Tag: daniel cormier

The light heavyweight title tilt we have all been waiting for is nearly here, and the most compelling 205-pound championship fight ever has us all on the edge of our seats before the two combatants even step inside the cage.

Jon Jones defends his championship for a record eighth time when he faces No. 2-ranked contender Daniel Cormier.

Cormier is an elite wrestler who has dominated throughout his MMA career. He is 2-0 at light heavyweight after leaving the heavyweight division as one of its top contenders. Jones has been the greatest light heavyweight we have known in this young sport. Their collision is made even more enticing by the hatred they have for one another.

Here are their keys to victory in the UFC 182 main event.

Cormier‘s Keys to Victory

Close the Distance

Jones utilizes his reach better than almost anyone in the sport today, and he will have a 12″ reach advantage against Cormier. That puts the challenger at a significant disadvantage.

Cormier has dealt with this disadvantage nearly his entire career, and it has yet to be a big problem. It will be Saturday. It was not a big problem during Cormier’s bouts at heavyweight because of the nature of the individual matchups and the former Olympian’s grappling skills. He also possessed a speed advantage at heavyweight that he will not have against Jones.

The challenger has to find ways to get inside. He cannot be successful being stuck outside of range. This is his primary key to winning the fight.

 

Complete Takedowns

The better wrestler must get takedowns, but it is not because of how good he is in this specific area. Rather, it helps set up success later in the fight.

If Cormier is successful with his wrestling, then it makes Jones react to his shots and feints. It begins to give DC more options against Jones that he otherwise would not have. He will be able to slip in strikes as Jones reacts to defend.

If Jones can stuff the takedowns, his confidence will grow, and Cormier will not have many paths to victory.

 

Controlled Aggression

This is a grudge match of the highest order. They hate one another.

Cormier has to manager his anger and control his aggression. The greatest risk for making key mistakes is when a fighter cannot channel his anger accordingly. Being overaggressive leads to finishes. A cerebral fighter like Jones will take advantage.

The AKA product is a smart fighter in his own right, but he is the one that has to come forward to defeat the champion. He is the one who has to force the action. The onus is on him.

Cormier must stay within himself for however long the fight may go.

 

Jones’ Keys to Victory

Establish Distance

Cormier has to get inside, but Jones will want to establish his distance.

Jones does this in a variety of ways, but the two he is most effective with is the jab and front kick. His long limbs are one of the biggest reasons he is the champion today. No one uses his or her body as well as Jones.

Jones has made his natural advantages even more significant through his hard work during training. That is a credit to the tutelage of Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn.

Keeping DC on the outside will be Jones’ easiest path to victory Saturday, and it is also one of his easiest options.

 

Utilize Trips

Much like he can control the distance of the fights with his long legs, Jones also uses them expertly in fights.

Jones is not going to be able to clinch with Cormier and win the takedown battles. Cormier is just much better than him in that position, and he is the stronger fighter. Jones has to use leverage. He can be successful in tripping Cormier to the canvas.

We have not seen how Cormier reacts on the bottom, and Jones is always improving on his ground control. They both have amazing takedown defense, but Cormier‘s balance would be effected by one of Jones’ trips.

Landing even one successful takedown will take some confidence away from Cormier and open the former Olympian’s eyes to the notion that Jones can take him to the mat. It will make him begin to second guess.

 

Make DC Work

Cormier has went five rounds before, but that was in a fight where he controlled the action. DC tossed Josh Barnett around the cage and rode his way to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix title.

Cormier’s cardio has never truly been tested. It is easy to manage your gas tank when you are the one in control from bell to bell. If Jones can force Cormier to work early and often, it will pay off in the championship rounds.

Jones has shown his heart and resolve in the past, and we know he can go five full rounds in a back-and-forth battle. He will need to keep a steady workrate Saturday against Cormier. If DC does begin to gas, it will be all over, and Jones will be able to do just about whatever he wants.

This is a fantastic fight that can go a number of ways. It will be about who executes his game plan, and who can make the necessary adjustments. Remember these keys to victory when the two elite fighters square off in Vegas and see who comes away holding 12 pounds of gold.

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When UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones squares off against Daniel Cormier on Saturday in the main event of UFC 182, mixed martial arts fans will witness the culmination of months of trash talking.

There are few megafights anymore due to the oversaturation of the UFC product, but hardcore and casual MMA fans alike can get behind the battle between Jones and Cormier. After several pre-fight verbal arguments and a physical confrontation at a press conference, fight fans are ready to see the action in the Octagon.

Here is the full UFC 182 fight card, predictions for each bout and what gives challenger Daniel Cormier the edge in this matchup. 

