UFC 182 | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Following UFC 182, Donald Cerrone vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov the Fight to Make

Donald Cerrone is clearly on a tear within the Ultimate Fighting Championship. At UFC 182, he dominated Myles Jury to earn his sixth straight win, dating back to UFC 167 in 2013. With this win, Cerrone has entered a peculiar place where he’s a major draw within the division but just outside the place to demand a title shot. With that in mind, the UFC matchmakers should place him against Khabib Nurmagomedov, with the winner getting the next shot at the title.

Donald Cerrone is one of the most active athletes on the UFC’s roster. His fight on Saturday was his 16th fight since moving to the UFC in 2011. He has put together a very impressive 13-3 record during that run.

Unfortunately for Cerrone, two of those loses come to current lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and recently tapped Rafael dos Anjos, who will fight Pettis at UFC 185 in March (via Sherdog). With that fight being set up, Cerrone now has the opportunity to wait for Nurmagomedov or stay active, which he is prone to doing.

During the post-fight press conference, Cerrone mentioned that he would like to fight at the UFC event planned for Denver, Colorado on February 14.

“Denver, Colorado in a couple of weeks would be pretty cool,” Cerrone said during questioning (video via MMA Fighting).

Yet, from a rankings standpoint, the fight against Nurmagomedov makes the most MMA sense. Nurmagomedov is currently ranked No. 2 within the lightweight division, while Cerrone sits in the No. 4 spot. Gilbert Melendez recently competed for the title and was defeated, which would eliminate him as the only other man ranked above Cerrone to potentially face at this time.

The question is whether or not the UFC can convince “Cowboy” to wait on the sideline instead of trying to cash in more paydays. Nurmagomedov is currently out with a knee injury that he suffered back in June (via MMA Junkie). Recent reports have pushed his return back to February at the earliest (via MMA Fighting). That would mean that Cerrone would have to wait until potentially March or April for his next bout.

Nurmagomedov welcomed the idea of fighting Donald and took to Twitter to express the delight.

He even went further to suggest an exact event where the fight should occur.

Comparatively speaking, Cerrone versus Nurmagomedov would be a compelling stylistic fight. Cerrone has struggled in the past against men who can pressure him and score takedowns. His losses to Rafael dos Anjos and Benson Henderson can be used as examples as to how he has competed against men of a similar style. The question would be whether or not he can stay on his feet against Khabib‘s sambo and overwhelm him with his volume striking.

For Nurmagomedov, the tactics would be to take Cerrone down and control the contest. The status of the fight as a main or co-main event would play into this strategy, as it would be telling to see if Nurmagomedov can do it for 15 minutes as opposed to 25.

Cerrone would have the striking advantage, but Khabib‘s takedowns have been his main weapon since joining the UFC, and it should be expected for him to continue to lean on what has gotten him this far.

Donald Cerrone and Khabib Nurmagomedov are on a direct course to see who will eventually challenge for the lightweight title in 2015. The UFC should convince Cerrone to sit on the sideline for a few months and patiently wait for Nurmagomedov to return from injury.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones’s Continued ‘Heel Turn’ Will Only Increase His Drawing Power

Jon Jones continues to embrace the role of the heel. It will continue to pay off at the box office.
At UFC 182, the light heavyweight champion defended his crown against No. 2-ranked contender Daniel Cormier in an expert performance. He continues to es…

Jon Jones continues to embrace the role of the heel. It will continue to pay off at the box office.

At UFC 182, the light heavyweight champion defended his crown against No. 2-ranked contender Daniel Cormier in an expert performance. He continues to establish himself as one of the greatest of all time and has already cemented himself as the best light heavyweight ever.

With all of his physical skills, Jones has never reached the heights of other stars. There was some disconnect with the average UFC fan. In the lead-up to UFC 182, he played the role of the villain, fake or not, and it helped anchor this PPV as one of the hottest for the UFC in a long time.

