“Rumble” Thinks He Would’ve Knocked Out Jon Jones At UFC 214

Following an over two-year period littered with fight cancellations due to various drug-related issues, all-time great UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones finally won back the title he never lost by knocking out archrival Daniel Cormier in the main event of Saturday night’s (July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from Anaheim, Calif. Since then, “Bones” has […]

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Following an over two-year period littered with fight cancellations due to various drug-related issues, all-time great UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones finally won back the title he never lost by knocking out archrival Daniel Cormier in the main event of Saturday night’s (July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from Anaheim, Calif.

Since then, “Bones” has called out former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar for an upcoming super fight, and the prospect of a rematch with No. 2-ranked Alexander Gustafsson still hangs over Jones’ head after their close, even controversial UFC 165 affair.

But one huge fight that not many people are talking about – at least yet – is Jones’ previously scheduled match-up with feared knockout artist Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, who was set to meet “Bones” at May 2015’s UFC 187 before Jones’ hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque forced the UFC to remove him from the fight. Cormier, who had just lost to Jones for the first time at UFC 182 that January, stepped in to submit “Rumble” and win the belt, and “DC” repeated that feat at April’s UFC 210 in their rematch.

Photo by Kevin Hoffman for USA TODAY Sports

And after Johnson shockingly retired after losing to Cormier a second time, it’s hardly surprising a “Rumble” match-up isn’t being discussed for Jones, even if would be one of the few huge spectacle bouts left for Jones at 205 pounds. That talk is about to be ramped up in a big way, however, as Johnson appeared on today’s edition of The MMA Hour to reveal that, after attending the fight in person, his competitive juices did begin flowing a bit:

“It was definitely great seeing it from a fan point of view, you know what I mean? I absolutely loved the fights. This card was amazing. But it did kind of get me going a little bit seeing Jon and Daniel in there doing their thing. And I don’t know man, we’ll see what happens.”

Pressed for more specifics on any kind of return, “Rumble” revealed he would only come back to meet Jones if the financial side of the bout made sense, as he’s beaten everyone else at the top of 205 save for Cormier:

“Well, you know what? I’m kind of on the fence, you know what I’m saying? If I’m going to come back, it’d definitely have to be worth it for me, you know what I’m saying, financially, because I have so much going on already and things that are great. But if I come back, it would just be to fight the legend in Jon Jones himself. I’ve beaten pretty much anyone else except for Daniel and Jon.”

Photo Credit: Brad Penner for USA TODAY Sports

Long known as quite possibly the hardest hitter in the UFC and perhaps even MMA history, “Rumble” got the hype for any potential bout with Jones building by offering his belief that the big shots Cormier landed on Jones Saturday night would have put him down if they had been his:

“Jon got hit with some big punches from Daniel. I know if I would hit him with some of those punches, most likely he would have went down, you know I mean? Jon is a hell of a fighter; have nothing but respect for him and his family.”

A “Rumble” return could definitely be a boon to a currently shallow UFC light heavyweight talent pool that is suffering for true contenders outside of Gustafsson and the suddenly surging Volkan Oezdemir, but there are several hurdles to clear for it to become a reality.

First of all, Johnson would have to notify the UFC he was ending his retirement and re-enter the USADA testing pool before he was cleared to fight similar to what Lesnar would also have to do in order to fight Jones (Johnson has no suspension left like Lesnar, however). That would take several months, and it’s entirely possible the UFC would have already booked Jones vs. Lesnar by then because it’s a fight that’s just too big to pass up.

Second, Johnson has already lost twice in one-sided fashion to Cormier, whom Jones, in turn, defeated twice himself, the second of which was a devastating knockout. While MMA math rarely adds up accurately, it’s also safe to think “Bones” would be a heavy early favorite over “Rumble.”

But if anyone can change a fight with one punch, it’s the former number one contender who retired perhaps a bit too early. If he does choose to return to fight “Bones” and can actually get the fight, he’s going to have to show up with his head truly in the game in order to compete with the best light heavyweight to ever set foot in the Octagon. Should “Rumble” return to fight Jon Jones, and would he be able to drop him like he thinks he could?

