UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier on Wednesday addressed his verbal feud with Jon Jones one more time. If Cormier is to be believed, it will also be the last, at least until after his fight with Roy Nelson at UFC 166.
“This will be the last time I talk ab…
UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier on Wednesday addressed his verbal feud with Jon Jones one more time. If Cormier is to be believed, it will also be the last, at least until after his fight with Roy Nelson at UFC 166.
“This will be the last time I talk about Jon Jones,” Cormier said Monday on The MMA Hour broadcast with host Ariel Helwani. “As I move into my training camp, I’m only going to talk about Roy Nelson, because he’s a tough guy, he deserves respect, and he’s an adult, not a kid.
The light heavyweight champion has taken some personal shots recently at Cormier, a two-time Olympic wrestler. In an interview with GracieMag, Jones questioned Cormier‘s physique and work ethic, asserting Cormier is a guy “who wants to be famous.”
On Monday, Cormier expressed bafflement over the vitriol, though he did take a few parting shots at Jones before saying he was ready to move on.
“He’s a different type of guy,” Cormier said. “That’s all I’m going to say about it. When you start coming in contact with him, he actually becomes a little more difficult to deal with.”
Cormier fights at a heavier division than Jones, but Cormier said Monday he will “definitely” fight at light heavyweight after his bout with Nelson. There has also been speculation that Jones will eventually try his hand in the heavyweight division.
Cormier said a collision between him and Jones was inevitable.
“Do you want to fight me or do you not want to fight me? That’s the question,” Cormier said. “The truth is, we’re going to fight at some point, and all of these things are going to be answered.”
The 34-year-old Cormier (12-0) is 1-0 in the Octagon after moving to the UFC in early 2013 following the folding of Strikeforce, his previous home promotion. While in Strikeforce, Cormier went 4-0 and won the heavyweight grand prix in 2012.
Also on Monday, Cormier called Nelson “the toughest opponent I have ever faced in my career.” Nelson also has a verbal history with Cormier, indicating Cormier was an “Uncle Tom” in an earlier interview. Cormier brushed off the comment on Monday.
“In a general sense, I mean, it’s a little disappointing, but it wasn’t that big a deal,” Cormier said. “It fuels the fire.”
Former UFC lightweight George Roop will look for a third straight bantamweight win at UFC 166, where he’ll meet Francisco Rivera.
MMAJunkie.com confirmed the 135-pound matchup with UFC officials.
After being knocked out by featherweight conte…
Former UFC lightweight George Roop will look for a third straight bantamweight win at UFC 166, where he’ll meet Francisco Rivera.
MMAJunkie.com confirmed the 135-pound matchup with UFC officials.
After being knocked out by featherweight contender Cub Swanson, the 6’1″ Roop made a surprising decision to return to the bantamweight class, where he had an 0-1 record. However, the switch seems to be paying off for Roop, who has already defeated Reuben Duran and Brian Bowles in 2013.
Since being released from the UFC roster in 2011, Rivera has not been beaten. However, Rivera did recently have a win taken away due to a failed drug test following a knockout of Roland Delorme at UFC 149. Rivera returned from a six-month suspension in February and stopped Edwin Figueroa to get back into the win column.
These 31-year-old fighters are past the point of being prospects, but both have shown promise over their recent appearances. The winner of this UFC 166 bout could find themselves on the fringe of title contention and earn a fight with a top-10 bantamweight.
Scheduled for Oct. 19, UFC 166 will be hosted by Houston’s Toyota Center. With the addition of Roop and Rivera, the event’s fight card now looks like this:
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos
Daniel Cormier vs. Roy Nelson
Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez
Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Boetsch
Nate Marquardt vs. Hector Lombard
George Roop vs. Francisco Rivera
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shawn Jordan
George Sotiropoulos vs. KJ Noons
Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Rio
TJ Waldburger vs. AdlanAmagov
Sean Smith is a Featured MMA Columnist for Bleacher Report who has also had work promoted on UFC.com and TheMMACorner.com. Follow on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
Houston—we don’t have a problem.
UFC 166 will land in the Texas city on October 19 with heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez battling former title holder Junior Dos Santos in the main event, and the fans in the area have made quick work of the tic…
Houston—we don’t have a problem.
UFC 166 will land in the Texas city on October 19 with heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez battling former title holder Junior Dos Santos in the main event, and the fans in the area have made quick work of the ticket sales.
The event, which is the third time the UFC has visited Houston in the last six years, sold out in less than three total days after going on sale to the public last Friday, August 2.
Houston has become a staple for the UFC in the times that they’ve landed there with huge crowds coming out for each event.
