Jon Jones has routinely teased a move up to heavyweight, but now he’s upped the ante by aiming for one of the biggest fights possible. Four days before his long overdue rematch with Daniel Cormier in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., July 29, 2017) UFC 214, Jones admitted during a Facebook Live chat today […]
Jon Jones has routinely teased a move up to heavyweight, but now he’s upped the ante by aiming for one of the biggest fights possible.
Four days before his long overdue rematch with Daniel Cormier in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., July 29, 2017) UFC 214, Jones admitted during a Facebook Live chat today that he would love to face former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in the octagon:
“I would love to fight Brock Lesnar. He’s a massive dude, it would be a massive draw, really big for the sport. It would be a great challenge. That’s a big old boy. I doubt Brock Lesnar would take that fight, though. I definitely wouldn’t try to wrestle with him the whole time. I can’t tell you what I would do.”
The words come at a peculiar time for Jones, as Lesnar has been linked to a UFC comeback after rumor recently arose he had re-entered the USADA drug testing pool in anticipation of a possible octagon return. However, UFC officials soon confirmed that was not true, and Lesnar still remained under a frozen suspension with more than six months left on it after he failed, ironically enough, for the same banned substance that Jones did, and both in conjunction with their respective fights at last July’s UFC 200.
Most are picking Jones to get past his longtime rival Cormier this weekend, and if he does, it’s easy to see that not too many new or particularly difficult challenges would await “Bones” in the shallow UFC 205-pound talent pool outside of a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson, especially now that Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is retired.
Moving up to heavyweight would be a literally huge move for Jones and would provide him with a whole list of new and exciting bouts where he would be far from guaranteed to win considering the size and power edge he would be giving up. But he has to stay sober and out of trouble for long enough to make it to and win one fight, let alone move up a division to face one of the biggest draws MMA has ever seen.
Regardless, a Jones vs. Lesnar match-up would push the boundaries of pay-per-view (PPV) success in a time where UFC brass needs them most, so don’t be surprised to see it come up quite a bit more in the coming months.
This weekend, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and archrival former champion Jon Jones will finally meet in a rematch in the main event of Saturday’s (July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It seemed the rematch was all but inevitable after Jones won their first match-up at UFC 182 […]
This weekend, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and archrival former champion Jon Jones will finally meet in a rematch in the main event of Saturday’s (July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
It seemed the rematch was all but inevitable after Jones won their first match-up at UFC 182 in 2015, but there have perhaps never been more roadblocks to a bout happening, with a true cascade of strange and troubling circumstances leading to the fight just now happening in the second half of 2017 (and we still have all week to go).
Cormier was forced out of the first date for a second fight at April 2016’s UFC 197 with a leg injury, and the fight was re-booked for the main event of last July’s massive UFC 200, only to see Jones forced out three days prior with a failed USADA drug test. Add that to the litany of legal trouble “Bones” has been in over the past three years, and we’re just not sure to expect from the onetime dominant pound-for-pound king.
Yes, Jones deserves to be around the -250 favorite oddsmakers currently have him at. No, it would not be a surprise to see him come back and outlast Cormier once again to regain the belt he never lost in the cage, but rather had stripped from him due to terrible behavior.
However, there are also a few major signs Jones could be in for a fall, and those signs have been building up for years. Check out our five biggest reasons “DC” could destroy Jones at UFC 214.
5.) Drugs:
Let’s be honest here – if Jon Jones never got into drugs, we wouldn’t be talking about any of this. He’d most likely be well on his way to being the best mixed martial artist of all-time, something he arguably still is. He would have probably left no doubt by now if he didn’t do things like fail a drug test for cocaine prior to his first fight with Cormier or ruin a huge bout with Anthony Johnson by breaking a 25-year-old pregnant woman’s arm in a hit-and-run accident before returning to the rental vehicle to remove a fat stack of cash while leaving identifying paperwork, drug paraphernalia, and condoms in plain sight to police.
Yes, all of that happened, and you can stick up for him all you like, but Jones made his own bed here. He missed out on an absolutely massive payday at UFC 200 last summer, and all to supposedly use a sexual performance enhancement pill that got him another year on the sidelines.
Jones may be the best fighter in the history of MMA. The main thing that has even made that a discussion is his troubled history with drugs, and the undoubtedly huge bouts those associated troubles have ripped from him.
It’s difficult to predict just how much of a toll drugs have taken on Jones, and he’s been clean throughout what were surely many out-of-competition tests until now. But if he shows any sign of wear and tear due to any kind of drugs, Cormier could capitalize.