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Jon Jones Won’t Make Any Promises: I’m A Wild Motherf**ker

Newly re-crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones seemed to erase much of the bad memories of the last two years, at least for the time being, with his absolutely jaw-dropping third-round knockout of former champion Daniel Cormier in the main event of last night’s UFC 214 from Anaheim. Cormier had been a model champion […]

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Newly re-crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones seemed to erase much of the bad memories of the last two years, at least for the time being, with his absolutely jaw-dropping third-round knockout of former champion Daniel Cormier in the main event of last night’s UFC 214 from Anaheim.

Cormier had been a model champion when Jones had turned into a volatile version of his own worst enemy, defending the title against Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson while Jones seemed to find himself in some sort of drug-related trouble around every corner. There was the failed drug test for cocaine before he and Cormier’s first fight, there was the disturbing hit-and-run in Albuquerque, there was the probation violation, and most of all, there was the USADA drug test failure three days prior to their rescheduled rematch at last July’s UFC 200.

All of that justifiably lead to many fans wondering if Jones would ever continue living up to his potential as arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time, a title he almost certainly cemented when he knocked out Cormier – a stalwart competitor who had never been finished – in the third round last night. Jones is back, ladies and gentlemen, and as always, the future looks extremely bright if you can just stay out of trouble long enough to make it to the cage.

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

He did that last night, and the result was one of the most spectacular light heavyweight title fights in UFC history, and that’s saying a lot, maybe even saying a ton. Jones may have come off a more relaxed and nonchalant during the buildup to his absolutely integral UFC 214 return, but at this point, we never really know what to expect from supremely well-rounded fighter whose issues have never been inside the octagon. ‘Bones’ is likeable enough this week, and indeed many wanted to see him come back to win the belt he technically never lost.

The champ offered his view on why people want to see him find success again at the post-fight press conference, noting that fans simply want to see how he’s going to respond to the problems he created for himself. In that sense, he’s glad to be an example for others:

“I think I’m like a modern situation and people like to see how I’m going to handle it, and I think that’s what’s most intriguing, to see someone come back from so much bullshit, right? So I’m glad to be out there, I’m glad to be out there and my life can be a testimony for others.”

Jones moved on to discuss what would be different than his initial title run, where he won the belt at a record-setting 23 years of age and admittedly was far from ready for the temptations of fame and fortune at such a ripe age. “Bones” insists that he would be much more knowledgeable about the responsibility offered him as champion, but at the end of the day, he could never promise to be a saint, because he’s a wild man:

“Well, my effort. My effort; I think I’ll make a conscious effort to just do better. I’m also a lot more aware of who I am and the responsibility that comes along with being a champion, a UFC champion. And so, I don’t want to sit up here and make promises and say that I’m going to be a saint, because, I’m a wild motherfucker at the end of the day. But I can try to do things better, I can make a conscious effort to make better decisions, and I think that’s enough. I think me expecting more out of myself will ultimately lead me to just being a better champion.”

Gary A. Vasquez for USA TODAY Sports

We’ll have to find out if that will indeed be enough, as it’s clear only poor decisions can stop the steamrolling titleholder from asserting himself as the best athlete to ever set foot in the octagon. With all due respect to Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Demetrious Johnson, Jones wins fights in ways others cannot over the best of the best.

He’s currently headed for what looks like a massive spectacle of a super fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, a fight that would no doubt be one of the hottest-selling items in MMA history. But with Alexander Gustafsson waiting for his long overdue rematch and Lesnar still suspended until next year, that fight would also be an excellent main event for November 4’s big pay-per-view event from MAdison Square Garden.

Will Jones be able to make good enough decisions to make it to his next fight? Let’s hope so, because every single one was – and is – going to be a huge event from here on.

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Dana White Rips Into Woodley, Takes Away Georges St-Pierre Fight

Dana White has pulled the old bait-and-switch on us yet again. Only days after saying that returning former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre would meet the winner of the welterweight title fight between Tyron Woodley and Demain Maia in the co-main event of last night’s UFC 214 after GSP’s rumored fight with Michael Bisping was a […]

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Dana White has pulled the old bait-and-switch on us yet again.

