The light heavyweight rematch that MMA has been waiting is reportedly being targeted for a pay-per-view card later this year. According to sources obtained by Swedish MMA site MMAnytt.se, champion Jon Jones will face No. 2 Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of December 2’s UFC 218 from Detroit, Michigan. The bout, if booked, would […]
The light heavyweight rematch that MMA has been waiting is reportedly being targeted for a pay-per-view card later this year.
According to sources obtained by Swedish MMA site MMAnytt.se, champion Jon Jones will face No. 2 Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of December 2’s UFC 218 from Detroit, Michigan.
The bout, if booked, would be a rematch of their scintillating razor-thin first match at September 2013’s UFC 165, one of two UFC bouts where one could say that “Bones” was legitimately tested (the other being his near-submission loss to Vitor Belfort which he ultimately won).
Jones of course just recently won back his long-held title from longtime rival Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214 from Anaheim, California, ending their three-year-long rivalry with a swift head kick and brutal follow-up assault in the third round. Jones beat Cormier by unanimous decision in their first fight at UFC 182, but then became embroiled in a controversial and disturbing set of legal and drug-centered trouble that saw his stripped of the belt and suspended by USADA.
Gustafsson, on the other hand, is only 3-3 in his last six bouts but has won his last two, including a jaw-dropping fifth-round stoppage of fellow former title contender Glover Teixeira on May 28. Two of those losses were split decisions to Jones and Cormier, and many MMA fans and media members still believe “The Mauler” won his first controversial fight against “Bones” four years ago.
UFC 218 will go down on December 2, 2017 from Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
Ever since UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones beat Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214, much of the talk surrounding “Bones’” next fight has been centered on his potential super fight with former UFC heavyweight and current WWE universal champion Brock Lesnar. There are certainly a number of roadblocks that […]
Ever since UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones beat Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214, much of the talk surrounding “Bones’” next fight has been centered on his potential super fight with former UFC heavyweight and current WWE universal champion Brock Lesnar.
There are certainly a number of roadblocks that have to be surpassed in order for the fight to take place, most notably Lesnar’s currently “frozen” USADA suspension which still has six months remaining on it due to the fact he “retired” after receiving a one-year for testing positive for clomiphene before and during his UFC 200 return versus Mark Hunt last year.
But the bout still seems like more of an eventuality than merely a possibility, and something that happened last night may support that theory in whole. During Monday’s (August 14, 2017) episode of WWE Monday Night RAW, Lesnar’s manager Paul Heyman hinted he could be returning to a ‘cage’:
Heyman spoke of a so-called conspiracy theory by RAW general manager Kurt Angle to rip Lesnar’s title from him, and if that indeed transpired, Lesnar would leave the WWE to compete elsewhere (quotes from MMA Mania):
“One of two things happens this Sunday at SummerSlam,” Heyman said. “One, the conspiracy by WWE General Manager Kurt Angle is successful and they rip the Universal title off of my client Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman leave the WWE. And if that is the case I assure you that you might as well lock this beast up in a cage!”
The “Cage” could mean WWE’s Hell in a Cell match in a cage, or obviously, his UFC return. Regardless, the WWE curiously edited out Heyman’s comment when it posted the segment on their official YouTube page soon afterward:
It’s fair to wonder what are the pro-wrestling leader’s reasons for why they would do such a thing after they allowed Lesnar to compete at UFC 200 in 2016, but overall, they probably don’t want their fans believing their biggest draw is going to lose his title and then leave the promotion, so they may have wanted to nip speculation in the bud.
Lesnar’s suspension means he cannot fight in MMA until early 2018, meaning he would have a decent amount of time to still ‘compete’ for the WWE after SummerSlam this month. With his WWE contract soon running out, that could potentially keep both sides happy, but it’s clear at this point that the WWE doesn’t want too much discussion of Lesnar once again leaving for MMA.
Other than a brief statement online, we haven’t seen nor heard much from former UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the weeks following his third-round knockout loss to Jon Jones in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214 from Anaheim, California, but the decorated fighter addressed many aspects of the fight and his future […]
Other than a brief statement online, we haven’t seen nor heard much from former UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the weeks following his third-round knockout loss to Jon Jones in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214 from Anaheim, California, but the decorated fighter addressed many aspects of the fight and his future during an appearance today on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.
And while he may be fighting forward with his eyes on a potential third fight against Jones, the 38-year-old Cormier also revealed some harrowing details about the moments directly after his second loss to pound-for-pound ruler ‘Bones.’