In the closing seconds, Jones generated more heat with fans, and he closed out the show with a crotch chop directed toward Cormier. The post-fight interview did not do anything to help Jones come around to being a humble champion that fans could rally behind. But this is combat sports, and nice guys finish last.

Heels create the cash.

Mike Tyson’s antics raised his profile. Folks tuned in to his press conferences and fights just to see what he would do next. Floyd Mayweather is boxing’s current bad boy, and fans shell out for high-priced pay-per-views just to see him lose—something that has yet to happen.

In MMA, Anderson Silva struggled to reach a big number in PPV buys until Chael Sonnen came along playing the role of a professional wrestling heel. Sonnen‘s ability to cut promos helped generate a lot of interest in their two fights. Silva’s in-fight antics also rubbed many the wrong way.

To be a draw in combat sports, you have to be divisive. Jones has definitely developed into being just that. The light heavyweight champion of the world is loved by his fans and hated by everyone else. It is exactly what the UFC needs.

Jones’ in-cage abilities and status as one of the pound-for-pound best ever will keep fans coming back for more and more. His out-of-cage abilities to be a heel in all of his promo work will bring in more PPV buys, and Jones will soon become the UFC’s most bankable star in quite some time.

The UFC had a rough year in 2014, and the Jones-Cormier beef was exactly what they needed to kick off 2015 in the right direction.

Jones is the face of the UFC. His name is their best meal ticket.

The UFC may or may not have a rebound year in 2015 as a whole, but expect to see each of Jones’ fights to see big numbers. He is becoming the guy fans love to hate. He will need to continue to play the role of the heel and let his opposition create the angle that they could be “the one” to upend him.

Being the “good guy” in MMA rarely works, and even if you are a popular good guy, you need a foil to help you draw. Jones is embracing his new role as the heel, and it is great for the sport.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jones vs. Cormier: Breaking Down How Bones Pulled Off Big Win

It wasn’t enough for Jon “Bones” Jones to simply defeat his rival Daniel Cormier on Saturday at UFC 182. Jones had to make a statement with his win.
We all knew that Jones had a six-inch height advantage and 12-inch reach advantage over Cormier. …

It wasn’t enough for Jon “Bones” Jones to simply defeat his rival Daniel Cormier on Saturday at UFC 182. Jones had to make a statement with his win.

We all knew that Jones had a six-inch height advantage and 12-inch reach advantage over Cormier. Some expected that to be the key to Jones’ success. There were some parts of the fight where Jones did a great job controlling distance.

However, for the most part, the fight was fought in close quarters. One look at the numbers presented by Jason Floyd of The MMA Report shows how diverse and brilliant Jones was Saturday night.

A fight in a phone booth was exactly what Cormier wanted, but he still couldn’t get the job done. Why did he come up short?

It’s pretty simple, actually. Jones is a far better wrestler than most give him credit for, and he’s tough as nails.

The Grappling Game

Cormier is regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the UFC. Cormier could not take Jones down until the final round, and he wound up being taken down three times himself. Before Saturday night, Cormier had never been taken down as a professional.

The way Jones handled most of Cormier‘s takedown attempts has to be discouraging to potential opponents.

The champion’s stand-up game is brilliant. If one of the sport’s best wrestlers can’t get him off his feet until the final minute of a five-round bout, the prospects of beating him don’t look good.

Toughness

Once again, Jones proved he has a solid chin. Cormier landed some good shots on the champion, but he never wavered. What do you do with a guy who is so tough to hit square, and even if you do land, he has the beard to absorb the damage?

In a grinding battle with such a strong wrestler—who Jones happens to dislike—Bones kept his composure and effectively won the wrestling match. It’s hard to put into words how difficult that must have been.

Perhaps the scariest thing about Jones is that he’s as mentally strong as he is physically good.

Jones almost suffered a submission loss to Vitor Belfort only to submit the Brazilian legend later in the fight. He’s also stared down an elite fighter with similar length in Alexander Gustafsson and came out on top.

Per UFC on Fox, the winner of the Gustafsson vs. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson fight will get Jones next.

