jon jones

UFC: Anthony “Rumble” Johnson returning to light heavyweight

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Anthony Rumble Johnson

The state of the UFC‘s light heavyweight division is extremely fluid at the moment. Today, Jon Jones announced that he will be vacating the light heavyweight title.

Also, it was announced that the UFC is planning on having Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz fight at UFC 253 which will likely be for the title although not confirmed.

If that wasn’t enough news in the light heavyweight division, arguably the most terrifying knockout artist in the history of the division will be making his return.

Rumble back in the UFC

It has long been known that Anthony “Rumble” Johnson would be making his UFC return at some point. We just really didn’t know when that return would happen. We also didn’t know which weight class Rumble would be fighting in.

As Brett Okamoto reported, Rumble will be going back down to light heavyweight. The same division that saw Rumble make two runs to a title shot only to be stopped by Daniel Cormier twice.

The second loss to Cormier came at UFC 210 back in 2017. That night, Rumble announced that he would be stepping away from fighting. He was emotional in announcing his retirement.

Outside of his two losses to Cormier, Johnson went 6-0 in the light heavyweight division with five first round knockouts. Those knockouts came over guys like Glover Teixeira, Alexander Gustafsson, and current two division Bellator champion, Ryan Bader.

It will be very interesting to see how quickly the UFC decides to push Rumble. Will he get a crack at the title right away or will they give him a top contender like a Jiri Prochazka in his first fight back?

It will be interesting to see this whole thing unfold. Rumble will have to be in the USADA pool for six months before he can return to the octagon. With that, expect to see Rumble back in the first part of 2021.

 

BREAKING: UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, vacates title

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UFC, Jon Jones

Earlier today, it was announced that the UFC was planning to have Dominick Reyes face Jan Blachowicz on September 26th. Many were wondering what that meant for the light heavyweight title.

Last week, Dana White said that the UFC would be having a light heavyweight title fight before the year was over. However, he didn’t say what that meant for Jon Jones. He said they were waiting to hear back. Well, the man himself just gave us our answer.

Bones going for the UFC’s heavyweight title?

It’s been clear for some time that Jon Jones was wanting to move up to the heavyweight division. There is really not a lot left for him to accomplish at 205 pounds. The only thing there would be the rematch with Dominick Reyes after many thought he lost to Reyes earlier this year.

However, the UFC‘s light heavyweight king seems to be ready to move on. I don’t believe he’s done because as of two days ago, Jones was very active on Twitter discussing his desire to compete for the heavyweight title. He made it clear that he wanted to fight Stipe Miocic after UFC 252.

Where do we go from here?

That is a very interesting question. White said in the post-fight press conference that Francis Ngannou was definitely next for the title. So does Francis still get the shot with Jones more than likely moving up?

That is a question that only the UFC knows the answer to. Obviously, there is no one more deserving of a heavyweight title shot than Ngannou. However, can the UFC turn down the opportunity to have the GOAT fight the heavyweight GOAT? Time will tell on this one.

UFC: Dominick Reyes – Jan Blachowicz targeted for September 26th

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Dominick Reyes

The UFC is finalizing a massive matchup in the light heavyweight division. Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Dominick Reyes (12-1) will be taking on Jan Blachowicz (26-8) on September 26th.

Dana White said last week that the promotion was waiting to hear back from Jon Jones on what was next for him. White confirmed that there would be a UFC light heavyweight title fight before the year was over. The details of the Reyes/Blachowicz fight is still being worked out.

UFC interim champion or title eliminator?

This is such a big fight because it pairs the top two contenders in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Earlier this year at UFC 247, Dominick Reyes fought Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title.

Reyes put on the performance of a lifetime and many believed that he was going to walk out the new champion. In fact, the majority of the media who scored the fight had the fight for Reyes. In the end, the three judges were unanimous in giving the fight to Jones.

Despite the outpouring of interest in the rematch, Jones seemed to want to move on. He set his eyes on the Polish Express. Blachowicz shocked everyone when he knocked out top contender Corey Anderson just one week after Jones fought Reyes.

With the knockout win, Blachowicz made his case to be the top contender. Jones nodded in approval as Blachowicz shouted at him from the cage after the victory. The UFC had two top contenders on their hands with interesting storylines around them both.

Of course, Jones then expressed his interest in moving up to heavyweight. He suggested that Blachowicz fight Reyes for the title when he was going through his contract dispute with the UFC.

While we certainly don’t know the circumstances just yet, we know that is exactly what’s going to happen. The winner of this fight will either be an interim champion or the winner will be earning the right to fight the UFC‘s light heavyweight champion in the next few months.

UFC: How will we remember Daniel Cormier’s career?

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Daniel Cormier

Last Saturday evening at UFC 252, we saw the end to the career of the great Daniel Cormier (22-3, 1 NC). Cormier fell short in his attempt to regain the heavyweight crown against Stipe Miocic (20-3).

Cormier once said that his goal was to retire at 40 years old. However, what turned out to be a trilogy with Miocic, kept Cormier fighting well into his 41st year. Now, Cormier walks away from the UFC.

DC was emotional in his interview with Joe Rogan after the fight when speaking about retirement. You could tell the emotions were heavy after falling short to Miocic once again.

One of the UFC’s all time greats

Make no mistake about it, Daniel Cormier is one of the best fighters of all time. There is no debate. Cormier was just the second man in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously with the other being the great Conor McGregor.

DC is also part of the greatest rivalry the sport has ever seen with the GOAT, Jon Jones. The Jones – Cormier rivalry is something that all fans dream about. A personal rivalry between two of the very best in the world.

