Before the actual fight takes place, see how virtual Daniel Cormier and virtual Anthony Johnson played out. The makers of EA Sports: UFC 2 ran the UFC 210 light heavyweight championship fight through the simulator, giving us an early look at the rematc…
Before the actual fight takes place, see how virtual Daniel Cormier and virtual Anthony Johnson played out. The makers of EA Sports: UFC 2 ran the UFC 210 light heavyweight championship fight through the simulator, giving us an early look at the rematch. Cormier won the first encounter via submission last year.
Jon Jones has responded to Daniel Cormier’s threats regarding “Bones” making an appearance following DC’s title fight rematch with Anthony “Rumble” Johnson on Saturday night. As acting light heavyweight champion, Cormier and former foe Jon Jones, who bested DC back at UFC 182 to retain Jones’ belt, certainly have no love lost between the two.
Jon Jones has responded to Daniel Cormier’s threats regarding “Bones” making an appearance following DC’s title fight rematch with Anthony “Rumble” Johnson on Saturday night.
As acting light heavyweight champion, Cormier and former foe Jon Jones, who bested DC back at UFC 182 to retain Jones’ belt, certainly have no love lost between the two.
Cormier went so far as to threaten Jones, saying:
“He better not come in my cage after I win. He’s not welcome in there,” Cormier said on Thursday. “He’s still suspended. When he’s eligible to fight then he can walk in the cage but if he dares to step into that Octagon, something bad will happen.”
Jones responded to Cormier on Friday and gave the idea of confronting DC in the cage some thought:
“I heard about it. I haven’t seen it for myself. I think he said something like if I came into the Octagon it won’t be pretty or something like that. I should just see what he meant by that,” Jones said. “Maybe go in there.”
“I heard about it. I haven’t seen it for myself. I think he said something like if I came into the Octagon it won’t be pretty or something like that. I should just see what he meant by that,” Jones said. “Maybe go in there.”
Jon Jones is ready to get back to work. The former UFC light heavyweight champion has been serving a one-year suspension after violating the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after being flagged prior to his scheduled title bout against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 last Summer. Jones was taken off from the card just two
The former UFC light heavyweight champion has been serving a one-year suspension after violating the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after being flagged prior to his scheduled title bout against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 last Summer. Jones was taken off from the card just two days out from the bout, and Cormier went on to defeat Anderson Silva in a non-title fight.
Cormier has since reigned as the 205-pound king, earning the title after Jones’ first run-in with adversity as he was stripped of his then-light heavyweight title and suspended indefinitely following a hit-and-run incident in which ‘Bones’ was at fault. He was scheduled to make his ninth title defense against Anthony Johnson, but was replaced by Cormier who went on to win the vacated title with a third round submission.
Now ‘DC’ is set to make his second title defense against Johnson tomorrow night (Sat. April 8, 2017) in the main event of the UFC 210 pay-per-view (PPV) from Buffalo, New York. With Jones’ suspension nearing its end the New York native will be in attendance to witness the fight cage-side, which will most likely determine his next opponent.
Jones spoke to the media today to discuss his time away from the Octagon and his expectations for tomorrow night. The Jackson-Wink product is ready to get back to work inside the cage and get his old life back, which he appreciates so much more now that its been taken away from him:
“The time off has been great, I think you don’t really appreciate what you have until you don’t have it anymore. I think this last year has given me a lot of time to realize how great my life was and how much I want it back.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with my family and training. Doing a whole bunch of jiu-jitsu and wrestling. If feel great, I feel well preserved, well rested, and I’m ready to get back to kicking ass.”
When asked if he expects to take on the winner of tomorrow night’s title bout, Jones says he has no expectations for who he’ll fight next and has yet to speak with the UFC regarding the matter:
“I have no expectations right now, I haven’t really spoken to the UFC about any possible fights or match-ups. I’m just doing my part by remaining ready to go.”
Earlier this week during a media scrum champion Daniel Cormier offered a warning to Jones, saying that if he dared to step into his Octagon after his fight with ‘Rumble’ tomorrow – it won’t be pretty. Jones caught wind of this and pondered the idea of going into the cage after the bout just to see if the former Olympian is a man of his word, but he’ll let Cormier have his moment:
“I heard about it, I haven’t seen it for myself. I think he said something like if I come into the Octagon it won’t be pretty or something like that. I should just see what he meant by that and maybe go in there. But no I have no intention of going in there and harassing the guy. I want him to enjoy his moment, his last moments with the belt.”