Both men had better be ready. It doesn’t look like the champion is slowing down or regressing any time soon.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones Reminds Us Why We Love and Loathe Him in Win over Daniel Cormier

For the last six months, they were the best of enemies, and on Saturday at UFC 182, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier proved to be pretty much perfect dance partners, too.
Jones got the last laugh—retaining his title and sending the 35-year-old Cormie…

For the last six months, they were the best of enemies, and on Saturday at UFC 182, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier proved to be pretty much perfect dance partners, too.

Jones got the last laugh—retaining his title and sending the 35-year-old Cormier spinning into uncertainty with a unanimous-decision win—but not before the challenger brought out the best (and worst) in the polarizing light heavyweight champion.

It was fitting that their intense personal feud ended with a fight as emotionally charged and layered as the bad blood itself. Also, that the two did not immediately kiss and make up afterward.

“The respect just wasn’t there,” Jones told Fox Sports 1’s Brian Stann, after the judges awarded him victory (49-46 x 3). “I don’t like Daniel Cormier. I don’t respect Daniel Cormier. I hope he’s somewhere crying right now.”

If this victory turns out to be the defining moment of Jones’ career, it will be because all facets of him were on display during the back-and-forth, 25-minute battle.

We saw clearly his greatness—his unique complement of size and athleticism, his creativity, his ability to adapt and to marshal his forces during the championship rounds. Simultaneously, we were reminded that the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet can still be childish, arrogant and utterly ruthless.

In the first round, it seemed like Jones’ imposing height and reach advantage would be enough, as he winged kicks and rangy punches at his more diminutive opponent. Even when Cormier managed to close the distance and score with strikes from the clinch, it felt like Jones was just waiting to uncork something spectacular.

Soon, however, the challenger started to find more success. Certainly Jones’ game plan was to keep Cormier at distance, but once the former Olympic wrestler proved capable of regularly bulling through his defenses during the second stanza, Jones had to find a different way.

By the final two periods, he’d largely taken over the clinch game, too, and an increasingly gassed Cormier had nowhere left to turn. He rarely succeeded in taking Jones down—and when he did, the champion popped right back to his feet.

Meanwhile, Jones racked up the first three takedowns ever scored on Cormier during his now 15-1 MMA career. He lashed the challenger with standing elbows inside and brought the hard-charging Cormier to a near standstill against the fence down the stretch.

This was that rare MMA fight that told as rich a story as an epic boxing match, and it was magnificent to watch. Make no mistake, a big part of the plot was Jones also appearing to finally embrace the role of villain.

He taunted Cormier, throwing up his hands in celebration before the final seconds of the fifth were quite gone, then punched the wrestler in the face when Cormier turned him loose. The challenger fired back just as the horn sounded, and referee Herb Dean nearly caught a blow while separating the fighters.

His victory secured, Jones strolled away, then turned back toward Cormier and gestured at his crotch like a 1990s pro wrestler.

Message received.

Later, when the ever-likable Cormier broke down during the post-fight press conference, Jones applauded his effort along with the rest, but mostly sat on stage looking like the cat that ate the canary.

“I’ve had to rebuild myself a number of times, like people can’t even imagine,” Cormier said as he fought back tears, via MMA Fighting.com’s Dave Doyle. “And, this is no different. This is not going to ruin me.”

Through it all, Jones inched ever closer to becoming the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Just maybe, an important part of that journey is finally marrying the great and terrible parts of his personality. If he someday becomes the mainstream crossover star he appeared destined to be years ago, we could look back on the Cormier fight as the catalyst.

If he’s dropped any pretense of pretending to be something he’s not, perhaps fans will finally go all-in on Jones, even if it’s in hopes of one day seeing him fall.

The Cormier feud was definitely a start. Their months-long beef enabled UFC 182 to recapture some of the spark the fight company had lost during a difficult 2014. The Jones-Cormier bout once again made UFC programming feel like an event, like necessary appointment viewing, regardless of the extra $5 the organization tagged onto the pay-per-view price.