Only days after saying that returning former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre would meet the winner of the welterweight title fight between Tyron Woodley and Demain Maia in the co-main event of last night’s UFC 214 after GSP’s rumored fight with Michael Bisping was a ‘ship that had sailed,’ White laid into Woodley vs. Maia at the post-fight press conference after the bout failed to deliver in any way:

“What’d you think about watching the Woodley Maia fight? Listen, when you break a record for most for the leat punches in a five-round fight, a title fight, and you beat it by, it was 130 and these guys threw 60 or something like that, I think that sums it up.”

White was then asked if St-Pierre vs. Bisping was back on due to the lackluster nature of Woodley’s performance, to which the outspoken executive replied it was indeed was before explaining why:

“Yep. Yep. There you go. Because I know Michael Bisping will fight. Michael Bisping will show up and he will fight, so I’m gonna give it to him.”

Photo: Joe Camporeale – USA TODAY Sports

Now, it’s fair to say that the long-tenured “Count,” who’s no doubt as reliable as any fighter in UFC history, isn’t exactly known for putting on the most earth-shattering performances in the octagon, as many online have perhaps given him a reputation for having no knockout power at all.

But with his recent finish of Luke Rockhold to win the belt at 2016’s UFC 199 coupled with his close, exciting victories over Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson, it’s hard to argue that Bisping is not exciting and willing to bring the action to his opponents. St-Pierre has obviously garnered his own reputation for being a safe, calculating fighter – perhaps more so than any other competitor in MMA after his upset loss to Matt Serra.

Taking that into account, a bout pitting a safe fighter like ‘GSP’ against Woodley, a champion with all the well-rounded skills in the world who simply appears to refuse to use them at times, has correctly been deemed a fight that would not be entertaining to the fans. Of course, interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker should be getting the next rightful shot at the UFC 185-pound belt, but a knee injury suffered in his impressive decision victory over Yoel Romero at UFC 213 will keep him out of action until 2018.

White said Whittaker would fight the winner of Bisping vs. St-Pierre, but he did not yet have a date for the bout, which was revealed at a press conference prior to UFC 209 this March, an event where Woodley ironically put on another highly tentative performance versus Stephen Thompson.

Photo by Joe Camporeale for USA TODAY Sports

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Tyron Woodley Avoids 24 Takedowns To Win Welterweight Snoozer

He may have been chasing a ‘money fight’ with Georges St-Pierre or Nick Diaz ever since he won the title over Robbie Lawler last summer, but welterweight champion Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley had to settle for surging jiu-jitsu artist Demian Maia for the co-main event of tonight’s (Sat., July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from the […]

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He may have been chasing a ‘money fight’ with Georges St-Pierre or Nick Diaz ever since he won the title over Robbie Lawler last summer, but welterweight champion Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley had to settle for surging jiu-jitsu artist Demian Maia for the co-main event of tonight’s (Sat., July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Although he may have been becoming more known for his claims of racism in the UFC rather than his performances as of late, where he had a tendency to alternate earth-shaking knockouts with tentative snoozefests, ‘The Chosen One’ was also quietly becoming one of few UFC champions who defended his belt against legitimately deserving top contenders throughout his reign. After a rollercoaster of a rivalry with Stephen Thompson where the fighters put on a “Fight of the Night”-winning brawl at last November’s UFC 205 before letting fans down with a letdown at UFC 209 this March, the Missouri native met up with Maia.

Often regarded as arguably the best jiu-jitsu practitioner to ever fight in mixed martial arts, Maia had won seven straight fights to finally earn another UFC title shot after failing in his bid against all-time great former middleweight champion Anderson Silva in an infamously bad bout in Abu Dhabi over seven years ago. Since then, the respectful grappling wiz had returned to his ground skill, submitting stalwarts Carlos Condit, Neil Magny, and Matt Brown during his streak.

