Tag: daniel cormier

What Should the UFC Do Now with Alexander Gustafsson?

The Mauler has known better days.
Alexander Gustafsson finds himself at loose ends after Saturday’s first-round TKO loss to Anthony Johnson at UFC on Fox 14. Once thought to be among the biggest threats to light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, he…

The Mauler has known better days.

Alexander Gustafsson finds himself at loose ends after Saturday’s first-round TKO loss to Anthony Johnson at UFC on Fox 14. Once thought to be among the biggest threats to light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, he now faces a long road to rebuilding his standing in the fight company’s marquee division.

It’s been a precipitous drop for a guy who appeared on the verge of winning the gold for 20-odd minutes at UFC 165, back in September 2013. But at 28 years old, he’s obviously far from done.

Here are the most likely places matchmakers will look to find Gustafsson his next fight.

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Even with Defeat, Alexander Gustafsson Can Earn His Way Back to a Title Shot

Alexander Gustafsson found himself on the wrong end of a major upset at UFC on Fox 14. In less than three minutes, Anthony Johnson had stopped him via vicious strikes in front of scores of his countrymen.
As emotion poured out from his face, Gustafsson…

Alexander Gustafsson found himself on the wrong end of a major upset at UFC on Fox 14. In less than three minutes, Anthony Johnson had stopped him via vicious strikes in front of scores of his countrymen.

As emotion poured out from his face, Gustafsson has been knocked from No. 1 contender status. His opportunity to rematch against Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title is not completely dashed; instead, it will take the Swedish competitor more time to reach that point for the second time in his career.

Gustafsson has been campaigning for a rematch against Jones since the controversial finish of their fight at UFC 165 in 2013. He had the fight scheduled to occur at UFC 178, but an injury would force him from the card and give the title shot to Daniel Cormier (via UFC.com). Unfortunately, after this fight with Johnson, Gustafsson knows that he isn’t any closer to the rematch that he seeks.

“No, right now its done. I need to recover,” Gustafsson said during the post-fight press conference (video via MMA Fighting). “I’m out of that dream. I need to get back and work harder.”

With his defeat, Alexander should expect to fall down the UFC rankings, but not by much. Coming into the fight, the UFC had him ranked in the No. 1 position. Johnson was sitting at No. 3, with only Daniel Cormier between them. Gustafsson may fall a few slots in this list, but that should not count him out of the equation for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, injuries are always a concern with big fights within the UFC. As mentioned, Gustafsson‘s original rematch against Jones was postponed because of Gustafsson‘s injury. Then Jones was also hurt a few short weeks later (via SI.com). If Johnson was to suffer an injury during preparation for his title shot against Jones, Gustafsson would have to be one of the first names to fill in as top contender.

On the other hand, Gustafsson could earn his way back if he can pull off a few solid victories. With Ryan Bader’s win over Phil Davis, a matchup against Gustafsson would help the winner of that fight earn attention as a new contender to the title.

There are other potential fights that could be made within the 205-pound division that would help Alexander remain a viable contender if victorious. Fights against Ovince St. Preux, Rashad Evans and Glover Teixeira are all examples of respectable fights to be made for Gustafsson at this point in time.

Alexander Gustafsson was one fight away from earning his second shot at Jon Jones and the UFC light heavyweight title. Anthony Johnson stepped in and broke up that dream, but this doesn’t mean that Gustafsson is completely out of position. Last-minute injuries and winning his way back are two options for “The Mauler” that will get him back to top-contender status.

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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.

Daniel Cormier Wishes Jon Jones Luck in Drug Rehabilitation

It’s safe to say Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier don’t like each other. Even a five-round war for the UFC’s light heavyweight crown wasn’t enough to help sever this friendship that was likely never meant to be.
Jones wasn’t just satisfied with dominating …

It’s safe to say Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier don’t like each other. Even a five-round war for the UFC’s light heavyweight crown wasn’t enough to help sever this friendship that was likely never meant to be.

Jones wasn’t just satisfied with dominating his Olympic-level counterpart—he wanted everyone to know that they hadn’t hashed out any of their differences. The animosity, in many ways, continued to breathe. 