First, he said he didn’t hold any ill will towards octagon commentator Joe Rogan after Rogan took some heat for interviewing him right after he got knocked out, something he normally is against. Cormier also said referee John McCarthy gave him enough time to defend himself, but then unveiled the most concerning aspect of the loss, that he couldn’t remember the moments after he was defeated:
“I don’t hold any ill will towards him. I think he was doing his job. I don’t hold any ill will towards John McCarthy, I think John McCarthy gave me plenty of opportunities to say in this fight; I couldn’t. The Joe Rogan interview, I don’t know what happened. I still haven’t seen it, and honestly, Ariel, man I’ll be honest with you, I’m still missing time.”
Cormier apparently doesn’t remember talking to his longtime American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) associate Bob Cook, and remained unaware of what went on post-fight until he went into the back and was told he had to go to the hospital:
“Like, I don’t remember any of that. I don’t remember leaving the octagon. I don’t remember some of these photos where I was cryin’ and I was like, hugging Bob (Cook). I don’t remember any of that. I remember being in the back; I feel like I came out of a fog. I remember when I was in the back, they said, ‘You have to go to the hospital.’ I was like, ‘For what?’”
Gary A. Vasquez for USA TODAY Sports
Cormier said that all told, he was missing about 10 minutes from after the fight, something that is certainly concerning given the current climate in sports surrounding CTE in athletes who take repeated blows to the head. The legendary fighter was understandably emotional after losing the biggest fight of his life, and he had to be told about his reaction in the seconds directly following the loss:
“I’m still missing time. I’m missing probably, I don’t know, 10 minutes. I remember talking to Dana and I said, ‘I’m sorry if I pushed you.’ Because I remember they said I pushed somebody, and I was like, ‘Really?’ Obviously, I do the TV stuff so I have friends in TV and they said that as they were watching me in the octagon, they could hear the microphone on Bob Cook and I was asking questions, asking why Dana yelled at me.Then they said I was in there and kinda like tearing up and then they said I looked up at the replay, that’s when I really broke down because I guess I saw what happened. I don’t recall that.”
“Then they said I was in there and kinda like tearing up and then they said I looked up at the replay, that’s when I really broke down because I guess I saw what happened. I don’t recall that.”
But even though it’s rough to see him admit he had essentially had been in a knockout-induced stupor and couldn’t remember much, Cormier stated that his tears and emotion simply showed how much the fight meant to him, so he wouldn’t do a thing differently:
“Tears and sadness means that it means something to you, and I would do the same thing again.”
It’s been well documented that after knocking out Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 214 last month to win the UFC light heavyweight title, Jon Jones called out former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. This led to Lesnar being quick to respond to Jones, and this has resulted in the belief that a […]
It’s been well documented that after knocking out Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 214 last month to win the UFC light heavyweight title, Jon Jones called out former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. This led to Lesnar being quick to respond to Jones, and this has resulted in the belief that a superfight is in the works.
There has been a mixed reaction to this possible fight. Some love it, and some hate it. One person who is not a fan of the fight is UFC heavyweight fighter, Mark Hunt.
Lesnar and Hunt have some history together as Hunt is the last man to have fought Lesnar in the world famous Octagon last year at UFC 200. This marked Lesnar’s return to MMA after an almost five-year retirement. As seen in the fight, Lesnar won a unanimous decision that night which was subsequently overturned when it was revealed he failed two USADA issued drug tests before the bout. This led to Hunt filing a civil suit against Lesnar and the UFC to settle his grievances.
Hunt recently appeared on the Real Quick (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting) with Mike Swick podcast to talk about this potential fight. He believes it’s a clash between “the two biggest cheaters in the world.”
“Look at these f**kers. You’ve got Jon Jones, for instance. That guy is the best, one of the best fighters in the world but he’s a cheater. . . Just like Brock Lesnar, you’re all a pack of frickin’ dog cheats, that’s all you are. Nothing else.
“So now the two f**king biggest cheaters in the world are going to fight! Oh f**k. . . I’m not gonna waste my money watching two cheaters fight. Why would I? They’re cheaters, in the end. That’s basically all they are. They should get nothing. I used to respect Jon Jones before this, but I don’t respect him after this. When you get caught for doping, and he got caught for the same dope that Lesnar did, you shouldn’t – he’s not a martial artist, none of them are. They get no respect from me. None. I wouldn’t want to waste my f**king time watching that s**t.”
On the flip side, Jones was also set to compete at UFC 200 in the main event against Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight title. However, the bout was pulled after he failed a drug test. “DC” would instead fight Anderson Silva at the event. Both men were suspended for one year, and Lesnar was also fined $250,000.