Round One:

The pivotal 170-pound bout began with Maia pressuring to the fence. He went for a takedown immediately but Woodley shucked it off to applause from the crowd. Maia was cut over his eye and was bleeding as he stalked for a takedown again. Woodley defended yet again and landed a strike. Maia shot from far away, grabbing a leg, but was again stifled.

Maia landed a stiff shot of his own, but his latest takedown attempt wouldn’t work. The two traded shots, with Maia landing a straight. A bit of a staring contest came until Woodley threw a lazy overhand and a hook that was blocked. “The Chosen One” sprawled out one more takedown, and the second half of the round featured a much slower pace than the grueling first half of the frame between two fighters not exactly known for their bottomless gas tanks.

Round Two:

In the second round, Maia came out pushing the pace, but Woodley struck back with a strong rushing punch. Maia responded with his straight left, but Woodley then knocked him down with a hard strike. Referee Herb Dean made Maia stand up, and Woodley began taunting him. The champ stalked the Brazilian down, landing a right as Maia shot for a sloppy takedown. Woodley worked the body and broke free of more grappling as he avoided his tenth takedown. Woodley landed again and defended a takedown. Maia was throwing wild straight shots, but the titleholder avoided them as the action once again slowed toward the end of the round.

Round Three:

The third round kicked off with a takedown that had no chance from Maia. Maia threw his left but ate a counter right followed by another from Woodley. He scored a punch to the body and went with a right hook upstairs. Woodley taunted to boos from the crowd. The champ rushed forward with two right hands, but more boos soon came when the action once again slowed a brutal pace. Woodley was landing, but sparingly. Maia landed a left and Woodley a counter. The champion threw some straight right shots and Maia scored an inside leg kick as the third round ended to a loud chorus of boos from the fans.

Round Four:

Maia was bloody and bruised to start the fourth frame, his eyes nearly swollen shut. Woodley landed a body punch and Maia shot again, once again unable to complete his takedown attempt. Maia transitioned his left hand to a takedown attempt and was deep on a single, but again the champ escaped. Woodley landed a body shot and threw a straight right. He followed with a good shot and Maia landed an inside leg kick. The boos came back and Woodley landed two rights that snapped Maia’s head back for a split second as the fourth round ended with even louder boos.

Round Five:

The final round kicked off with a deep double leg attempt from Maia. Woodley wasn’t having any of it again, marking an 0/17 rate for Maia. It was soon 0/18, 0/19, and 0/20 with a matter of seconds as the crowd chanted “boring.” Glancing strikes were traded with Maia landing his straight left. The crowd began waving their cell phone flashlights in the air due to boredom. Woodley sprawled one more takedown try. The champion scored a stiff right hand and Maia a left, but the title bout wore down with Maia missing his 24th takedown attempt as the crowd roared boos down on the men.

Final Result: Tyron Woodley def. Demian Maia via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)

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Quote: Daniel Cormier Can Only Beat Jon Jones By Taking Him Down

UFC 214 will take place tonight (July 29, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Anaheim, California, and the main event will feature arguably the biggest fight in the history of mixed martial arts, as light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and ex-titleholder Jon Jones will finally rematch after years of bad blood. Despite the magnitude of […]

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UFC 214 will take place tonight (July 29, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Anaheim, California, and the main event will feature arguably the biggest fight in the history of mixed martial arts, as light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and ex-titleholder Jon Jones will finally rematch after years of bad blood. Despite the magnitude of the main event, it isn’t the only pivotal light heavyweight match-up on the card.

In fact, the main card will be opened by a bout between No. 3-ranked Jimi Manuwa and No. 5-ranked Volkan Oezdemir, with the winner potentially earning a shot at the winner of Cormier vs. Jones.

Manuwa actually recently spoke with BloodyElbow.com about the main event of UFC 214, and he feels as if the bout ‘depends on which Jon Jones turns up’:

“I don’t know how Cormier is gonna do against him,” Manuwa said. “It depends on which Jon Jones turns up. Whether or not he was on drugs before, or if he’s not now or whatever, no one really knows. Only he and USADA know. I’m not here to put anyone down. Jon Jones is the greatest fighter probably to ever step foot into the Octagon, so you’ve got to give him his respect there.”