Earlier this morning during the official weigh-ins for tomorrow’s show there was much controversy surrounding Cormier’s weight. At first the champion weighed in just over 206 pounds, one pound over the 205-pound weight limit.
Nearly three minutes later Cormier returned and made weight at 205 pounds, but it seemed as though he was leaning against the towel that was being used to cover him up to toggle with the scale’s reading. Jones called this action ‘one of the dirtiest things’ he’s seen in sports:
“Yeah man that was absolutely nuts. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I mean I watched the guy, if you focus on his hands you can see him looking down and balancing out his weight just right to make 205. What a clever trick, very dishonest of him. The crazy thing is that it was allowed to happen.
“I would imagine that there’s some kind of commission to go back and see this blatant foul play and address it. Nobody has addressed it, they just completely gotten away with doing one of the dirtiest things I’ve seen in sports.”
Cormier also recently stated that Jones shouldn’t be coming out to the public eye until his suspension is officially over. While he may assume that Jones is after his spotlight this weekend, ‘Bones’ stated that couldn’t be farther from the truth as he’s just in Buffalo to watch a good fight:
“Stupidest sh*t I’ve ever heard. I haven’t been out, I haven’t been to a UFC event throughout my whole suspension. I barely Tweet or Facebook or anything on social media. He’s saying okay now you’ve finally come out, you should be hiding from people. I haven’t been hiding from people, I’ve been living my life. Instead of being a professional athlete I’ve been being a father, fiancee, living my own private life.
“You just want me to hide forever? It’s some of the dumbest sh*t that I’ve ever heard really. I think he’s just upset I’m here and stealing some of his spotlight, but that wasn’t my intention. My intention was to come here and watch two guys that are going to be fighting. But yeah he hates me. He hates me and that’s safe to say. I annoy him a lot and it definitely works to my advantage to be in this guy’s head.”
To end his press conference Jones put the entire 205-pound division on notice by reminding them that he’s still the youngest fighter in the top 10, and that should be a scary thought for them:
“I’m still the youngest guy in the division that’s in the top 10 – and that should be a scary thought for a lot of these guys, how preserved I am, and how hungry and rejuvenated I am.”
The light heavyweight championship rematch between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson may have nearly been called off when “DC” came in overweight at today’s early weigh-ins, but somehow the champ miraculously lost 1.2 pounds in less than two-and-a-half minutes to make the fight official this morning. With that controversy out of the way, the two
The light heavyweight championship rematch between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson may have nearly been called off when “DC” came in overweight at today’s early weigh-ins, but somehow the champ miraculously lost 1.2 pounds in less than two-and-a-half minutes to make the fight official this morning.
With that controversy out of the way, the two elite fighters met up for an intense faceoff at this afternoon’s UFC 210 ceremonial weigh-ins. While the bout has been preceded by a decent amount of trash talk from Cormier that “Rumble” has largely shrugged off in an effort to let his fists do the talking, this staredown captured the intense emotion of the pivotal clash. Check it out courtesy of the UFC here:
Daniel Cormier makes his return to the octagon at UFC 210 against a pretty familiar face. Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson is no stranger to the UFC champion which means this rematch can take on a very interesting pace. It’s always interesting to see how two fighters have evolved since fighting once before. It’s a tough match to call with a number of different variables to keep in mind. Will it be the suffocating wrestling and grittiness of the champion or the powerful strikes of the challenger? Let’s analyze this ish.
Daniel Cormier makes his return to the octagon at UFC 210 against a pretty familiar face. Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson is no stranger to the UFC champion which means this rematch can take on a very interesting pace. It’s always interesting to see how two fighters have evolved since fighting once before. It’s a tough match to call with a number of different variables to keep in mind. Will it be the suffocating wrestling and grittiness of the champion or the powerful strikes of the challenger? Let’s analyze this ish.
