 2015 that saw him fail an out-of-competition drug test for cocaine, spend one day in rehab for it, and ultimately succumb to much more serious charges when he broke the arm of a 25-year-old pregnant woman in a highly publicized early morning hit-and-run accident in his adopted home of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jones paid the price for those acts in the form of 18 months probation and 72 public appearances to warn children of the consequences of mistakes like his, yet even those circumstances apparently couldn’t keep him out of trouble, as he was jailed for violating probation after receiving a slew of tickets during a traffic stop for alleged drag racing.
While those offenses are currently under examination when allegations of racial profiling and other misuse of the law was alleged against the officer in question by Jones’ legal team, there’s is more than obviously a much bigger issue in play, and that’s Jones’ seeming inability to stay out of trouble despite having the mixed martial arts (MMA) world as his proverbial fingertips when it comes to pure fighting talent and skill.
At this point in his triumphant yet troubling tale, it’s lead to a pair of stark contrasts for Jones; ones that have him compared in many ways to decorated, legendary boxers Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.
On one hand, Jones’ performances in the cage can easily tie him to the body of work of the the aptly-named “Greatest” Ali, who not only transcended the sport of boxing with his amazing 56-5 record, not only with his historic rivalries with Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and Sonny Liston, but also for his outspoken and trail-blazing accomplishments in the field of civil rights when he refused to fight in the Vietnam War and gave up a portion of his prime years to stand up for his religious and political beliefs.
No, Jones has not done anything remotely close to what Ali did in terms of truly influencing and vitalizing an entire race to stand up for themselves in the face of oppression, and it’s doubtful that he ever will. However, he does have the chance to turn his career around and be remembered as the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time, a title he may already be deserving of based on his in-cage accomplishments alone.
And a lot of that starts with the appearances he’s been forced to make due to his court-levied punishments. If Jones truly practices what he preaches and serves as an example of how troubled children can turn their lives around, then he’ll be remembered as one of the greats and most likely even the greatest as Ali was. Despite his popularity and unique progress in a torn world, Ali was far from perfect, and Jones need not be either.
He simply has to tow the line and stay out of trouble.
But there’s a far more dark and disappointing contrast to the boxing world that is a definite possibility for the one they call “Bones,” and that’s ending up being compared to the ultra-talented but perhaps even more troubled former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
Like Jones, Tyson won the title at an extremely young age, and also like Jones, the results of stardom that early obviously had their adverse effects on what could have been an all-time great career. Like Jones, Tyson was stripped of a significant part of his prime based on his own mistakes when he was also incarcerated, although for far more nefarious reasons.
After shockingly losing his belt to James “Buster” Douglas in arguably the biggest upset of all-time in early 1990, Tyson was subsequently arrested for the rape of Miss Black Rhode Island winner Desiree Washington in July 1991 while awaiting his highly looked forward-to fight with new champion Evander Holyfield, who had won the belt from Douglas in his next fight.
“Iron Mike” was convicted as a jury found him brutish and arrogant, and an appeal from his legal counsel Alan Dershowitz fell upon deaf ears. Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison and four years probation, and even he was released after three and went on to contend for the heavyweight crown following his release, he was clearly never the same after his sad legal troubles.
Tyson is still regarded as one of the most fearsome boxers of his era and even all-time, but it’s clear that he could have been so, so much more.
That brings to the more cautionary comparison of Jones to Tyson, because while it’s clear that “Bones’s” legal troubles, while most certainly egregious and disappointing in their own right, are not quite as serious as Tyson’s more violent offense, and could probably be corrected if the UFC legend would only so choose to avoid foolish carrying on late at night.
The dynamic means that Jones is without a doubt at a career crossroads, one that will almost assuredly define the rest of his days as a fighter and will also most likely be based on his behavior outside of the cage more so than his performances inside of it.
He may not transcend nor define an era like Ali did, but he can certainly takes steps in that direction. Tyson, on the other hand, was more fraught with drug addiction, bankruptcy troubles, and a string of disappointing losses after a sub-prime version of himself emerged from the Indiana Youth Center in 1995. Jones could most certainly go down that dark road himself, as he was warned by a New Mexico judge that he ‘wouldn’t like it’ if he were to appear in front of him again.
Jones has gotten off comparatively easy for his offenses by most accounts, but there’s little doubt that repeat offenses will yield far more damaging results, and that’s simply something his otherwise stellar MMA career can’t handle at this point.
It’s up to him to prove to the entire MMA community, his friends, his family, his peers, and his employers that he is motivated to stay sober and continue building the legacy of the best MMA fighter that ever lived. He has the golden opportunity to have more than a second or even third chance, and he can use it to be considered a legend like a Ali.
Or, he can let his own demons dominate his behavior and end a cautionary footnote in combat sports history like Tyson is. The burden is on his shoulders, and just where this rollercoaster ride is headed next is wholly unknown.
Will it be a fun ride? Only “Bones” can decide that for himself, and in doing so, he will define a legacy that even he may not know the lasting ramifications of.
Fight week is once again upon us, and for the first time in 15 months, reigning pound-for-pound king and former light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will be competing this weekend (April 23, 2016) in the main event of UFC 197. After being stripped of his long-held title last April due to legal issues, Jones
Fight week is once again upon us, and for the first time in 15 months, reigning pound-for-pound king and former light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will be competing this weekend (April 23, 2016) in the main event of UFC 197.
After being stripped of his long-held title last April due to legal issues, Jones will return to face No. 6-ranked Ovince St. Preux for the interim 205 pound strap.
St. Preux stepped up on short notice to accept this bout after current champion and bitter Jones rival Daniel “DC” Cormier was unfortunately forced out off of the card with an injury.
Cormier and “Bones” possess one of the deepest rivalries in the sport, and Jones took the first fight, scoring a unanimous decision victory back at January 2015’s UFC 182.
With “DC” now holding the title, the rematch was highly anticipated, leading many to be filled with disappointment when the news of the champion’s setback came out.
Jones, however, recently questioned the seriousness of Cormier’s injury, saying that he’s heard the former Olympian may just be ‘hurt’:
“I wasn’t there in the workout room with him when he got injured, I’ll say. But, there’s been lots of rumors that he was hurt, not injured. And to drop the fight being ‘hurt,’ it just makes no sense. My body, I have aches and little nooks and crannies all over my body, but it’s the cost of being an elite level athlete. You fight through that stuff.” Jones told ESPN.
In the aftermath of the news, Cormier admitted that the apparent injury was a leg injury suffered in training after a kick was checked, a predicament that wouldn’t send him to the sidelines for too long.
Do you buy into Jones’ statements here, or do you think the champion had a legitimate reason for pulling out of the bout?
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