Alexander Gustafsson isn’t impressed with all of the media attention Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are receiving for their brief scrap in the MGM Grand lobby Monday.
For those living under a rock, UFC 178 media day ended with an intense staredown …
Alexander Gustafsson isn’t impressed with all of the media attention Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are receiving for their brief scrap in the MGM Grand lobby Monday.
For those living under a rock, UFC 178 media day ended with an intense staredown between Jones and Cormier before quickly escalating into thrown punches, a flying shoe and UFC Senior Director of Public Relations Dave Sholler getting tossed into the set piece.
Cormier shoved Jones after receiving an “intimate” head-butt during the stare down, and the light heavyweight champ quickly responded by pushing his way through Sholler and throwing several punches. All hell broke loose as the brawl spilled onto the lobby floor in a dog pile of UFC personnel and venue security attempting to break up the action.
The incident turned an already big fight into one of the most anticipated title bouts in UFC history. Gustafsson, on the other hand, believes the entire ordeal was “ridiculous” and “childish.”
“What can I say? I think it’s childish at this level,” Gustafsson told Swedish outlet TV SVT Sport, according to David St. Martin of MMAFighting.com. “We are all professional and must be shown by example and represent the sport as best we can. Just think it’s ridiculous.”
Gustafsson admitted Jones could be a bit “annoying” at times, but he never let the UFC champ’s antics get to him.
“Yes, if you are receptive to such so far,” Gustafssonsaid. “But he has never managed to come so just around me. I have never been affected by anything like that.”
Gustafsson, who was originally slated to fight Jones at UFC 178, underwent a procedure Tuesday to repair the torn meniscus in his right knee that forced him to pull out of the fight.
It isn’t easy sitting on the sideline, watching all of the hype surrounding Jones and Cormier for Gustafsson, who nearly dethroned Jones in an unforgettable light heavyweight clash a year ago.
For now, he is just trying not to worry about things that aren’t in his control. He plans to use this down time to focus on his health and getting stronger to challenge the winner of Jones vs. Cormier.
“I really want to have a title, have a chance again on the belt,” Gustafsson said. “That’s where my focus lies. It is my goal but right now my thoughts on becoming as strong as possible.”
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
It’s the month of August, and the mixed martial arts community is raving about the approaching UFC 178 card. Weeks separate the sports world from what is shaping up to be the biggest event of the year, and people seem to not want to stop talking about …
It’s the month of August, and the mixed martial arts community is raving about the approaching UFC 178 card. Weeks separate the sports world from what is shaping up to be the biggest event of the year, and people seem to not want to stop talking about it.
One look at the planned fight card, and it’s clear that the UFC has put together quite the offering for fight fans everywhere. UFC 178 is being built as the must-see card of 2014, and this event has the potential to overshadow everything else between now and September 27.
More than a full month stands between the sports public and the night when Daniel Cormier will challenge Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title. But that is not stopping this event, and particularly the Jones-Cormier rivalry, from taking over the MMA media world.
The press conference brawl between Jones and Cormier earlier this week caught the eyes of everyone and has since become a hotly debated topic (via Sherdog). Between these two individuals and fights that feature ConorMcGregor, Dustin Poirier, Tim Kennedy and others, it’s no wonder that many of the fights set to happen this month are not being talked about.
With so much hype surrounding an event that is very distant on the horizon, one must wonder if the upcoming cards will be hurt.
UFC 177 features two title bouts on the same docket, but TJ Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson are two of the lesser-known champions within the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Both Johnson and Dillashaw recently headlined UFC PPV events that ended with very low buyrates. According to MMA Fighting, UFC 174, which featured Johnson in the main event, potentially did less than 100,000 buys, which would be the lowest figure in the modern times of the UFC. UFC 173, where Dillashaw became the banatamweight champion, reportedly ended with slightly more than 200,000 buys, according to reports from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 178 should easily blow those numbers out of the water. The numbers from the MMA Payout Blue Book reveal that Jon Jones has averaged nearly 480,000 buys with every PPV event in which he has been a part of the main event. Even his lowest event, UFC 165 at 310,000 buys, earned more than the combination of UFC 173 and UFC 174.
The UFC has already started to promote UFC 178 heavily as the champion and challenger have been featured on programming on both the Fox Sports Network and ESPN to talk about their rivalry. All the while, very little has been done to showcase the upcoming event on August 30. UFC 177 has two fights that will present perhaps one of the UFC’s most dominant champions and another titleholder who pulled off what could be the upset of 2014. However, they are both currently being blotted out by the shadow cast by the two large light heavyweights.