With less than a week left until UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former champion Jon Jones finally have their long-awaited rematch at Saturday’s (July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from Anaheim, California, the trash talk between the two rivals – who’ve been at each other’s throats since their infamous press conference brawl way back […]
With less than a week left until UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former champion Jon Jones finally have their long-awaited rematch at Saturday’s (July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from Anaheim, California, the trash talk between the two rivals – who’ve been at each other’s throats since their infamous press conference brawl way back in 2014 – is ramping up for one last push for a fight that has experienced never-ending re-bookings and roadblocks.
All of the confusion caused by Cormier’s withdrawal from UFC 196 last April to Jones’ highly-publicized USADA test failure just days before the rescheduled fight at UFC 200 that July suggest “Bones” is at a disadvantage with only one fight since their first match-up at 2015’s UFC 182 compared to Cormier’s four. But the supremely talented and too-frequently troubled MMA legend revealed he actually believes that to will work out in his favor during an interview on FOX Sports 1’s “Undisputed” (via MMA Junkie), as “DC” just hasn’t evolved during those four fights:
“My last fight against Ovince Saint Preux, a lot of people said it wasn’t very impressive after a year layoff, but I did enough to win the fight and I felt like I really didn’t show much,” Jones said. “He’s been extremely active and I see that he has made almost zero progression in the last two years. I’m glad he feels he has the upper hand in the striking division.”
Joshua Dahl for USA TODAY Sports
The layoff, while it has supposedly revealed Cormier’s lack of evolution, has also helped him refresh his own mindset and re-evaluate what he needed to while adding new, never-before-seen wrinkles to his own game:
“(The layoff) given me time to just kind of reevaluate myself, my personal life and my career. I’ve been able to add things to my game that I didn’t have before. I feel totally rejuvenated and ready to go.”
It’s no surprise to see the onetime pound-for-pound leader call the self-imposed absence ‘good,’ but Jones believes that those doubting him will be wrong because he’s come back from a similar span of time away from the cage and gotten his raised raised against the world’s best before:
“I’ve done it once before – my last fight I took a year off,” Jones said. “This time it’s one fight in two years. The reason I know why I’m going to win this fight is because I have an inner belief that this is my era, that this is what I was put on the earth to do. I feel like I’m gifted and talented and extremely hard working. It really stems from a really deep level of self belief.”
Jayne Kamin-Oncea for USA TODAY Sports
Yet Jones’ self-belief inside the octagon has never even been close to his problem – no, that has been actually making it to the cage in recent years after a slew of legal troubles, drug test failures, and overall nefarious-looking decisions simply kept him from being able to do what he is best at. His in-cage performance, of course, is arguably the best overall body of work in MMA history, so legal troubles and the like aside, “Bones” proclaimed true fight fans know this, and regardless of what mistakes he’s made, Cormier won’t be a true champion until he beats him:
“The people at home know who the real guy is in this division. I think Daniel looks for ways around trying to validate himself as a champion. I think to the true fight fans, they know whether Jon is an angel or a bad guy or whatever, he’s a badass. Until you beat (me), no one will really look at him as the baddest dude of his era.”
We’ve pretty much seen it all over in terms of trash talk regarding Jon Jones’ three-year-old rivalry with UFC light heavyweight champion. But somehow, some way, Jones keeps coming up with new ways to troll his longtime rival. Shortly after “Bones” and “DC” continued their war of words in a heated exchange online, Jones hopped […]
We’ve pretty much seen it all over in terms of trash talk regarding Jon Jones’ three-year-old rivalry with UFC light heavyweight champion.
But somehow, some way, Jones keeps coming up with new ways to troll his longtime rival.
Shortly after “Bones” and “DC” continued their war of words in a heated exchange online, Jones hopped back on social media to stick it to the champ he feels has his belt again. This time, Cormier’s infamous UFC 210 scale fail this April, where he held on to the towel used to cover him up in order to make weight in a pinch.
The scene was criticized by many, as it was perceived Cormier, who began his illustrious MMA career as a heavyweight, was viewed as being overweight but able to prop up his body slightly enough in order to tip the scales in his favor. Check it out:
But no matter if it was questionable or not, Cormier made weight according to the still-learning New York State Athletic Commission’s judgment, and got the job done at UFC 210 by submitting Anthony “Rumble” Johnson for a second time.
That earned him the long-awaited rematch with Jones a fight that has been scheduled for both UFC 196 and UFC 200 only to fall apart due to an injury from Cormier and a failed USADA drug test just three days before the fight was set for the main event of the UFC’s historical bicentennial pay-per-view – an event that ultimately fell flat thanks in no small part to the last-minute main event change.
Jones won’t let Cormier get away with it, however, as he posed in a similar position on Twitter today while noting that his hard work was paying off and he was on track to make weight for their awaited rematch at July 29’s UFC 214:
The gloves are off for the UFC 214 main event, and truth be told, they have been ever since Jones and Cormier threw down in their now-infamous media day brawl before their originally scheduled match-up at UFC 178 back in 2014.
