Tag: Jon Jones

Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson: What We Learned from UFC 173 Co-Main Event

Daniel Cormier dominated Dan Henderson at UFC 173 to earn a shot at the championship.
The fight was never close. Cormier dominated with his elite-level wrestling from the outset, beating him up on the ground and finishing with a rear-naked choke in the…

Daniel Cormier dominated Dan Henderson at UFC 173 to earn a shot at the championship.

The fight was never close. Cormier dominated with his elite-level wrestling from the outset, beating him up on the ground and finishing with a rear-naked choke in the third frame. It was a complete performance that put Cormier on the map as Jon Jones’ greatest test.

Henderson had no answer for anything Cormier brought into the cage. He was that dominant.

This is what we learned from the UFC 173 co-main event on Saturday night.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

We will remember Henderson being treated like a child. Cormier absolutely manhandled the former champion.

It was a big-time performance from Cormier.

He launched Henderson into the air on a couple of occasions, completely controlled him on the canvas and even dominated him with ground-and-pound when the opportunities presented themselves. Cormier is on another level.

Henderson is all man, and Cormier treated him like a child.

 

What We Learned About Dan Henderson

We knew that Henderson was past his prime, but Saturday night was the moment we learned that he is no longer in that upper-echelon class of fighters.

He was completely outclassed by one of the best in the sport today, and the same would likely happen against the other elite contenders of the light heavyweight division.

Time passes all by, and it has Henderson too. There is nothing wrong with that, but fans need to come to grips that, despite his power and credentials, his time has come and gone.

 

What We Learned About Daniel Cormier

The doubters learned that Cormier is, in fact, a very big threat to Jones and his title.

Cormier did not show too much in his UFC career. It was a display of grappling dominance, as it was Saturday night, but it was never in the manner in which he dominated Henderson.

He manhandled a legend. He sent him airborne. He finished him.

Jones looked like he had no challengers until Alexander Gustafsson surprised everyone in their encounter, and now Cormier has dropped to light heavyweight to give him another. Cormier is the real deal. That would be an electric fight.

 

What’s Next for Dan Henderson?

It is hard to tell what is next. It cannot be another top contender; that is one thing for sure.

The UFC should identify another aging fighter for Henderson’s next fight. It should be someone of the same ilk as Henderson. Perhaps a rematch against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira would be in order. That is where Henderson is at in his career, and that should be all that he does from this point forward.

 

What’s Next for Daniel Cormier?

Whomever the champion is.

Gustafsson and Jones will fight for a second time. According to an ESPN report, it could happen in August. After that, Cormier is up next.

Cormier wants Jones, and that is who we all should want. That is the fight to make.

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Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 2 Targeted for UFC 177 on August 30

News broke during UFC 173 on Saturday that the highly anticipated rematch between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Swedish contender Alexander Gustafsson was almost a done deal. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto posted the news on Twitter:

Breaking: UF…

News broke during UFC 173 on Saturday that the highly anticipated rematch between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Swedish contender Alexander Gustafsson was almost a done deal. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto posted the news on Twitter:

Jones and Gustafsson first faced off in September at UFC 165. While The Mauler was a huge underdog entering the fight, fans were treated to a highly competitive battle. The bout was regarded by many as the best mixed martial arts fight of 2013, but fans were shocked when Jones passed on a rematch, instead opting to face Brazilian slugger Glover Teixeira.

Gustafsson would go on to face Jimi Manuwa in London in March, beating him badly en route to a second-round knockout. Similarly, Jones faced Teixeira in April and beat the Brazilian in lopsided fashion at UFC 172.

A title bout seemed like an inevitability given the fan reception to their first showdown, but Jones has seemed generally reluctant to accept the bout, saying that Gustafsson and fellow light heavyweight standout Daniel Cormier should fight for a title shot.

In April, UFC President Dana White told reporters that Jones vs. Gustafsson 2 could go down in Sweden. Gustafsson is an absolute sensation there, and a stadium show headlined by the title bout would be incredibly lucrative for all parties. That, however, seems to be off the table, as UFC 177 is slated for Las Vegas, Nevada.

As stated by Okamoto, the only barrier left for this bout is for Jones to put pen to paper. Stick with Bleacher Report for more updates on the card as they become available.