Even though most of the rest of the main card fighters sleepwalked through a tepid four-fight lead-up, the main event proved as electric as ever.

Credit both guys with doing the yeoman’s work of even briefly waking the UFC from its long slumber.

Credit both with putting on a bout that may have wrapped up Fight of the Year honors during the first event of 2015.

Credit Jones with being the man to finally have Cormier‘s number. In the process, he once again reminded us all why he’s so very good.

And, sometimes, so very not.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Following UFC 182, Hector Lombard vs. Rory MacDonald the Fight to Make

Hector Lombard has three wins as a UFC welterweight and has already put himself into a place to be considered a top contender within the weight class. He took a decision victory over Josh Burkman at UFC 182 to continue his current run. With this win, it seems like he is on a direct course to face off against Rory MacDonald in a title eliminator in the near future.

Lombard currently sits ranked No. 6 among UFC welterweights. Matt Brown is coming off of a loss, while Tyron Woodley and MacDonald are the only two winners who are currently available above him. MacDonald was at one time pegged as the next man to fight for the welterweight title before having that position stripped from him in favor of a trilogy bout between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler (via MMA Junkie).

That availability would create the perfect opportunity to get Lombard and MacDonald together to determine a true contender. Lombard mentioned MacDonald by name during the post-fight press conference, and Dana White did not refute the potential matchup.

“Rory makes the most sense for me,” Lombard said. “He’s not going to fight for the title, so that makes sense.” To which White said, “I think he’s right. He could fight Tyron Woodley, Brown, Rory, any of those guys. We will see what happens” (video via MMA Fighting).

As mentioned, Brown is coming off of a loss, and the UFC tends to pair opponents based on their current performances, which could take him out of this equation. Woodley, who is a teammate of Lombard’s, has already been the topic of consideration as an opponent for Lombard. It was actually a major talking point within 2014 that the fight did not happen.

“Everybody wants the fight except Woodley,” said Dana White as reported by Damon Martin of Fox Sports. “He’s made it pretty clear he does not want to fight Hector Lombard.”

If Woodley is as adamant against the fight as White has stated, that leaves only MacDonald as the next opponent in line for the former Olympic Judoka. The UFC could book this bout to occur on the same card as the Hendricks-Lawler rematch to give the event some added security against injuries.

An early preview of a potential MacDonald versus Lombard fight raises some interesting questions. For example, MacDonald has been known to stifle opponents with a steady jab, which throws their game off. This is especially effective against aggressive fighters as it was against both Woodley and Jake Ellenberger. Lombard would have to find a way through this jab and inside if he was to deal with Rory’s ability to fight from range.

If Lombard was to get inside, would Rory be able to deal with Hector’s high-level judo? He’s been taken down before by men such as Demian Maia, and being under Lombard for an extended period of time would be detrimental in any view.

Both men have the ability to win this fight, which would make them a clear favorite to fight for the belt at some point in 2015.

The UFC should book Rory MacDonald against Hector Lombard to see which man will emerge as the next top contender for the 170-pound title. While they are not the most talkative of fighters, they are interesting athletes and dynamic fighters that are at the top of the division, at the right time to make this fight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier: What UFC 182 Results Mean for Card’s Top Fighters

The UFC featured two bouts with serious implications on the title picture in their respective divisions.
The first, of course, was literally for the belt. Daniel Cormier aimed to take Jon Jones’ strap in a bout that was among the most highly anti…

The UFC featured two bouts with serious implications on the title picture in their respective divisions.

The first, of course, was literally for the belt. Daniel Cormier aimed to take Jon Jones’ strap in a bout that was among the most highly anticipated in UFC history. The other featured two lightweight contenders who were looking to earn a shot at current 155-pound kingpin Anthony Pettis.

By the end of a long night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, two of those fighters made big statements. Two more walked away disappointed.

Here’s a look at what the results mean for each of the card’s top fighters.

