Coach: Jon Jones Couldn’t Lift Arm Before Cormier Rematch

Apparently, Jon Jones went into his rematch with Daniel Cormier with an injury, according to Jones’ coach Mike Winkeljohn. Despite a relatively flawless performance by Jones, capped off by a thunderous head kick, Winkeljohn insists the newly crowned champ was, in fact, nursing an arm injury. In fact, Winkeljohn said the injury was quite serious leading […]

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Apparently, Jon Jones went into his rematch with Daniel Cormier with an injury, according to Jones’ coach Mike Winkeljohn.

Despite a relatively flawless performance by Jones, capped off by a thunderous head kick, Winkeljohn insists the newly crowned champ was, in fact, nursing an arm injury.

In fact, Winkeljohn said the injury was quite serious leading into the biggest fight of “Bones” career:

“A couple of nights before the fight, he couldn’t lift his arm. He had hurt it wrestling,” Winkeljohn said during an recent Submission Radio interview. “He wrestled a little too hard with his partner and maybe from a lack of warm up, I’m not sure, but it was kind scary. It was one of those situations where when I was warming him up I’d ask the coaches and they had agreed, they were ahead of me on this, that we shouldn’t be doing a lot wrestling because I didn’t want Jon to try and have to underhook and lift with his one arm because it could potentially cause it to be hurt again and mess with his mindset. I wanted to keep that out of it and hopefully so that way if it got re-injured in the fight, the adrenaline would take over.”

“So it was kind of scary that nobody knew about it. There was an injury behind the scenes, but Jon is who he is, he’s as tough as they come and like I said, nobody beats Jon Jones but himself. Once he decides he wants to win a fight, he’s going to win.”

Jones clearly triumphed over his longtime nemesis Cormier, becoming the first man to finish DC his entire career at UFC 214 last weekend.

“Bones” called out former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar immediately following his victory over Cormier, which has captured fight fans’ collective imagination ever since.

Given Jones’ past issues making it to fight night, Winkeljohn said there was no way he was pulling out of the fight on such short notice, regardless of the extent of his arm injury.

“He just couldn’t lift it basically over his head and stuff. Of course, it’s definitely concerning,” Winkeljohn said. “You know, in my mind, I’m thinking, ‘Are you going to be able to underhook with that arm? Or if not, you have to use a lot more frames and more downward pressure and circle the opposite direction, so game plan might have to be changed a little bit if it doesn’t get healed.”

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Daniel Cormier: I Feel Bad For Jon Jones, I Wish Him The Best

Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones shared one of the most intense rivalries in mixed martial arts history before their fight at UFC 182. Originally meant to be fighting at UFC 178, the two fought live on stage at a sensational press conference in Las Vegas before the bout was moved to the January 3, 2015

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Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones shared one of the most intense rivalries in mixed martial arts history before their fight at UFC 182. Originally meant to be fighting at UFC 178, the two fought live on stage at a sensational press conference in Las Vegas before the bout was moved to the January 3, 2015 date due to injury. The MMA world waited with eager anticipation for their long due battle in the octagon and, although victorious on that night, ‘Bones’ would not emerge unscathed. It was later revealed that an OOC (out of competition) drug screen had found cocaine in Jones’ system.

Then came the New Mexico hit-and-run drama, the subsequent suspension and stripping of the belt from Jones and his eventual return to action at UFC 197. The new Jon Jones was apparently now free of addiction, looking to get back on track and facing Cormier for the rematch was motivating him to stay on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately ‘DC’ was injured, and ‘Bones’ instead faced Ovince St-Preux on April 23. Defeating ‘OSP’ by decision, Jones set up the second fight with Cormier who had won the title in his absence.

Jon Jones UFC 197

Following the removal of Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2 as the UFC 200 main event, Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones 2 was announced during the promotion’s slot on ‘Good Morning America.’ The historic event was also boosted by the appearance of Brock Lesnar and two other title fights, this was Jones’ chance at redemption in many respects. Events would transpire, all within three days of the event this past Saturday July 9, that laid waste to ‘Bones’ vs. ‘DC’ 2, and have also started yet another phase of trouble for the Greg Jackson’s standout.

USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) revealed in the days leading up to UFC 200 that Jones failed a drug test on June 16, and was therefore ineligible to compete in the main event. Cormier was shattered by the news, ‘Bones’ was highly emotional when addressing the media the day after Jeff Novitsky made the announcement, and UFC president Dana White was furious. Now the dust has settled on UFC 200, and Cormier defeated late replacement Anderson Silva, the current light-heavyweight kingpin is taking a very spiritual view of his biggest rival.