“I don’t like Daniel Cormier,” Jones said Saturday night on FOX Sports 1. “I don’t respect Daniel Cormier. I hope he’s somewhere crying right now. I’m sure he is. I can’t wait until he earns his way back, so I can whoop him again.”

The men argued. The men fought. The story was over. But then this happened: 

And just like that, amid the champion’s earth-shattering announcement on Tuesday, Cormier may have started moving this relationship into the right direction. He told MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani of Jones’ failed drug test:

“I am aware of Jon’s test and if there is anything to say it is this: there are a lot of people you impact, so please let’s get it together. Good luck on your rehab!” 

Considering the positive test was conducted outside of competition, Cormier arguably has no reason to be upset. Things might be different, however, if the drug tests conducted during fight week come back with any traces of cocaine metabolites.

Be sure to keep up with Bleacher Report MMA as this story continues to develop. 

 

Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report MMA. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA. 

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VIDEO: CagePotato Breaks Down UFC 182?s Jones vs. Cormier Fight on TYT Sports

(Props: TYTSports on YouTube)

We have no idea why they keep inviting us do this, but once again, the good folks at TYT Sports had CagePotato’s founding editor Ben Goldstein on their show today to discuss Jon Jones‘s dominant decision win against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182, as well as Jones’s now-complete transformation into a super-heel. There aren’t many controversial things you can say about the greatest fighter in the world winning a fight, but we always have a good time hanging with the TYT crew. Check out our conversation above, and stay tuned for videos about what’s next for Jones and Cormier, and the prospect of Conor McGregor fighting Jose Aldo in an Irish soccer stadium. (Assuming he beats Dennis Siver.) (Which he will.)


(Props: TYTSports on YouTube)

We have no idea why they keep inviting us do this, but once again, the good folks at TYT Sports had CagePotato’s founding editor Ben Goldstein on their show today to discuss Jon Jones‘s dominant decision win against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182, as well as Jones’s now-complete transformation into a super-heel. There aren’t many controversial things you can say about the greatest fighter in the world winning a fight, but we always have a good time hanging with the TYT crew. Check out our conversation above, and stay tuned for videos about what’s next for Jones and Cormier, and the prospect of Conor McGregor fighting Jose Aldo in an Irish soccer stadium. (Assuming he beats Dennis Siver.) (Which he will.)

Dana White: UFC 182 Ref Herb Dean Did a ‘Horrible Job’ in Jones vs. Cormier

Herb Dean is still UFC President Dana White’s favorite referee, despite a “horrible effort” in the fifth round of the epic light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182.
“Herb Dean, I always talk …

Herb Dean is still UFC President Dana White’s favorite referee, despite a “horrible effort” in the fifth round of the epic light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182.

“Herb Dean, I always talk about him; I think he’s my favorite referee. He did a horrible job in the fifth round,” White said in a post-fight interview on FOX. “He let them clinch, literally for five minutes, but other than that, it was an amazing fight.”

With all of the pre-fight trash talk, it was surprising to see the Jones and Cormier bout actually live up to the hype. Past high-profile bouts in the UFC with excessive pre-fight talk have generally ended in either a lackluster or lopsided showing.

Fans endured months of hype for Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson only to watch both men stall out in the clinch for 15 minutes. There was plenty of bad blood heading into the 2012 fight between Evans and Jones, former teammates at Greg Jackson’s MMA.

However, the actual fight was so one-sided that UFC matchmaker Joe Silva could have started the search for Evans’ next contender by the third round. Jones and Cormier managed to live up to the hype after taking fans on a wild journey of intense verbal exchanges on ESPN and a media brawl.

After a four-round clinch battle, both fighters were absolutely spent and exhausted in the final round. However, Jones appeared to be the fresher fighter, as he was able to outland Cormier in critical moments to solidify a decision victory.

A little bit of separation would have been nice in the fifth round, but Dean seemed content in allowing the fight to continue to play out in the same area the brunt of it was fought.

If anything, we should be congratulating Dean for his adamantium chin displayed after taking an accidental punch from Cormier at the end of the final bell.

 

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

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