UFC 67, which featured the massive upset when Matt Serra knocked out Georges St-Pierre to win the UFC welterweight title, packed in 15,269 fans and scored an over $2.8 million dollar gate, which was the largest gate ever in Toyota Center history.
The next time the UFC landed in Houston was for UFC 136 in 2011 when Frankie Edgar met Gray Maynard for the third time, while Jose Aldo took on former lightweight contender Kenny Florian. That event drew 16,164 fans for a gate of $2.23 million—according to UFC president Dana White, the fourth largest draw in Toyota Center history.
This latest event once again drew a huge crowd from the Houston faithful as they will return to the Toyota Center to witness the epic trilogy between Velasquez and Dos Santos come to an end in the main event of the evening.
Also on the card, Daniel Cormier takes on Roy Nelson in the co-main event, while former Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez returns to face Diego Sanchez.
All told, UFC 166 features seven current or former champions from the UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator including Cormier, who was the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion.
UFC officials confirmed the sell out to Bleacher Report on Monday with fans turning out in droves to get tickets to the upcoming card. More tickets may be made available if the arena can configure more open seats, but that has not been determined as of now.
UFC 166 goes down on October 19 from Houston, and will also be broadcast on pay-per-view.
Since the announcement that Daniel Cormier would take on Roy Nelson will take place at UFC 166 on October 19 in Houston, some fans have suggested that the fight makes no sense.
However, upon closer examination, the bout makes perfect sense given the li…
Since the announcement that Daniel Cormier would take on Roy Nelson will take place at UFC 166 on October 19 in Houston, some fans have suggested that the fight makes no sense.
However, upon closer examination, the bout makes perfect sense given the list of parties and variables it affects.
Nelson has never had the strongest relationship with Dana White. The two have bickered and prodded each other since Big Country entered the UFC. From contract disputes to Nelson’s general weight and conditioning, each side has made it clear that the attitude of the opposing side is not appreciated.
Nelson was on perpetually thin ice with the UFC throughout his career, and the loss to StipeMiocic at UFC 161 had many wondering if he’d make a return to the organization, or if the two sides could come to an agreement on his contract at all.
Enter former Olympic wrestler and Strikeforce Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier.
The two fighters had first been rumored by White to lock horns following Nelson’s win over Cheick Kongo at UFC 159. The bout was put off when Nelson took the fight with Miocic on short notice.
Nelson claimed that he would have fought Cormier, but the wrestler was medically unfit to fight. In an interview with MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani in June, Nelson called Cormier an “Uncle Tom” for wanting to beat him for Dana White.
Not surprisingly, Cormier took offense to the terms used by the Ultimate Fighter Season 10 winner and told him to sign the papers for October 19 so they could have it out once and for all.
“Roy and I still have some unfinished business,” Cormier told Helwani in July. “I hope he re-signs with the UFC, so we can settle what he started two months ago.”
The bout has since been made official and fans should be excited. The bout comes at a perfect time for each fighter and the organization itself, not to mention for the fans.
Cormier‘s Position in the Division
Cormier is undefeated at heavyweight and, quite honestly, could make a case for being the top contender in the division. The problem? His training partner, Cain Velasquez, holds the belt.
At a media luncheon in October, Velasquez claimed that Cormierwould like to move down to the 205-pound division rather than stay at heavyweight, but that drop has proven problematic for him during his wrestling career.
Because of that concern, a steady and slower drop is necessary. Another bout at heavyweight gives him a solid paycheck while he continues to drop weight in a healthy and proper manner.
Nelson Fights Are Still Marketable
Despite what White or the Fertitta brothers think of Nelson’s attitude, the man is still marketable. He is not on the level of a Georges St-Pierre or Anderson Silva, but Nelson’s trademark beard and belly rub are known by even the casuals.
They may only know him as “that fat guy with the beard,” but they know him and will tune in to watch his bouts.
Cormier‘s last bout with Frank Mir was not a memorable one. He still can’t be said to have casual-fan appeal. A solid showing against Nelson can bolster his own name.
Nelson, on the other hand, has a chance to defeat a man almost destined for a future title shot at two weight classes.
Dos Santos Variable
The heavyweight title bout between Junior dos Santos and Velasquez headlines UFC 166.
Cormier vs. Nelson could possibly become a top-contender bout for Cormier, should Dos Santos win the belt back from Velasquez.
If the champion loses, Cormier would be free to fight for the title.
The undefeated Cormier would have no obligation to allow his teammate to take a fourth bout with Dos Santos before he himself had a shot.