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Jon Jones Pokes Fun at Chuck Liddell, Phil Davis and Eye-Gouging Accusations

In a world where everyone wants to be a hero, Jon Jones appears to finally be warming up to the idea that destiny may have laid out a different path for him.
Following his unanimous-decision win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 172, Jones seems to finally b…

In a world where everyone wants to be a hero, Jon Jones appears to finally be warming up to the idea that destiny may have laid out a different path for him.

Following his unanimous-decision win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 172, Jones seems to finally be accepting the role he was forced into.

He has sat idly for weeks while the MMA world has chastised him for being a cheater. During an appearance on Inside MMA, former UFC heavyweight champ Bas Rutten even went as far as calling him a “dirty fighter” for the eye pokes used on Teixeira.

If a picture says a thousand words, Jones answered all of his critics in one fell swoop on Instagram:

I learned the eye gouge from the father of mma. #dirtiestfighterever #eyepokes #greatest #dirtiest #blackeye #redeye #captainhook #colombia #worldwide #brucelee #aintcheatingainttrying #favoritetechnique #gregtoldmeidgetfans #goodenoughforbrucegoodenoughforme #Bassaidimdirty #chucksmad #phillost #simethingforthehater

The biggest takeaway from the photo has to be the hashtags. Jones continues to poke fun at Phil Davis for losing to Anthony Johnson at UFC 172. He even takes a shot at Teixeira’s mentor, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell.

The UFC light heavyweight champ has tried saying all the right things and being respectful, but none of those typically adored mannerisms have gotten him very far with MMA fans. Sure, the 26-year-old superstar hasn’t always helped his own cause, thanks to several hapless incidents that have occurred over the years.

There was the whole TMZ and DUI incident back in May 2012. An entire event—UFC 151 to be exact—was cancelled for the first time in UFC history because Jones refused to take a last-minute fight with Chael Sonnen. There was also the mysterious case of the missing phone, and homophobic taunts on Instagram.

From a bird’s eyrie, these could be considered common headaches that tend to take place in the career of a young athlete who has accumulated mountainous wealth.

But for whatever reason, the microscope for judgment has been magnified to a harsher degree for Jones. Perhaps Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis was on to something when MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani asked him why he disliked Jones.

“I don’t dislike him. It’s his face, I don’t like his face. If he could just put on a different face, I’d like that much better,” said Davis.

The bottom line is, people always seem to find a way to nitpick a reason why they don’t like Jones. The mere idea of being the “bad guy” didn’t sit well with Jones early on, and every vain attempt to right the ship has come off as forced and rehearsed.

Sometimes the best advice can come from the most unexpected places. Speaking with MMAJunkie’s Steven Marrocco, UFC light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier put everything into perspective by explaining the reality of the situation:

If I was Jon Jones, being that people seem to want to dislike him, I would go 100 percent Floyd Mayweather Jr. He wins all the time, and people dislike him, but they always tune into see him. People want to believe Jon’s not being 100 percent real with us. They’re thinking that we’re seeing kind of an act, so give them you. If they believe you’re a complete ass, then just be an ass.

…They’ll watch to hope that you lose, but at the end of the day, you’ll still be winning, because Floyd Mayweather makes $40 million every time he fights. At the end of the day, that is winning.

Sometimes you live long enough to see yourself become a villain. Perhaps that time is now for Jon Jones.

 

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

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Dan Henderson: I Still Want to Win a UFC Title Before I Retire

Former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson may be just 1-3 in his past four fights, but he still has his eye on wearing UFC gold before he hangs up the four-ounce gloves for good. 
Following a stunning come-from-behind knockout over Mauri…

Former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson may be just 1-3 in his past four fights, but he still has his eye on wearing UFC gold before he hangs up the four-ounce gloves for good. 

Following a stunning come-from-behind knockout over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March, “Hendo” is improbably one victory away from a title shot, though that’s a big if, given that the undefeated Daniel Cormier is in his way. 

The 43-year-old fight veteran welcomes the challenge at UFC 173 this Saturday though, telling Yahoo Sports that he still believes he can sit atop the UFC’s light heavyweight throne. 

“First it’s Shogun and now its Cormier,” Henderson said. “Which is fine. I welcome it. That’s the reason I fight, is to fight the top guys … “It motivates me a lot,” he said about winning a UFC title. “That’s the last goal I haven’t achieved in the sport. It would be nice to accomplish that and I just want to make sure I give myself every chance to do that. I think I’m right on the right track to do that. I feel great and I’m confident this fight will do it.”

