Prior to each UFC fight card, Jay Primetown takes a look at some of the key contests at each event. In the latest installment, we look at UFC 214’s blockbuster main event as Jon Jones returns to the Octagon to face Daniel Cormier in a bitter grudge match for the light heavyweight championship.
Daniel Cormier (Record: 19-1, +235 Underdog, Power Ranking: A+)
The 38-year-old Olympic wrestler turned MMA fighter has become one of the best light heavyweights of all-time. Of his 20 bouts, the only time he saw defeat was to Jones in the first meeting. Since that setback in 2015, Cormier has won four straight bouts, with victories over Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Johnson (2x), and Anderson Silva.
Being undersized has never been an issue for Cormier in MMA. He really made a name for himself in Strikeforce, beating the likes of Josh Barnett and Antonio Silva to be the final heavyweight champion in the organization before it was acquired by the UFC. Once in the UFC, Cormier quickly transitioned to light heavyweight and has become a Hall of Fame-caliber fighter. Despite being under six feet tall with just a 72.5-inch reach, Cormier has rarely had an issue with opponents even giving up to a foot in reach and six inches in height. Statistically, Cormier is very strong. He lands 3.78 significant strikes per minute despite absorbing only 2.07. He secures nearly two takedowns per 15 minutes in the cage with an impressive 42 percent success rate on takedowns. Cormier has very good footwork for the weight class and does well to close distance and force opponents to fight him at close range. He doesn’t have the knockout power to put quality opponents away early, but he has a very good chin, forcing opponents into a physical, energy draining bout. He’s proven to be one of the most difficult fighters to deal with in a cage over 25 minutes.
Jon Jones (Record: 22-1, -255 Favorite, Power Ranking: A++)
The 30-year-old Endicott, NY native is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time. In 23 fights, his hand has been raised in all but one of those matches. The lone time it wasn’t raised was due to a disqualification in a fight he was winning decisively. Jones returns to action for the first time since an April 2016 decision win over Ovince Saint Preux, This fight will truly clean out any relevant contenders in his weight class.
The Jackson’s MMA product is the top fighter in the world for many reasons. To start, physically he’s very gifted in that his 84.5-inch reach is right near the top of the sport. Jones uses his length very well. He lands a whopping 2.25 significant strikes a minute more than he absorbs. That puts him right near the top of the UFC in that category as well. He combines that with 94 percent takedown defense. Jones is difficult to hit and difficult to take to the mat. He combines that defensive prowess with a creative striking game using a lot of unorthodox kicks. On the ground, Jones has as brutal of ground-and-pound as anyone in MMA. He delivers vicious elbows in top control and is capable of finishing in any fight from that position. Jones has spent a lot of time on the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu mats in his time away from MMA, and it’s certainly possible he incorporates a significant submission grappling focus to his MMA prowess.
Matchup
In the most anticipated MMA bout of 2017, former champion Jones returns to reclaim his light heavyweight championship against current champ Cormier. In their first bout, the fight was fairly even after two rounds, but Jones’ body work really started to pay dividends in the third round, as he really began to out-land Cormier to win a decision. Furthermore, Jones even out-grappled Cormier, securing three takedowns compared to the one that his opponent had in the bout. I expect this bout to be similar to the first. The long layoff for Jones plays into the hands of Cormier, who should come out strong in this fight. Expect Jones to begin to pick it up towards the end of the first round and then really start to get the better of the aging Cormier. Jones comes into this fight motivated to prove to all that he truly is the best in the world. This is an opportunity for him to stake his claim historically as the sport’s best fighter. Nobody makes adjustments from fight to fight like Jones does. Jones comes in with the confidence that he’s already soundly beaten Cormier, and he knows he can do so again. Look for Jones to use his length to land to the body and then to even work in a couple takedowns. Jones has been working hard on his BJJ, and it wouldn’t surprise me at if he threatens with submissions. Either way, Jones will win this fight and reclaim the championship. A safe bet on this bout is Jones Scorecards No Action (-195). Jones has rarely been in trouble in the Octagon and is the far more likely fighter to finish. Jones ML (-255) is worth parlaying up to -300.
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