It will be interesting to see if the anticipation of UFC 178 hurts the box-office results that come from UFC 177. As the oversaturation of MMA has stuck around as one of the most prominent stories of the year, the UFC may be promoting themselves right out of an important date in August. There is still time for the UFC to correct the situation, but given the way Cormier and Jones are antagonizing each other, who knows what will happen next.
In the end, the UFC may create their biggest card of the year while sacrificing an entire event in August.
Well, that was awkward.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones joined title challenger Daniel Cormier onstage Tuesday evening in Los Angeles for a Q&A session prior to their Sept. 27 showdown at UFC 178, and things quickly got out of hand.
…
Well, that was awkward.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones joined title challenger Daniel Cormier onstage Tuesday evening in Los Angeles for a Q&A session prior to their Sept. 27 showdown at UFC 178, and things quickly got out of hand.
As Cormier discussed how he envisioned their fight playing out, Jones interrupted, saying, “It’s going to be intimate.”
This was only the beginning, as Jones continued: “I’m going to make him my wife. You’re going to be Mrs. Jones for the night. I’m going to rub on that big ole belly, and you’re going to like it.”
Despite moderator Megan Olivi’s attempts to change the subject, Cormier responded: “It’s [my belly is] going to be right in your face. I’m going to put it right in your face. I’m going to smother you with my big ole fat belly.”
Joking aside, Jones and Cormier remained complimentary and civil during the Q&A session for the most part, especially considering the nature of their now-infamous showdown Monday afternoon at the UFC 178 media day.
Cormier admitted that Jones was a “tall order,” and he said he truly hopes that Jones is his equal, as he’s been wanting to get tested inside the cage since he began his professional career.
Jones, meanwhile, complimented Cormier‘s wrestling achievements and acknowledged the task at hand before eventually conceding that he expects to dominate the match as usual.
All things considered, neither fighter seems rattled by the scuffle that happened Monday, and both fighters seem determined and motivated heading into their title fight. Barring any unfortunate injuries or setbacks, fans can expect a monumental scrap when Jones and Cormier step foot inside the UFC Octagon on Sept. 27.
Whom do you have taking this fight? Will Jones remain the champ, or will DC end his reign?
(The UFC is shocked and appalled by the number of views this video is getting. [tee hee!] Props: YouTube.com/UFC)
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about yesterday’s Jon Jones/Daniel Cormier media day brawl, and my basic feeling is this: While I’m sure that the incident wasn’t “staged” in the sense that it was planned or rehearsed beforehand, it’s an inevitable result of the unique situation that these superstar fighters find themselves in. Basically, this is what happens when two alpha males who genuinely dislike each other have absolutely no financial incentive to behave themselves.
Jones and Cormier have been around the game long enough to understand that a wild melee at a press appearance generates the kind of heat that will draw more interest to their fight. Considering that Jones is a UFC champion who gets a cut of his fights’ pay-per-view revenue, this sort of thing directly puts money in his pocket, as it creates more buyers for the product. Whatever fines the NSAC decides to levy upon them will be more than offset by the increase in cash — directly or indirectly — that Jones and Cormier will see because of this incident.
And besides, we’re not talking about a mid-level roster dweller who the UFC can easily cut loose to make a point that unprofessional behavior won’t be tolerated. Jones and Cormier run zero risk of losing their jobs or getting suspended. Their light-heavyweight title fight is already scheduled to headline a gigantic PPV in Las Vegas less than two months from now, and Nevada would lose out on a truckload of money if the fight was canceled. Do you really think the NSAC would shoot itself in the foot by jeopardizing that? In this particular situation, Jones and Cormier were untouchable — and deep down, I think they knew that.
This, of course, puts the UFC in a tricky position. When two of its most elite fighters are caught on camera throwing hands at a casino — knocking over a poor, defenseless PR stiff in the process, and hitting a lady in the face with a shoe — it makes the promotion look really bad. And yet, in 20 seconds, Jones and Cormier just promoted their fight better than any amount of generic video promos and late-night talk show appearances ever could.
On that note, here’s the closest thing to an official statement that the UFC has released so far, which was posted yesterday on UFC.com:
(The UFC is shocked and appalled by the number of views this video is getting. [tee hee!] Props: YouTube.com/UFC)
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about yesterday’s Jon Jones/Daniel Cormier media day brawl, and my basic feeling is this: While I’m sure that the incident wasn’t “staged” in the sense that it was planned or rehearsed beforehand, it’s an inevitable result of the unique situation that these superstar fighters find themselves in. Basically, this is what happens when two alpha males who genuinely dislike each other have absolutely no financial incentive to behave themselves.