 

Daniel Cormier’s Biggest Edge

While there is no discounting the wrestling ability of Jon Jones, the advantage Cormier has over the champion is his elite ability on the mat.

From the very beginning of his wrestling career, Cormier was a man to be feared. With three state championships, two National Junior College Athletic Association Championships and a second-place finish at nationals while at Oklahoma State University in 2001, he is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the UFC.

Add in the fact that Cormier joined the Team USA freestyle wrestling team and was on the 2004 and 2008 Olympic teams, and there is no doubt that he is one of the most gifted mat technicians in the sport today.

Jon Anik of Fox Sports 1 revealed Jones’ thoughts on Cormier’s perceived wrestling advantage:

The trash talking has heated up overall, as Jones told Fox Sports 1’s America’s Pregame (h/t MMAJunkie.com) that he’d be ready to fight at the weigh-ins if necessary. Cormier immediately responded to those comments:

I think you have to (keep your emotions in check). What’s the point of fighting on Friday when we’ve got to wait 24 hours to fight on Saturday? Right now, it’s about staying the course and being professional. It will be good to see him in that state.

As Jon says, we take it how it goes. It’s a matter of, “How are we going to do this?” I would prefer to wait until Saturday, but if we had to fight on Friday, it would be OK, I guess.

While Cormier has the edge, Jones is no slouch. Not only did he also win a high school state championship, but he also was able to win a NJCAA Championship in 2006, just as Cormier did.

Jones may not have the extensive college and Olympic wrestling training that Cormier does, but the champion does have more Brazilian jiu-jitsu training and a serious advantage in experience inside the UFC Octagon.

With Cormier’s move from heavyweight to light heavyweight, he has a serious amount of power in his punches and is the kind of challenger who would give Jones trouble. It will be a great main event and fans should be ready to see a new champion crowned.

Predicted Winner: Cormier via fourth-round technical knockout.

 

Stats via UFC.com.

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Like many MMA fans, I’d love to see Jon Jones fight Alexander Gustafsson again, but the bout with Daniel Cormier Saturday in Las Vegas at UFC 182 is Bones’ defining fight. We may never see a more genuinely hate-charged buildup for a bout.

I’ve seen plenty of fights in boxing and MMA where the hype was about as real as a unicorn. Call me gullible, but I’m a believer in the bad blood between Bones and DC. Apparently, I’m not alone—Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter and Jonathan Snowden are apparently all in as well.  

The atmosphere the two fighter’s volatile relationship has set up is great for the sport, but it adds a potentially harmful element for Jones. Can he fight mad? 

 

Stakes Are High

Obviously, Jones is defending his title, but the stakes are higher than the belt. Jones already owns the record for most title defenses of the light heavyweight crown. He’s just three wins short of tying Anderson Silva’s overall mark. 

If he wins Saturday, it might be a while before another legitimate threat arises. If Gustafsson gets past Anthony “Rumble” Johnson later this month, then a rematch with him seems like the next fight. With a second look, it seems as if Jones could make a rematch with Gustafsson look a little easier than the first bout.

Bones could be on his way to becoming the greatest fighter of all time.

Aside from records and titles, Jones’ pride is on the line. He and Cormier can’t stand each other, and that obviously brings about a tension. Jones put it best in this interview with UFC.com’s Matt Parrino when he said, “no one wants to lose to someone you don’t like.”

Because of that dynamic, Jones will be under even more pressure than usual.

 

Cormier‘s Wrestling

Jones has faced guys like Chael Sonnen and Rashad Evans. Both are tremendous wrestlers, yet neither of them are on Cormier‘s level in that regard.

When it comes to technique and brute strength, you would be hard-pressed to find any fighter—regardless of weight class—with a better wrestling base than Cormier.

He knows who he is, and he’ll bring that into the Octagon as his ace in the hole. Jones has shown the tendency to try and beat opponents at their own game. If he does that against Cormier, he’ll be playing in the lion’s den.

 

Cormier‘s Fighting I.Q.

Usually, Jones is the smartest man in the cage. That might not be the case when he faces Cormier. DC is a thinking man’s fighter, and he’s able to process information and incorporate it quickly in a fight. 

Cormier has been so dominant that he hasn’t had to adapt much in the cage, but his game plans have been impeccable against the likes of Roy Nelson, Dan Henderson and others. Cormier used movement and kicks to keep Nelson off balance before going in for the kill.

Against Henderson, Cormier‘s takedown techniques and speed advantage made the future Hall of Famer and Greco-Roman wrestler look like an amateur.

Finding a way to beat Jones will be Cormier‘s biggest assignment, but the same can also be said for Jones. The winner of this bout be determined by the fighter who wins the chess match and not just the scrap.

 

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.

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