After four straight wins between December 2010 and November 2011, Henderson was actually slated to meet 205-pound kingpin Jon Jones at UFC 151 in September 2012. 

Unfortunately, the Team Quest co-founder suffered a knee injury just days before the event and the pay-per-view card was ultimately cancelled, per UFC.com. 

While Henderson has come up on the short end of tough matchups between Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort recently, he remains ranked the No. 6 light heavyweight in the UFC’s official rankings.

Cormier, the No. 4 light heavyweight according to the UFC, is 14-0 (nine finishes) as a professional mixed martial artist. 

“DC” made his first weight cut to 205 pounds at UFC 170 in February, making short work of the relatively unknown Patrick Cummins. 

As a heavyweight, Cormier recorded convincing wins over the likes of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, Roy Nelson and former UFC heavyweight champs Josh Barnett and Frank Mir. 

Is it realistic to believe Henderson could still challenge for the light heavyweight strap, or are the 17-year fight veteran’s best days in the cage clearly behind him?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com

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2 Things Jon Jones Needs to Do Differently in Rematch with Alexander Gustafsson

In one of the most epic battles in UFC history, at 165, Jon Jones fought to retain his light heavyweight title against No. 1 contender Alexander Gustafsson. Although the champion successfully defended his title, he was badly beaten and hospitalize…

In one of the most epic battles in UFC history, at 165, Jon Jones fought to retain his light heavyweight title against No. 1 contender Alexander Gustafsson. Although the champion successfully defended his title, he was badly beaten and hospitalized immediately following the bout. If Jones wishes to not just win in a rematch with Gustafsson, but to do so unscathed, it would serve him well to minimize damage and maximize his talents.

Jones has mastered the art of dominating his opponents in the clinch and taking them down. However, much to Gustafsson’s credit, Jones struggled to do hardly any of the latter during their last faceoff. The light heavyweight champion commented on his opponent’s toughness and even acknowledged his own shortcomings following the fight. According to Dann Stupp of USA Today, Jones stated:

He was just a tough fighter. I spent a lot of time on my boxing in this camp. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea. I should have been like water and used more versatility. But hat’s off to Alexander. That was by far my toughest fight, and I really got to exercise my warrior spirit tonight. That makes me happier than getting the win.

If Jones is able to capitalize on his strengths and appeal to Gustafsson’s weaknesses, the clinch and ground game, the light heavyweight champion may not only win in their second outing, but do so in dramatic fashion.

 

The Clinch

Jon Jones embraces the close-quarter game with his opponents. Even though he enjoys an incredible reach advantage, which he uses to keep his opponents at bay, Jones’ grappling is second to none as well.

At UFC 140, Jones grabbed on to an elusive Lyoto Machida and choked him into unconsciousness with a standing guillotine. At UFC 172, against the hard-hitting Glover Teixeira, Jones surprisingly remained in the pocket, clinching and exchanging blows with the No. 3 light heavyweight contender for a large majority of the fight. Jones went on to win all five rounds on the judges’ scorecards.

However, against Gustafsson, Jones wasn’t able to close the distance at will. This was mainly due to Gustafsson’s own height (6’5”) and reach (79 inches), which are similar to those of Jones (6’4”, 84.5-inch reach).

Closing the distance and executing has produced incredible results for the champion countless times. If Jones wishes to emerge victorious and possibly finish Gustafsson, remaining inside and breaking his opponent’s will may be the answer.   

 

The Ground Game

Jon Jones has made a career off taking down his opponents and either submitting or decimating them with a barrage of strikes from the top. In this fashion, the champion has manhandled the likes of Matt Hamill, Brandon Vera, Vladimir Matyushenko, Ryan Bader, Chael Sonnen and even former world champions Quinton Jackson and Vitor Belfort.

Jones, however, was unsuccessful in this area against Gustafsson, scoring just one takedown during the whole fight. Jones himself was even taken down for the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career during the bout.

Needless to say, at UFC 165, Jones was faced with his most difficult challenger and barely scraped by with the win, scoring 48-47 on two of the judges’ scorecards.

The light heavyweight champion possesses all the tools to emerge victorious against Gustafsson again. However, if becoming hospitalized for a second time is not a part of Jones’ post-fight plans, finding ways to neutralize Gustafsson in their sophomore effort would be ideal.

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