Jones and Cormier have been around the game long enough to understand that a wild melee at a press appearance generates the kind of heat that will draw more interest to their fight. Considering that Jones is a UFC champion who gets a cut of his fights’ pay-per-view revenue, this sort of thing directly puts money in his pocket, as it creates more buyers for the product. Whatever fines the NSAC decides to levy upon them will be more than offset by the increase in cash — directly or indirectly — that Jones and Cormier will see because of this incident.
And besides, we’re not talking about a mid-level roster dweller who the UFC can easily cut loose to make a point that unprofessional behavior won’t be tolerated. Jones and Cormier run zero risk of losing their jobs or getting suspended. Their light-heavyweight title fight is already scheduled to headline a gigantic PPV in Las Vegas less than two months from now, and Nevada would lose out on a truckload of money if the fight was canceled. Do you really think the NSAC would shoot itself in the foot by jeopardizing that? In this particular situation, Jones and Cormier were untouchable — and deep down, I think they knew that.
This, of course, puts the UFC in a tricky position. When two of its most elite fighters are caught on camera throwing hands at a casino — knocking over a poor, defenseless PR stiff in the process, and hitting a lady in the face with a shoe — it makes the promotion look really bad. And yet, in 20 seconds, Jones and Cormier just promoted their fight better than any amount of generic video promos and late-night talk show appearances ever could.
On that note, here’s the closest thing to an official statement that the UFC has released so far, which was posted yesterday on UFC.com:
The big news out of Las Vegas Monday afternoon was the brawl that broke out at the MGM Grand between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and his challenger in the UFC 178 main event, Daniel Cormier, during the kickoff press conference for the event.
And though this unfortunate incident* lit up social media outlets and message boards around the sports world**, it wasn’t the kind of event that the leading brand in mixed martial arts wants to see.
“This is certainly not a proud moment for the UFC organization,” said Kirk Hendrick***, the UFC’s Chief Legal Officer. “We expect more from our athletes, especially these two gentlemen, who are very well-trained and highly educated professionals. Their actions were clearly a violation of the UFC’s code of conduct.”
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has requested a video copy of the incident****, and the UFC is cooperating fully with them in order to come to a quick resolution when it comes to possible penalties for both fighters. As for penalties from the UFC, Hendrick said, “We are going to reserve our right to penalize both fighters after the commission has made a decision. We expect more from our athletes and we are prepared to levy sanctions to reinforce the appropriate behavior.”*****
Luckily, there were no serious injuries to the fighters or to anyone in attendance****** for the open to the public media day.
“There are going to be ramifications,” he concluded. “Whether you’re the champion, or this is your first fight in the UFC, there are going to be ramifications from the UFC for these actions.”*******
* Make no mistake, press conference brawls are bad…
** …but we killed it on Twitter, bro! High fives!
*** Who the fuck is Kirk Hendrick, and why is he doing Matt Hughes’s job?
***** Although in terms of fight-promotion, what Jones and Cormier did was the appropriate behavior. New idea: Any time a fighter says “I respect my opponent and I do all my talking in the cage,” he/she shall be fined $1,000 by the UFC.
******* Of course, those ramifications would be much, much different if Jones and Cormier were first-time UFC rookies. The fight will go on. Jones and Cormier will keep their jobs, regardless.
Feel free to re-watch the brawl in the video at the top of this post, which the UFC helpfully uploaded to its YouTube channel directly after the incident. But again, this is a disappointing, regrettable, shameful incident, and our fighters are better than that, etc., LOL, $$$.
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier could both face penalties following a fight that broke out in the MGM Grand lobby on Monday at a media event for UFC 178.
Everything started with a customary staredown to promote one of the year’s biggest title fights…
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier could both face penalties following a fight that broke out in the MGM Grand lobby on Monday at a media event for UFC 178.
Everything started with a customary staredown to promote one of the year’s biggest title fights before escalating into thrown punches, flying set pieces and a massive dog pile on the lobby floor.
The carnage ended with Cormier being pulled back by security personnel and the light heavyweight champ standing in the middle of all the chaos, releasing a war cry for tons of shocked and excited fans.
Without beating around the bush, it’s obvious that this kind of pre-fight drama is great for promotion and will likely help UFC 178 turn in a huge profit. But there is still a code of conduct and professionalism expected from every fighter on the UFC roster.