May 23, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA;  Daniel Cormier (blue gloves) enters the arena to fight Anthony Johnson (not pictured) for the light heavyweight championship bout during UFC 187 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Cormier won via third round TKO. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking during Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, and as transcribed by MMAMania’s Adam Guillen Jr.Daniel Cormier says he feels bad for Jon Jones, and wishes him luck with his latest struggle.

“I’m in the sauna and we’re listening to it and he seemed very sad. I went back to my room before my final wight cut and I actually watched it and I could see that he was heartbroken. So, it was very sad man. I don’t like to see people hurt like that, and I could see that he was hurt. I try to do things for me — things that feel better for me and for my mental and me as a human being and spirit. So I just made sure he knew that his apology was accepted and that I do wish him the best in his journey.”

“I don’t know. When everything comes out we will know better. If it comes out that he was doing performance enhancers, then he was obviously trying to cheat. I mean, I can only be honest. I call it like it is. If it comes out that he was doing performance enhancers; I don’t know if it was because the ‘OSP’ fight didn’t go as he expected, I don’t know. I don’t know what it was that made him do whatever he did if it comes out that he was doing performance enhancers.”

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UFC 200 Press Conference Live Stream

UFC 200 press conference live stream starts at 3 PM ET here on LowKick. UFC 200 fight week is upon us, and we MMA fans are beginning to get in to the festive swing of things. It’s been seven years since the first milestone event of UFC 100 went down, and how things have changed

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UFC 200 press conference live stream starts at 3 PM ET here on LowKick.

UFC 200 fight week is upon us, and we MMA fans are beginning to get in to the festive swing of things. It’s been seven years since the first milestone event of UFC 100 went down, and how things have changed since then. What has stayed the same is the presence of Brock Lesnar, albeit on short notice and reportedly for one fight, as the WWE crossover looks to erase the memories of his brutal losses in 2010/11. He faces a stone cold knockout puncher in Mark Hunt and many feel this is going to be a rude welcoming back for the ex-UFC heavyweight champion.

That’s not even the headliner for the evening, as Lesnar vs. Hunt plays second fiddle to the rematch between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. The light-heavyweight championship became vacant when Jones was temporarily banished by the UFC, and Cormier took the throne in his absence. After losing to ‘Bones’ at UFC 182 following a hateful rivalry, ‘DC’ is seeking redemption in the second defense of the belt.

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Don’t sleep on the interim featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar, as the two former champions of 145 and 155 pounds respectively meet for the second time. After his devastating KO loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 194, ‘Scarface’ is looking to get back on track and take back the junior title, whole Edgar seeks revenge for his narrow loss to Aldo at UFC 156 in 2013.

Another division and another championship fight as Miesha Tate looks to make her first defense of the women’s 135-pound strap against Amanda Nunes. After choking Holly Holm out cold at UFC 195, ‘Cupcake’ is hoping to prove she’s here to stay, while Nunes wants to make it four straight and keep the title changing hands. Former heavyweight boss Cain Velasquez is also back in action, taking on Hawaiian heavy hitter Travis Browne to open the main card on July 9.

Stay tuned to LowKick as we celebrate the biggest fight week EVER!

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Jon Jones’ Crack Dealer, DC ‘Little B*tch’ & More From The UFC 200 Presser

The UFC 200 press conference was in full swing this week, moving ahead without featherweight champion Conor McGregor and his welterweight rival Nate Diaz. Instead, we were reintroduced to the ever seething feud between current light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and his predecessor Jon Jones. It was just yesterday (Wednesday April 27, 2016) that the UFC

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The UFC 200 press conference was in full swing this week, moving ahead without featherweight champion Conor McGregor and his welterweight rival Nate Diaz. Instead, we were reintroduced to the ever seething feud between current light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and his predecessor Jon Jones. It was just yesterday (Wednesday April 27, 2016) that the UFC took over ‘Good Morning America’ on ABC for a bizarre and somewhat awkward half hour segment. Their intention was to announce the UFC 200 main event between ‘DC’ and ‘Bones,’ but in typical fashion as of late, the news was leaked a good half hour before the promotion had intended.

The press conference held later that afternoon may have paled in comparison to live stream viewers to the Diaz/McGregor Youtube hit (220K to 33K to be precise) but it was nonetheless a highly entertaining peak at the next milestone pay-per-view.