“I think the penalties should be enforced. There’s penalties there, but they’re not really enforcing them. They’re not enforcing them to make them think twice. Guys nowadays, like that fool Brock Lesnar that I fought, he’s a f**king idiot. Not right now. I’m the idiot right now, but he’s the one that’s a loser in the end because he’s the one that cheated.
“At the end of the day, he weighed up the options. He said, I’m gonna fight this fight, and I’ll probably make about $15-20 million. I’ll get caught. I’ll probably have to pay a $250,000 fine, or $500,000 or whatever it is and I’ll walk away. He’s back again already!”
According to the hard-hitting fighter, he doesn’t think anyone should want him to anyway.
“Cheating is nothing to be proud of. That’s the wrong message. We don’t allow that as a society so why do we allow that, especially in fighting? Fighting is you hurting people.”
Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar hasn’t competed since July 2016’s UFC 200, and although he technically scored a unanimous decision victory over Mark Hunt, his return was plagued with controversy. After the bout, it was revealed that Lesnar had failed a USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) administered drug test, and he was subsequently suspended […]
Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar hasn’t competed since July 2016’s UFC 200, and although he technically scored a unanimous decision victory over Mark Hunt, his return was plagued with controversy.
After the bout, it was revealed that Lesnar had failed a USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) administered drug test, and he was subsequently suspended for one year, with his victory changed to a no-contest. Earlier this year, however, Lesnar announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, which put his suspension on hold.
It seemed as if Lesnar’s days in the Octagon were over, but he was recently called out by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and he has appeared to be interested in the bout.
Many obstacles would need to be overcome for Lesnar to return to the Octagon, but heavyweight contender Stefan Struve feels as if he’s a ‘cheater’ who Jones would handle quite easily:
“I think cheaters should not be in the UFC and I think the UFC made a big mistake last time by bringing Lesnar in and giving him a four-month exemption before his fight so that USADA wouldn’t test him for four months, which is a normal thing to do if you bring back a fighter,” Struve told Submission Radio. “I believe that if he were to come back now he would have to go through six months of testing. So I’d be very curious how those six months go. I think Jones beats him anyway. Simple as that. Jones is too good of an athlete. I don’t think Lesnar gets a hold of him to take him down. Jones moves too well.”
Last month’s (Sat., July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, may have been a huge success at the box office, but it didn’t meet or exceed the massive expectations laid out for the card by UFC President Dana White. The highly awaited event, which featured a long overdue rematch between hated […]
Last month’s (Sat., July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, may have been a huge success at the box office, but it didn’t meet or exceed the massive expectations laid out for the card by UFC President Dana White.
The highly awaited event, which featured a long overdue rematch between hated rivals Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier in addition to two other title fights, was pumped as as ‘trending for a million pay-per-view (PPV) buys’ by White shortly after the main card, a number that was highly surprising to many given the sharp decline in overall UFC PPV sales during a tough 2017.
According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell (via MMA Mania), however, the card didn’t quite live up to that massive billing. Apparently, UFC 214 is estimated to have attracted around 850,000 buys with all digital media platforms taken into account:
Sources: Current estimate for UFC 214 is 850,000 PPV buys. Includes US, Canada Australia + digital platforms like https://t.co/9GinuIEOk8
So while the current estimates aren’t quite at the coveted 1 million-buy number, a figure the promotion achieved several times throughout a banner 2016 spearheaded by Conor McGregor’s rivalry with Nate Diaz and Ronda Rousey’s anticipated return, the figure is still by far the best PPV buyrate of a year where numbered events are getting all-time lows in terms of buys, a concerning circumstance that came true only recently at July’s previous PPV of UFC 213.
The near-million PPV buyrate for UFC 214 shows that Jones can still headline a big PPV show to great numbers, and while his rivalry with Cormier was one that needed closure for over two years, future fights involving the top-ranked pound-for-pound king should sell comparably well, with his rumored super fight versus Brock Lesnar destined to outsell it in droves if it does happen.
The million-buy barrier has yet to be crossed by the UFC in 2017, but if any indications are true, they could be stacking the deck to do just that with November 4’s UFC 217 from Madison Square Garden in New York, an event rumored to be headlined by former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s return.
Lesnar isn’t expected to be able to fight until early 2018 at the earliest, so perhaps the also awaited rematch between Jones and Alexander Gustafsson could help push UFC 217’s numbers into the million-buy stratosphere.