UFC Chief Legal Officer Kirk Hendrick told UFC.com that there would be ramifications for Jones and Cormier’s actions:
This is certainly not a proud moment for the UFC organization. We expect more from our athletes, especially these two gentlemen, who are very well-trained and highly educated professionals. Their actions were clearly a violation of the UFC’s code of conduct.
There are going to be ramifications. Whether you’re the champion, or this is your first fight in the UFC, there are going to be ramifications from the UFC for these actions.
According to UFC.com, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has requested a video copy of Monday’s scuffle. The UFC is providing full cooperation and hopes to come to an early resolution on any possible penalties handed down to both fighters.
UFC President Dana White, who is currently on vacation in Bora Bora, hasn’t released any public statements regarding the incident, but he did upload the video of the scuffle on his Instagram.
Fortunately for the UFC, nobody was injured in the brief skirmish, and Jones and Cormier were on their best behavior in dual interviews on ESPN SportsCenter and Fox Sports Live.
Here’s to hoping the UFC averts round two at the UFC 178 Q&A on Tuesday.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
As if Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Dominick Cruz, Tim Kennedy and Cat Zingano weren’t enough reasons to tune into UFC 178 on Sept. 27, the two fighters in the main event just gave you one more:
But the MGM Grand Hotel lob…
As if Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Dominick Cruz, Tim Kennedy and Cat Zingano weren’t enough reasons to tune into UFC 178 on Sept. 27, the two fighters in the main event just gave you one more:
But the MGM Grand Hotel lobby wasn’t home to the first confrontational moment these two men have shared—it was just home to the first physical one. Long before the challenger put his hands on the champion’s throat or Jones threw punches at a downed Cormier, they participated in what can easily be considered as one of the best war of words in MMA history.
Let your eyes guide you through the highlights.
Cormier’s UFC 173 Post-Fight Interview
Though Cormier and Jones may have shared harsher words about each other prior to Cormier’s dominant performance against Dan Henderson, they meant almost nothing up until this point. After two one-sided victories as a light heavyweight, the matchup against Jones the former Olympian had long since dreamed of was closer than ever at coming to fruition.
Considering Alexander Gustafsson was next in line for a title shot against the reigning pound-for-pound king, Cormier was poised to surgically repair his bothersome knee while he waited around for his next opponent to surface from a crowded light heavyweight division.
As fate would have it, Gustafsson would develop a bothersome knee of his own, effectively preventing the Swedish fighter from challenging for the title and opening the door for Cormier to step in.
Jones Reaches Out to His Daughter
According to Dana White, the UFC president could overhear Cormier’s daughter shouting in the background during the phone call to offer Cormier the fight. She was sure her dad would be the champion of the world.
Soon after both men agreed to step into the cage together, Jones took to a daughter of his own to let Cormier know how confident the champion and his family were about where the strap would reside on Sept. 28.
Cormier Gets Creative on Instagram, Jones Responds
Cormier edited a picture, superimposing himself onto a photo of what is likely the champion’s fight against Gustafsson at UFC 165. He posted the photo in response to Jones’ decision to publicize a cut he developed during a sparring session in preparation for his next title defense. He captioned the photo with this:
September 27th I’m gonna put so many of these on [your] face @jonnybones. I can’t wait everyday I’m dreaming and thinking of you. And I’m gonna take [you] down and grind my elbow into that cut you got today. Put a bullseye on that thing. Some things should remain private. DC
Just hours later, the champion took to the same social media platform to share his sentiments on why his newest challenger is anything but. After facing challengers like Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Lyoto Machida, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort and Glover Teixeira, Jones doesn’t think the Olympic wrestler has anything new to offer.
The Aftermath of the Infamous Brawl
Here we are. The war of words suddenly became something completely different. As if it wasn’t obvious before, the animosity is real—these dudes really, really don’t like each other.
Able to back up what he said he’d be able to accomplish against his Olympic-level challenger, Jones signed into his Twitter account to gloat over his accomplishments in the brief scuffle.
Cormier couldn’t let Jones have the last word.
With Nevada State Athletic Commission sanctions pending, here’s hoping this war reverts back to its verbal origins. If there is any more physicality without leather gloves on their hands and a referee within close proximity, this could be the most anticipated fight that never happens.
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. 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.
Alexander Gustafsson isn’t impressed with all of the media attention Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are receiving for their brief scrap in the MGM Grand lobby Monday.