The rivalry could have beens solved for good many times since then, but Jones’ well-documented struggles outside the cage have lead to multiple delays, and are the main reason why fans and media members alike head into UFC 214 with the most cautious of optimism – and a heavy dose of skepticism.
We’ve never doubted Jones’ ability to generate an entertaining trash talk battle on social media, and obviously his fighting skills are among the best to ever fight in a cage. The issue with him, especially as of late, has been getting him to the cage without yet anohter slip-up.
Do you think he’ll be able to make it Anaheim and settle the score with “DC” once and for all?
Heading into next week’s (Sat., July 29, 2017) stacked and awaited UFC 214 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, a polarizing MMA legend has returned to the official UFC rankings. This week’s list features the return of former pound-for-pound great Jon Jones, the longtime light heavyweight champion who only lost the belt because of his […]
Heading into next week’s (Sat., July 29, 2017) stacked and awaited UFC 214 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, a polarizing MMA legend has returned to the official UFC rankings.
This week’s list features the return of former pound-for-pound great Jon Jones, the longtime light heavyweight champion who only lost the belt because of his outside-the-cage troubles and will face arch rival Daniel Cormier in a highly anticipated – and oft-rescheduled – rematch in the UFC 214 main event.
“Bones” is widely regarded as arguably the best mixed martial artist of all-time, and his torrid run as champion from 2011-2015 where he finished a slew of former champions and legends in their own right, ranks as quite possibly the best stretch any UFC fighter has displayed in the octagon. The streak included a unanimous decision win over Cormier in January 2015, and it was thought their highly-publicized rivalry had been put to bed.
But “DC” then went on to capitalize on “Bones’” next, and perhaps, greatest transgression when he was involved in a hit-and-run automobile accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico that left a 25-year-old pregnant woman with a broken arm in April 2015, going on to take his place and submit Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the UFC 187 headliner to win the title that May.
With Jones sorting out legal issues, he was stripped of the title, and Cormier went on to defend the now-official belt against Alexander Gustafsson in a “Fight of the Year” contender at UFC 192, outlasted Anderson Silva at last summer’s UFC 200 when Jones was forced out of their rematch just days prior because of a USADA drug test, and finally submitted “Rumble” again at April’s UFC 210 from New York.
“Bones,” meanwhile, has only fought once since their original bout, beating late replacement Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 196 last April when Cormier was forced out of that scheduled rematch with a groin injury.
Joshua Dahl for USA TODAY Sports
Obviously, it’s been a long and winding road full of speed bumps for Cormier and Jones to finally face off once again, and the MMA world is cautiously awaiting that the fight will finally happen after three years of the rivalry – even with less than two weeks away.
Prior to the bout, however, Jones has regained a spot on the rankings, coming in at No. 7 on the pound-for-pound list and taking the No. 1 spot at light heavyweight over from Gustafsson. Jones bumped a host of top-ranked and active UFC fighters including champions Tyron Woodley, Michael Bisping, Amanda Nunes, and Robert Whittaker down a notch. There’s no doubt that a healthy, dependable Jones would rank above those fighters if he were actively defending the belt; there’s a case to be made he would still be above new pound-for-pound leader Demetrious Johnson if that were the case.
It’s not, however, and Jones simply needs to prove he can make it to a fight to stay on these rankings, as he’s shown time and again the actual fighting isn’t the hard part. What do you think of his ranking? Is it right too low, or too high given his outside-the-octagon run-ins with law enforcement and repeated substance abuse issues?