Now, Anthony Johnson did get off some good strikes against Cormier in their first bout. Johnson hits pretty damn hard so Cormier adopted a very controlled and balanced strategy. It turns out all that was good for was prolonging the inevitable ‘Rumble’ rush that saw Johnson land a clubbing overhand right that floored Cormier. The problem for Johnson was that Cormier recovered. Things devolved into a dog fight with plenty of clinching and wrestling and eventually Johnson fell prey to a rear naked choke.
There’s no shame in Johnson’s game however. He still has power in his punches and kicks and he was able to land some nice strikes on Cormier’s chin. The problem with ‘Rumble’ is that he’s always felt comfortable at closing the show early with one powerful strike, that and his overly aggressive forward pressure. What he’ll need to do differently in this match is pace himself. He should be no means be lathargic with his pacing as the champ will pressure in and use it to his advantage. Instead, Johnson should look to flick a jab or two into Cormier’s face, occasionally throwing his right sparingly. The idea is to get Cormier to duck in for a takedown where a powerful uppercut will greet him from a powerful Johnson. If he does get his man hurt, the challenger should definitely pick his shots. He has the power so it makes no sense to dive in with a barrage of punches if you’re not absolutely sure you’re going to close the show.
On the flip side, Daniel Cormier should look to push for a fast start. While Johnson is in some good shape, he can wilt if the pressure is poured on and that’s exactly what Cormier should keep in mind. The first time the champion was cautious of Johnson’s power and because of that we didn’t see him open up with his gritty clinch game and dirty boxing until he secured a takedown first.
Wrestling is Cormier’s comfort zone, but he can’t rely totally on that. He should engage Johnson on the feet even despite the threat of the knock out. But he can’t be stupid and rush Johnson out of the gate. It has to be a measured approach. He has to be either all the way in or all the way out. Hanging out in the middle distance with Johnson could spell doom for the champion. Instead he should employ his usual jab, mix in a front or low kick and pounce. Johnson will likely be looking to defend takedowns with lateral movement and a sprawl. Kicking low will get Johsnon to stop in place for the slightest moment which will open up the opportunity for Cormier to close the distance with a punch and transition to either the clinch for some dirty boxing or a straight wrasslin’ fest.
Ultimately, like I believe with most fights, it comes down to who can control the distance better than their opponent. If Cormier can close distance and avoid the bombs from bashing in his head, he will ultimately control the clinch positions and ultimately the fight. If Johnson can keep Cormier guessing and force the champion to move backwards or forwards based on his own pace, it’s likely that ‘Rumble’ will secure a devastating KO.
Will we see a new champion at UFC 210 or will the champion stand his ground?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
Pearl Gonzalez is back on UFC 210. New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) officials had removed the debuting strawweight Gonzalez from her main card bout opposite Cynthia Calvillo at tomorrow night’s (April 8, 2017) UFC 210 from Buffalo because she has breast implants, but The Fight Network’s John Pollock was recently provided a statement by the commission
New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) officials had removed the debuting strawweight Gonzalez from her main card bout opposite Cynthia Calvillo at tomorrow night’s (April 8, 2017) UFC 210 from Buffalo because she has breast implants, but The Fight Network’s John Pollock was recently provided a statement by the commission clarifying that Gonzalez had been allowed back on after further considerations:
It’s a somewhat surprising breath of fresh air for a card that badly needs it after the light heavyweight championship main event was nearly axed from the pay-per-view (PPV) after 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier nearly missed weight only to return in a matter of two minutes to weigh in right at the divisional title limit.
As for Gonzalez, the overarching opinion in the mixed martial arts community was that her removal was an extremely short-sighted one, especially considering she had been allowed to take part in all pre-fight media events, had passed all medicals, and had even weighed in at the strawweight non-title fight limit of 116 pounds.
Add that to the fact that women like Miesha Tate had already fought an MMA bout in the state while having breast implants, and there was really no legit reason to prevent Gonzalez from making her UFC debut.
So Gonzalez has thankfully gotten past the NYSAC’s holdups. Now all she has to do is deal with touted prospect Calvillo tomorrow night.
When asked if he expects to take on the winner of tomorrow night’s title bout, Jones says he has no expectations for who he’ll fight next and has yet to speak with the UFC regarding the matter:
