Tag: Jon Jones

Jon Jones on Daniel Cormier: “Short Reach, Bad Cardio” and “Not Relevant to Me”

It looks like UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones isn’t even a little intrigued about a possible showdown with Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier. 
When MMA Junkie asked the champ what he thought about “DC’s” plans to dr…

It looks like UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones isn’t even a little intrigued about a possible showdown with Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier. 

When MMA Junkie asked the champ what he thought about “DC’s” plans to drop down to 205 pounds and call for a title shot if he beats Roy Nelson at UFC 166 this fall, Jones went off on the undefeated prospect. 

DC is a guy who really wants to be famous. I don’t think he wants to work hard. I think he just wants to be famous. You can see it in his physique; you can see it in his card… He’s trying to get his Twitter followers up, that’s about it… I hate answering questions about him. He’s just not relevant to me. There’s so many great fighters in the light heavyweight division. He’s not even top five in his division. I’m not sure if he is… He has short reach, bad cardio (and) he looked terrible in his last fight. It’s like, I’m not worried about him at all.

Cormier made his Octagon debut at UFC on FOX 7 in April, winning a clear-cut, albeit heavily criticized, unanimous decision victory over former UFC heavyweight titleholder Frank Mir. 

With the win, the former Olympic-level wrestler improved his professional mixed martial arts record to a perfect 12-0.

Furthermore, according to the UFC’s official rankings, Cormier is the No. 2 heavyweight fighter in the world, behind only upcoming title challenger Junior dos Santos and current champion Cain Velasquez, a friend and teammate of Cormier. 

Velasquez and Cormier have stated on various occasions that they would never fight each other, which is why the Strikeforce import has been entertaining a light heavyweight title run since early this year.

UFC President Dana White has been non-committal about a potential Jones-Cormier title fight, recently telling Ariel Helwani that he wants to wait and see the outcomes of Cormier vs. Nelson and Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, the headlining bout of UFC 165 this September (via MMA Fighting). 

As it looks now, Jones has no interest in a potential showdown with Cormier anytime soon. Would this still be a matchup the fans are interested in seeing?

 

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

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UFC: The Worst Matchup for Every Champion

No man is invincible.
Even the best of the best run into the occasional fist or shin, and they wake up with people thinking they’re not that good or that they never were.
That’s one of the main rules of the game, and it happens to champions too. Every …

No man is invincible.

Even the best of the best run into the occasional fist or shin, and they wake up with people thinking they’re not that good or that they never were.

That’s one of the main rules of the game, and it happens to champions too. Every champion in the UFC will lose at some point.

These are the folks most likely to take titles away.

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Jon Jones Wants to Be Heavyweight Champ, Cain Velasquez Would Accept Challenge

Jon Jones isn’t sure when his move to heavyweight will happen, but he’s certainly not above setting some lofty goals for himself.
The UFC’s reigning light heavyweight champion is currently preparing for a showdown in September against Alexander Gustafs…

Jon Jones isn’t sure when his move to heavyweight will happen, but he’s certainly not above setting some lofty goals for himself.

The UFC’s reigning light heavyweight champion is currently preparing for a showdown in September against Alexander Gustafsson, but questions about his future seem unavoidable.

He’s mentioned numerous times that he plans to eventually test himself at heavyweight, but his timeline remains fairly vague.

“I’ll be here for a little while for sure,” Jones said about fighting at light heavyweight when speaking during a UFC media tour stop in New York City on Wednesday. “I have teammates that are heavyweights, so there’s a lot of work to be done in the light heavyweight division. I want to set a standard and a record that’s going to be really hard to break. That’s going to take some time.”

Still, with UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez sitting directly next to him during the press conference, Jones didn’t back down from saying that he would eventually like to hold that title as well.

He also added a new caveat to his future plans, with Jones now thinking of testing the boxing world at some point as well.

“I would like to fight for the heavyweight title one day and be the heavyweight champion of the world in MMA, and the heavyweight champion in boxing one day,” Jones revealed. “Maybe beat up a Klitschko brother. You never know with enough focus it’s a possibility.”

Jones is certainly dreaming big considering the UFC has never been big on their champions competing in other sports while under contract with them.

Regardless, Jones is setting some personal goals for his long-term success. It’s more likely with another title defense or two at light heavyweight that Jones would bump up a division and face the heavyweight champion in the UFC long before he’d ever sniff a boxing match.