Myles Jury: Not a Star Quite Yet

Myles Jury came into UFC 182 with the ability to make a huge statement. At 26 years old and coming off back-to-back wins over Diego Sanchez and Takanori Gomi, he had earned a shot at co-main eventing a card against the likes of Donald Cerrone.

It turned out he wasn’t ready to win that kind of fight, though.

Jury was outclassed by the 31-year-old wherever the fight went. Jury’s takedown was quickly nullified by Cerrone taking his back and working for submissions for the majority of the round. When Jury tried to make it a kickboxing bout in the second round, Cerrone won that too with vicious leg kicks.

The Cowboy finally got a takedown of his own in the third round. He converted his lone attempt to get the fight to the mat, according to FightMetric.

That would complete the domination trifecta as Cerrone cruised to a unanimous decision.

This doesn’t mean that Jury is a chump. His skills had spoken for themselves on the way to a 15-0 record. It simply means he isn’t ready for the big time quite yet. He’ll need to go back to the drawing board, earn a few victories and work on rounding out his game to be a real player in the lightweight division.

Donald Cerrone: Give the Man a Title Shot (or Whatever Fight He Wants)

You’d be hard-pressed to find too many people who weren’t impressed with Cowboy’s performance. But he would be one of them. UFC on Fox passed along his disappointment with the fight:

Unfortunately for the lightweight division, that means that the former WEC star is going to be looking to get back in the Octagon as soon as possible. He even asked UFC President Dana White about getting on a card in Denver that is set for Feb. 14:

Cerrone’s six-fight win streak includes an impressive enough litany to warrant a title shot as is. But that won’t stop Cowboy from adding to his list in order to stay active. Considering he fought four times in 2014, he isn’t the kind of fighter who is patient enough to sit around and wait for a title shot.

With another win possible in just a little more than a month, a title shot in 2015 shouldn’t be a surprise. It should be expected.

Daniel Cormier: Time for Some Soul-Searching

Everything Daniel Cormier did in his athletic career led up to his title shot at UFC 182. He understood that this was his chance to finally lay claim to being the best in the world at what he does.

“I’ve never been the best in the world at anything,” he told Jeremy Botter of Bleacher Report. “And this will probably be my last chance to do something and be the best in the world.”

Now, the question is, Can he do anything to work toward another shot? If so, does he have the ability to change the result?

Those are difficult questions to answer. At 35 years old, it’s going to take a sense of urgency.

Cormier had his successes in the bout. He was able to take a round on the scorecards and landed more significant strikes against Jones than anyone not named Alexander Gustafsson, per FightMetric.

Still, Jones was clearly the superior fighter, and Cormier acknowledged that, via MMAFighting:

It wouldn’t take much for Cormier to set up a rematch. Given the bad blood between these two and the lack of intriguing challengers outside of the winner of Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson, DC isn’t far from the top of the division.

A dominant win or two should do the trick. Can he really add anything to his game that would create a different result, though? At this point, it’s difficult to say that he could.

Jon Jones: On to the Next Challenge

There isn’t much left to say about Jones. The case for him as the greatest fighter of all time is already convincing. At this point he’s just protecting his legacy for the long term.

Any fighter who comes along in the future is going to have a hard time measuring up. At 27 years old he’s already dominated several former champions and can now add a former Olympian to his resume. What’s more, he continued his knack for beating challengers at their own game.

He didn’t just beat Cormier. He did it with clinch work and wrestling—the two places where DC theoretically had the advantage.

Now it’s on to the winner of a Jan. 24 bout between Gustafsson and Johnson. UFC on Fox reported that it will officially be the next match for Bones:

For Jones’ part, he’s hoping to see Johnson pull off the victory. He’s never fought the former welterweight and already owns a victory over the Swede:

It’s difficult to argue with a Gustafsson rematch being the more appealing option, though. The 6’5″ fighter can naturally negate Jones’ length and already gave him the toughest test of his career.

A rematch would be big business for the UFC and a chance for Jones to further cement his legacy. That’s a win-win for fans who either want to see the divisive champion continue building his reputation or finally taste defeat.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com