“It’s all about fighting, it’s not a personality contest. It’s not about seeing who’s got the best morals or whatever. Obviously, as a champion in the public eye, you’ve got to keep a certain standard of integrity, but ultimately, it all comes back to fighting.”

Cormier and Jones first fought at UFC 182 in Jan. 2015 in a fight in which Jones won via a one-sided unanimous decision. Over the last two years, however, he has only competed once due to a plethora of legal and personal issues that he’s run into.

Despite the layoff, Jones is the favorite heading into his rematch with Cormier, and Manuwa feels as if “Bones” can beat the former Olympian ‘ten out of ten times’. “Posterboy” also feels as if Cormier can only win the fight by taking the action to the ground:

“I believe Jones can beat Cormier eight out of ten times—even ten out of ten times,” he said. “I think Jon Jones has got his number, he really has. The only way Cormier can beat Jones is to take him down and grind him. He’s not going to knock him out because he’s unable to strike with him because Jones is too good a striker and too good at using his length and range.”

“Cormier is not a striker, he’s a messy stand-up fighter. He has to close the distance and try to take him down, but he couldn’t do it in the first fight, and I don’t believe he can do it now. Cormier hasn’t knocked someone out in—I can’t even remember the last time he knocked someone out.”

If Manuwa’s theory is correct, Cormier may be in trouble, as Jones actually out wrestled him in their first meeting.

How do you expect the fight to play out tonight?

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Daniel Cormier Believes He’ll Be Crowned G.O.A.T With Win Over Jon Jones

According to Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier could never be the best fighter of all time because he came into the UFC during the wrong era – the Jones era. “DC” believes otherwise, however, because if he’s able to pick up the win tomorrow (Sat. July 29, 2017) against “Bones” in the UFC 214 pay-per-view (PPV) […]

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According to Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier could never be the best fighter of all time because he came into the UFC during the wrong era – the Jones era. “DC” believes otherwise, however, because if he’s able to pick up the win tomorrow (Sat. July 29, 2017) against “Bones” in the UFC 214 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, the former Olympian believes he’ll be the greatest of all time.

Following yesterday’s (Thurs. July 28, 2017) open workouts at the UFC Gym, Cormier spoke to the media to respond to Jones’ comments about having arrived in the UFC during the wrong era. Not only does Cormier believe he’ll be the greatest of all time with a win over Jones, but “DC” is convinced this is already his era (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“This is my era,” Cormier said. “I win Saturday night, and I’m the greatest fighter ever. Why is it not my era? Because he beat me one time?”

“All his praise that he’s giving himself on that victory like he dominated me tells me he did something he didn’t know he could do,” Cormier said. “He won a fight. He didn’t wipe the mat with me, but he’s walking around here like he just – he’s walking around like he beat Lyoto Machida or ‘Shogun’ Rua.”

Cormier looks forward to defeating Jones tomorrow night, and in their supposed trilogy bout if he is, in fact, successful. With two wins over Jones he’ll be able to hand “Bones” back all the drama he has had to deal with since Jones was stripped of the light heavyweight title.

Many fans have labeled Cormier as a ‘paper champ’ since he never actually defeated Jones for the belt. If Cormier is able to beat Jones in back-to-back fights, he’d like to relinquish the title to the 30-year-old so he can go through the same thing he did:

“How about I walk across the stage and say, ‘Here, how about you deal with what I’ve been dealing with the last two years?’ and leave,” Cormier said. “Would that not be the ultimate ‘f*ck you?’ I think he’ll win again after I’m done. After I beat him twice and if I walk off into the sunset, or I leave this division, he’ll be the champion again. I want him to deal with what I’ve had to deal with where he is going to be berated for something that is not in his control.”

“That’s what’s going to happen after the third fight,” Cormier said. “I’m going to say, ‘Here, this is his. I want him to be the champion right now.’ So all the people that said they gave me a title, I will literally give him the title and say, ‘You’re the champ now, deal with this (expletive).”

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