Within the hypothetical of Dos Santos winning, Cormier winning suddenly puts him right behind Fabricio Werdum for a title shot. At minimum, it keeps him in the heavyweight division for a top-contender fight with Miocic.
Nelson winning doesn’t guarantee him a shot, but with so few contenders at heavyweight, it places him right back in the running. He would be 5-2 in his last seven bouts. His two losses are decisions, one on short notice and the other to Werdum.
Despite how some may feel about Nelson, he is not far off from an earned title shot.
Everybody Loves a Feud
UFC fans are often shown fake feuds and tough guys trying to act angry when they are actually mindful and respectful of their opponent behind closed doors.
But when there is a real feud and two men appear to really dislike one another, fans tune in to watch the car crash. When it’s heavyweights, that just adds to the excitement.
Call it barbaric or primitive, but there is something undeniably entertaining about two men who are interested in shutting their opponent’s mouth. Since both Cormier and Nelson like to run their mouths, the fire will be stoked all the way up to the bout itself.
Both are brash and tend to prod opponents before they step into the cage. Both also know how to back up their talk.
Conclusion
All told, the fight makes perfect sense for both fighters, the organization and fans. A sophomore UFC bout for Cormier and a turnaround feud for Nelson following a rough short-notice loss actually create a perfect matchup.
The bad blood between the two only sweetens the pot and makes for a fantastic heavyweight matchup at just the right time.
The UFC 166 fight card has added its ninth bout with a welterweight contest between T.J. Waldburger and Adlan Amagov.
MMAJunkie.com reported the fight booking Thursday afternoon.
In his most recent outing, Waldburger defeated Nick Catone, which improve…
The UFC 166 fight card has added its ninth bout with a welterweight contest between T.J. Waldburger and AdlanAmagov.
MMAJunkie.com reported the fight booking Thursday afternoon.
In his most recent outing, Waldburger defeated Nick Catone, which improved him to a solid 4-2 UFC record. The 25-year-old Texan has only lost to Johny Hendricks and Brian Ebersole inside the Octagon. So, with a win over Amagov in his home state later this year, Waldburger could be looking at a significant step up in competition.
Amagov, meanwhile, is coming off of a victory in his UFC debut against Chris Spang. Following a submission loss in his first MMA bout, Amagov has only lost to Robbie Lawler. Like Waldburger, the 26-year-old Russian could put himself on the fringe of title contention with a UFC 166 victory.
With five knockout losses, Waldburger has had previous trouble with aggressive power punchers like Amagov. That, coupled with the pressure of fighting in front of his home crowd, could make this matchup a tough one for Waldburger.
Scheduled to be held Oct. 19, UFC 166 will be hosted by Houston’s Toyota Center. The fight card currently looks like this:
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos
Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez
Daniel Cormier vs. Roy Nelson
Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Boetsch
Nate Marquardt vs. Hector Lombard
George Sotiropoulos vs. K.J. Noons
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shawn Jordan
Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Rio
Waldburger vs. Amagov
Sean Smith is a Featured MMA Columnist for Bleacher Report who has also had work promoted on UFC.com and TheMMACorner.com. Follow on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
After that, Cormier says he’ll demand an immediate title shot against the winner of Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, which UFC President Dana White has implied he deserves. Cormier, who stays chubby all year round and had a near-death experience cutting weight as a wrestler before his second Olympic games in 2008, “is now confident he can easily make the weight cut,” according to MMA Fighting.
Also, if he beats Nelson, “Cormier said that after the fight he will publicly ask the UFC in the cage to “cut the line,” MMA Fighting reports.
(Who needs a tale-of-the-tape when we have the magic of Photoshop?)
After that, Cormier says he’ll demand an immediate title shot against the winner of Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, which UFC President Dana White has implied he deserves. Cormier, who stays chubby all year round and had a near-death experience cutting weight as a wrestler before his second Olympic games in 2008, “is now confident he can easily make the weight cut,” according to MMA Fighting.
Also, if he beats Nelson, “Cormier said that after the fight he will publicly ask the UFC in the cage to “cut the line,” MMA Fighting reports.
Of course, all these well-laid plans can only mean one thing — Cormier is going to get smashed by Nelson. Sad, because we were picking D.C. before all this.
If Cormier somehow manages to survive the “looking past your current opponent” curse, do you think there’s a more deserving light heavyweight out there, nation? We can’t really think of a more compelling match up with champion Jon Jones at this point. All reasonable suggestions will be considered.
UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier on Wednesday addressed his verbal feud with Jon Jones one more time. If Cormier is to be believed, it will also be the last, at least until after his fight with Roy Nelson at UFC 166.