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The highlight of the UFC 200 press conference was without doubt the beef between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. The two rivals always find it hard to hide their feelings, and it always leads to some classic viewing. In this case, the fired up New York crowd actually added in a big part to the madness, as one fan asked Jones if his crack dealer would be present at UFC 200. Watch the video starting at the 29:55 mark to see the awkwardness:

Wow, talk about cringe worthy. So what else was good at the eventful UFC 200 presser? Thanks to the UFC’s official Yotube channel once again, we’ve got some diamond moments from the stacked presser to look at. Possibly the most rib tickling section was when Jones jumped up and demonstrated how he made ‘DC’ his ‘bitch’ when they fought the first time at UFC 182 last January.

Also noteworthy was Cormier’s best ‘stats Nazi’ impression, Miesha Tate just being generally awesome, and Amanda Nunes doing her best to get some trash talk going.

Enjoy!

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What Happens If Ovince St. Preux Beats Jon Jones?

The UFC light-heavyweight division faced some complications over the last year and change, continuing up until present day, after a number of different factors impacted the top end of the 205-pound class. First off Jon Jones went in to meltdown, was stripped of the belt and temporarily exiled from the UFC. Daniel Cormier stepped in

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The UFC light-heavyweight division faced some complications over the last year and change, continuing up until present day, after a number of different factors impacted the top end of the 205-pound class. First off Jon Jones went in to meltdown, was stripped of the belt and temporarily exiled from the UFC. Daniel Cormier stepped in and filled the slot, then defended the title once, and set himself up for a big rematch with ‘Bones’ at UFC 197. Then came Cormier’s first withdrawal from a professional mixed martial arts bout, as he was injured in recent weeks and forced off the April 23 card.

CormierOvinceTrainingAtAKA

Now, following the recent trend, the interim light-heavyweight title is on the line between Jones and late substitute Ovince Saint Preux. ‘Bones’ is a massive favorite coming in to their fight, with the betting offices recognizing his calibre as (statistically) the greatest light-heavyweight champion in the promotion’s history. Everyone is so busy talking about UFC 200 as the date for Jones vs ‘DC’ 2, that they seem to be overlooking what’s coming up before that. St. Preux is a dangerous fighter, and has beaten some very tough guys during his time in the UFC and Strikeforce. On top of that, he’s got some serious physical advantages to bring to this interim title bout.

So, what happens if Ovince St. Preux shocks the world and demolishes Jon Jones at UFC 197?

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Cormier vs. Jones 2, meet the back burner 

Inevitably the rematch that everyone has waited so long for will have to wait. ‘DC’ and ‘Bones’ threw down in January 2015 at UFC 182 after perhaps the fiercest rivalry in the promotion’s history, but the fight left many questions remaining. It seemed as though Cormier’s performance was out of character, or perhaps Jones just made it look that way, regardless it had fans and pundits longing for the second meeting.

Once Jones was embroiled in legal troubles and Cormier took over as champion, there’s been a strange turning of tables. For some reason certain sects of fans are labelling ‘DC’ a fake champion, as if he had something to do with Jones’ reckless behaviour during his New Mexico hit-and-run. All these factors make Cormier vs. Jones 2 a must see spectacle, but OSP could quite easily make it another rematch like Jones vs. Gus 2, one that’s been wanting for a lifetime, but always been out of reach.

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Daniel Cormier Reacts To Jon Jones With Crazy Twitter Rant

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones is up to his old tricks again. As well as more encounters with the law and courts lately, ‘Bones’ has once again gone full heel on social media. At first Jones actually offered commiserations to the injured Daniel Cormier, after the current champ was forced out of their UFC

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Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones is up to his old tricks again. As well as more encounters with the law and courts lately, ‘Bones’ has once again gone full heel on social media. At first Jones actually offered commiserations to the injured Daniel Cormier, after the current champ was forced out of their UFC 197 rematch with injury, but that amicable side of ‘Bones’ was not on show for long.

He offered ‘DC’ the best of luck with recovery at first, saying he wouldn’t wish an injury on anyone. Then, when Ovince St Preux replaced his nemesis at UFC 197, Jones was once again polite, thanking OSP for taking the fight on short notice. It wouldn’t be long before we’d see the vintage Jon Jones back in action though, and he tore in to Cormier yesterday following an appearance for both men on The MMA Hour.

Jon Jones Dana White

During his spot on the popular MMA talk show, Cormier actually offered to pay for Ovince St Preux to train at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) for his upcoming fight with Jones. The ex-champion got win of this, and suddenly was once again bashing his old rival on Twitter:


Predictable? Yeah probably, but it’s led to a barrage of hot Tweets from both Daniel Cormier, but also some Jones fans that are trolling the current champion on Twitter…

continue

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