Velasquez, as soft spoken on the microphone as he is devastating inside the Octagon, sounded more than happy to welcome Jones to the heavyweight division if they were ever matched up one day.

“I think it will be great. Jon Jones is a great champion, he’s amazing at what he does out there,” Velasquez said. “If he does be champion for a while then yeah, I’ll definitely accept the challenge for sure.”

Velasquez and Jones then decided to give the fans in attendance a treat by standing up and squaring off in a typical pre-fight staredown, although it was hard to ignore the smiles on their faces as they tried to play it serious.

It probably won’t be as friendly once Jones finally does make the move to heavyweight. If Velasquez is still champion, he definitely won’t greet any potential contender with a smile on his face.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Ronda Rousey Gives Miesha Tate the Finger, Jon Jones Makes Eye Contact With Alexander Gustafsson, And More Championship Staredowns From the ‘UFC World Tour’ [VIDEO]

(Video props: MMA H.E.A.T. via Reddit_MMA)

On Monday, the UFC kicked off an insanely ambitious promotional tour that will take the headliners for UFC 165, UFC 166, UFC 167, and UFC 168 to five countries over five days. The “UFC World Tour” stopped at the Club Nokia at Nokia Live in Los Angeles yesterday, and the fighters had a chance to get up in each others’ faces, while the meatheaded fans in attendance shouted whatever came to mind, like they were at home watching it on TV. You can check out the video above. Some highlights…

0:17-1:00: Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate come out dressed like office temps. They mean-mug each other, and Rousey gives Tate the ol’ Stockton Heybuddy walking away. The crowd fires off various catcalls. Dana’s goony mug at 0:41 says it all.

1:10-1:52: Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks face off, with Hendricks looking noticeably jacked. The crowd chants “USA!” A fan asks Hendricks what he weighs, and Hendro says “215,” flexing like a boss.

1:54-2:30: Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos take the stage. Nothing much happens.

2:35-3:07: Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson get very close. Gustafsson rolls his tongue around in his mouth, preparing himself for the incoming kiss…but it doesn’t come. Breaking with tradition, Jones actually shifts his head and looks directly into the eyes — nay, the soul — of Alexander Gustafsson. Jones hoists his belt, then pop-and-locks his way off stage. The crowd boos.


(Video props: MMA H.E.A.T. via Reddit_MMA)

On Monday, the UFC kicked off an insanely ambitious promotional tour that will take the headliners for UFC 165, UFC 166, UFC 167, and UFC 168 to five countries over five days. The “UFC World Tour” stopped at the Club Nokia at Nokia Live in Los Angeles yesterday, and the fighters had a chance to get up in each others’ faces, while the meatheaded fans in attendance shouted whatever came to mind, like they were at home watching it on TV. You can check out the video above. Some highlights…

0:17-1:00: Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate come out dressed like office temps. They mean-mug each other, and Rousey gives Tate the ol’ Stockton Heybuddy walking away. The crowd fires off various catcalls. Dana’s goony mug at 0:41 says it all.

1:10-1:52: Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks face off, with Hendricks looking noticeably jacked. The crowd chants “USA!” A fan asks Hendricks what he weighs, and Hendro says “215,” flexing like a boss.

1:54-2:30: Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos take the stage. Nothing much happens.

2:35-3:07: Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson get very close. Gustafsson rolls his tongue around in his mouth, preparing himself for the incoming kiss…but it doesn’t come. Breaking with tradition, Jones actually shifts his head and looks directly into the eyes — nay, the soul — of Alexander Gustafsson. Jones hoists his belt, then pop-and-locks his way off stage. The crowd boos.

3:35-3:40: “We want Brock! We need Brock!” Ugh, you guys.

3:45: The fighters line up while the fans continue to shout shit at them.

4:53-end: “Who’s the girl in the yelloooooow?!” [*crowd cheers*] Ugh, seriously, you guys.