Check out the fully updated rankings via UFC.com here:
POUND-FOR-POUND 1 Demetrious Johnson 2 Conor McGregor 3 Daniel Cormier 4 Stipe Miocic 5 Max Holloway 6 Cody Garbrandt 7 Jon Jones *NR 8 Joanna Jedrzejczyk -1 9 Tyron Woodley -1 10 Dominick Cruz -1 11 Michael Bisping -1 12 Jose Aldo -1 13 Amanda Nunes -1 14 Robert Whittaker -1 15 TJ Dillashaw -1
FLYWEIGHT Champion: Demetrious Johnson 1 Joseph Benavidez 2 Henry Cejudo 3 Ray Borg 4 Wilson Reis 5 Jussier Formiga 6 Sergio Pettis 7 Brandon Moreno 8 Ben Nguyen 9 Tim Elliott +3 10 John Moraga 11 Ian McCall 12 Dustin Ortiz -3 13 Alexandre Pantoja +1 14 Louis Smolka -1 15 Magomed Bibulatov
BANTAMWEIGHT Champion: Cody Garbrandt 1 Dominick Cruz 2 TJ Dillashaw 3 Raphael Assuncao 4 John Lineker 4 Jimmie Rivera -1 6 Bryan Caraway 7 John Dodson 8 Aljamain Sterling 9 Thomas Almeida 10 Marlon Moraes 11 Eddie Wineland 12 Pedro Munhoz 13 Rob Font 14 Matthew Lopez 15 Johnny Eduardo
FEATHERWEIGHT Champion: Max Holloway 1 Jose Aldo 2 Frankie Edgar 3 Ricardo Lamas 4 Cub Swanson 5 Chan Sung Jung 6 Yair Rodriguez 7 Jeremy Stephens 8 Brian Ortega 9 Renato Moicano 10 Dennis Bermudez 11 Dooho Choi +1 12 Darren Elkins -1 13 Mirsad Bektic 14 Renan Barao 15 Jason Knight
LIGHTWEIGHT Champion: Conor McGregor 1 Khabib Nurmagomedov 2 Tony Ferguson 3 Eddie Alvarez 4 Edson Barboza 5 Justin Gaethje +1 6 Nate Diaz -1 7 Kevin Lee 8 Dustin Poirier 9 Michael Johnson 10 Michael Chiesa 11 Al Iaquinta 12 Beneil Dariush 13 Anthony Pettis 14 Evan Dunham 15 Gilbert Melendez
WELTERWEIGHT Champion: Tyron Woodley 1 Demian Maia 2 Stephen Thompson 3 Robbie Lawler 4 Jorge Masvidal 5 Carlos Condit +1 6 Neil Magny -1 7 Donald Cerrone 8 Santiago Ponzinibbio +6 9 Colby Covington 10 Rafael Dos Anjos 11 Gunnar Nelson -3 12 Kamaru Usman 13 Dong Hyun Kim -2 14 Ryan LaFlare -1 15 Tarec Saffiedine
MIDDLEWEIGHT Champion: Michael Bisping 1 Robert Whittaker (Interim Champion) 2 Yoel Romero 3 Luke Rockhold 4 Jacare Souza 5 Chris Weidman +1 6 Anderson Silva +1 7 Derek Brunson +1 8 Kelvin Gastelum *NR 9 David Branch 10 Krzysztof Jotko 11 Vitor Belfort 12 Thales Leites 13 Tim Boetsch 14 Uriah Hall 15 Thiago Santos
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT Champion: Daniel Cormier 1 Jon Jones *NR 2 Alexander Gustafsson -1 3 Jimi Manuwa -1 4 Glover Teixeira -1 5 Volkan Oezdemir -1 6 Mauricio Rua -1 7 Corey Anderson -1 7 Ovince Saint Preux 9 Misha Cirkunov -1 10 Ilir Latifi -1 11 Rogerio Nogueira -1 12 Patrick Cummins -1 13 Gian Villante 14 Tyson Pedro -2 15 Gadzhimurad Antigulov -1
HEAVYWEIGHT Champion: Stipe Miocic 1 Alistair Overeem 2 Fabricio Werdum 3 Cain Velasquez 4 Junior Dos Santos 5 Francis Ngannou 6 Mark Hunt 7 Derrick Lewis 8 Alexander Volkov 9 Stefan Struve 10 Marcin Tybura 11 Aleksei Oleinik 12 Tim Johnson 13 Andrei Arlovski 14 Travis Browne 15 Curtis Blaydes
Looks like Daniel Cormier might be mad about another UFC poster he’s featured on. The UFC released the official poster for Cormier’s UFC 214 main event against former champion Jon Jones from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on July 29, and let’s just say the champ isn’t featured as prominently as he may like. Check […]
Looks like Daniel Cormier might be mad about another UFC poster he’s featured on.
The UFC released the official poster for Cormier’s UFC 214 main event against former champion Jon Jones from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on July 29, and let’s just say the champ isn’t featured as prominently as he may like. Check it out:
It’s a strange look to have Cormier, the champion who has defended the championship twice since his rival Jones was stripped of the belt for his disturbing hit-and-run accident that left a 25-year-old pregnant woman with a broken arm in April 2015, upside down on the poster for their anticipated rematch.
True, Jones beat “DC” at January 2015’s UFC 182, and is arguably the most dominant fighter in MMA history. But Cormier is the champion regardless of if many feel “Bones” is the rightful champ or not, and promoting it the opposite is sure to further irk Cormier.
If you’ll remember, “DC” had issues with the poster for his UFC 210 meeting with Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, where the heavy hitter was featured much larger as he loomed over a smaller image of Cormier on the official poster.
Cormier’s yet to respond, but overall, it’s simply a strange decision to put your champ upside down on an event poster, and could reflect the UFC’s view of whom they are rooting for on July 29.
Do you think the UFC should have taken a different design route, or is it a good look in your opinion?