The remaining stops on the UFC World Tour are…

– 1 p.m. ET July 31, Beacon Theatre, New York: News conference with UFC President Dana White, Velasquez, dos Santos, Jones, Gustafsson, St-Pierre, Hendricks, Rousey and Tate. Free and open to the public.
– 12:30 p.m. ET Aug. 1, Complexe Desjardins, Montreal: News conference with UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright, St-Pierre and Hendricks. Free and open to the public.
– 1 p.m. CT Aug. 1, Toyota Center, Houston: Open workouts with Velasquez and dos Santos. Free and open to the public.
Aug. 1: Stockholm. Press tour with Jones and Gustafsson.
– 1 p.m. CT Aug. 2, Cowboys Stadium, Dallas: Open workouts on the field with St-Pierre and Hendricks. Free and open to the public.
– Aug. 2, Chicago: Press tour with Rousey and Tate.
– Aug. 2, London: Press tour with Jones and Gustafsson.
– 3 p.m. BRT Aug. 2, HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro: Velasquez and dos Santos joint Q&A session prior to weigh-ins for UFC 163. Free and open to the public.

Jon Jones Not Ready to Move to Heavyweight Yet but It Will Happen Eventually

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has long considered a move to heavyweight at some point during his career, but could that time come soon after his next fight?
Jones is taking on rising star Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in Toronto this Septe…

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has long considered a move to heavyweight at some point during his career, but could that time come soon after his next fight?

Jones is taking on rising star Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in Toronto this September, but like always, the questions about his future are asked whenever the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA has a microphone in front of his face.

On Tuesday during a media stop in Los Angeles, Jones was posed with the question about moving to heavyweight again, but this time had champion Cain Velasquez sitting directly to his right.

“No, I have a lot of work to do in the light heavyweight division,” Jones answered when the heavyweight question was asked.

There are certainly still challenges ahead for Jones at 205 pounds if he decides to stay there, assuming he gets past Gustafsson in September.

Brazilian light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira has been storming his way through the division, and if he can get past former Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader in his next fight, that would make a strong case for title contention against Jones.

Former Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier will also enter the discussion if he can defeat Roy Nelson at UFC 166 in October. Cormier has already stated that once he fights Nelson, his next bout will be at light heavyweight and he’s planning on asking for an immediate title shot.

Later in the press conference when the subject about a move to heavyweight came up again, Jones joked that he didn’t want to speak out of turn with Velasquez seated right next to him.

In reality, Jones knows that a move to a higher weight class is inevitable, but he’s not going to set a time limit for when it has to happen.

“I just said that cause Cain [Velasquez] is next to me, I didn’t want to be awkward,” Jones said with a laugh. “Eventually, I’m getting older, I’m growing, I’m getting stronger. Why not? Yeah for sure [I’ll go to heavyweight].”

With his next win, Jones will officially hold the record for the most title defenses at 205 pounds in UFC history, but like any weight class, there will always be new challengers stepping up to try and stop his reign.

Whether or not Jones will target a move to heavyweight any time soon remains to be seen.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones Not Ready to Move to Heavyweight Yet but It Will Happen Eventually

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has long considered a move to heavyweight at some point during his career, but could that time come soon after his next fight?
Jones is taking on rising star Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in Toronto this Septe…

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has long considered a move to heavyweight at some point during his career, but could that time come soon after his next fight?

Jones is taking on rising star Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in Toronto this September, but like always, the questions about his future are asked whenever the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA has a microphone in front of his face.

On Tuesday during a media stop in Los Angeles, Jones was posed with the question about moving to heavyweight again, but this time had champion Cain Velasquez sitting directly to his right.

“No, I have a lot of work to do in the light heavyweight division,” Jones answered when the heavyweight question was asked.

There are certainly still challenges ahead for Jones at 205 pounds if he decides to stay there, assuming he gets past Gustafsson in September.

Brazilian light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira has been storming his way through the division, and if he can get past former Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader in his next fight, that would make a strong case for title contention against Jones.

Former Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier will also enter the discussion if he can defeat Roy Nelson at UFC 166 in October. Cormier has already stated that once he fights Nelson, his next bout will be at light heavyweight and he’s planning on asking for an immediate title shot.

Later in the press conference when the subject about a move to heavyweight came up again, Jones joked that he didn’t want to speak out of turn with Velasquez seated right next to him.

In reality, Jones knows that a move to a higher weight class is inevitable, but he’s not going to set a time limit for when it has to happen.

“I just said that cause Cain [Velasquez] is next to me, I didn’t want to be awkward,” Jones said with a laugh. “Eventually, I’m getting older, I’m growing, I’m getting stronger. Why not? Yeah for sure [I’ll go to heavyweight].”

With his next win, Jones will officially hold the record for the most title defenses at 205 pounds in UFC history, but like any weight class, there will always be new challengers stepping up to try and stop his reign.

Whether or not Jones will target a move to heavyweight any time soon remains to be seen.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com