The two men hated each other and even fought outside the cage at a press conference. DC fought Jones twice and came up short both times. While Cormier was the light heavyweight champion when Jones was serving suspensions, there was always an asterisks by his name.

People recognized him as the champion, but there was always the thought that the only reason he was is because Jones was out. Because of that, Cormier didn’t get the respect a defending champion normally does. Cormier beat all the top contenders at 205, but because of his losses to Jones, he didn’t get the respect he deserved.

All of those comments went away at UFC 226. Cormier moved up to become the first light heavyweight champion to challenge the heavyweight champion. Cormier shocked the world by knocking out the most decorated UFC heavyweight champion in history in the first round.

With one right hand, Cormier got all the validation that he needed. DC went on to defend the heavyweight title against Derrick Lewis at UFC 230. Following that win, Cormier would drop his next two fights, both to Stipe Miocic.

In another point in time, there might not have been a man alive that could have touched Daniel Cormier. Unfortunately for him, he competed at the same time as the greatest fighter of all time, Jones, and the greatest heavyweight of all time, Miocic.

Four (Technically) losses to two men. But those two men are all time greats. At the end of the day, DC is truly one of the best we’ve ever seen. A no doubt hall of famer, and I hope that he’s remembered in that light as opposed to being remembered as someone who came up short to Jones and Miocic.

Three fights to make after UFC 252

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UFC, Dana White

Last night we saw the end to perhaps the greatest trilogy in the history of MMA. Stipe Miocic (20-3) cemented himself as the GOAT at UFC 252 with his win over Daniel Cormier (22-3, 1 NC).

We also saw Suga Sean O’Malley (12-1) suffer his first career loss at the hands of Marlon “Chito” Vera (16-6, 1 NC). However, that fight has a massive asterisks by it due to the way that the fight was finished.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (11-1) was also able to right the ship against Junior Dos Santos (21-8) last night. With all the action and storylines, lets take a look at the three matchups the UFC should make after UFC 252.

Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou for the UFC heavyweight crown

Immediately after Miocic won last night, people were trying to figure out what would be next for the UFC heavyweight champion. Jon Jones sent out some tweets indicating he wanted a shot at Miocic. However, Dana White made it very clear what’s next.

The next UFC title shot is going to belong to Francis Ngannou (15-3). The Predator has been patiently waiting for his next shot at the gold. Ngannou did lose in his first attempt against Miocic, but that fight was almost three years ago.

Ngannou had rough back-to-back fights against Miocic and Derrick Lewis. However, since the Lewis loss, there has not been a more terrifying human in the UFC than Francis Ngannou. Ngannou has knocked out Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a combined two minutes and forty two seconds.

It was very refreshing to hear White be very clear about Ngannou getting the next shot at the UFC title. I believe that Jones needs to fight at light heavyweight one or two more times before his inevitable move up to heavyweight.

The rematch between Miocic and Ngannou is so fascinating. Miocic is the UFC‘s heavyweight GOAT, but Ngannou is so much better than he was a few years ago. It’s a massively dangerous fight for the heavyweight champion. Expect this fight by the end of the year or perhaps the first fight of 2021.

Chito Vera vs Sean O’Malley

Chito Vera and Suga Sean O’Malley were on their way to having a very fun fight last night until O’Malley hurt his ankle in the first round. A clearly compromised O’Malley crumbled to the mat and was finished off by Vera.

If you judge Chito’s post-fight interview, you would have think he completely outclassed and dominated the fight which was far from the case. In fact, Vera was getting touched up early and often.

O’Malley had Chito biting on nearly every feint that he was throwing. Also, Vera was hurt by multiple hard kicks early on. It looked like a technical display was coming from the Suga Show prior to the injury.

To me, it only makes sense to run this fight back. I think there needs to be a legitimate winner and I’m sorry to Chito, but you can’t claim that fight as a legit victory. He TKO’d a guy who couldn’t stand. Running this fight makes the most sense for the UFC and both fighters.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Winner of Alistair Overeem/Augusto Sakai

Rozenstruik was able to get some confidence back last night after he knocked out the former UFC heavyweight champion, Junior Dos Santos. Bigi Boy was looking to bounce back after getting knocked out in 20 seconds by Francis Ngannou.

Thinking about what the UFC could do with Rozenstruik, I’m thinking a matchup between the winner of the Alistair Overeem – Augusto Sakai fight makes a lot of sense.

If Sakai is able to win, he will inch closer to the top five in the heavyweight division. He would have also won seven consecutive fights including five in the UFC. A fight between Sakai and Rozenstruik could put both men a fight away from the title.

Then of course there is Alistair Overeem. Overeem and Rozenstruik have history together. They headlined a Fight Night back in December. Overeem was clearly winning the fight and was just seconds away from securing a decision victory.

However, a massive left hook knocked Overeem out in the final seconds of the fifth round. Rozenstruik showed that he’s dangerous until the final bell. Given the nature of that contest, I would love to see a rematch. Those potential matchups makes sense considering everyone else in the top four will likely be paired up.

UFC’s Jon Jones: “Soon, I’ll be considered the baddest man on the planet”

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UFC, Jon Jones

At UFC 252, we saw Stipe Miocic (20-3) cement his legacy as the greatest heavyweight in history with his second victory over Daniel Cormier (22-3, 1 NC). However, moments after the fight ended, perhaps the greatest fighter of all time was calling him out.

UFC Champion vs Champion?

The current UFC light heavyweight champion has long been considered the greatest fighter of all time. Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC) has also been teasing a move to heavyweight for a long time. Earlier this year, a contract dispute broke out after he tried to fight Francis Ngannou.

It’s clear that Jones is wanting a big fight that motivates him. There would be no motivation needed if he were to fight the greatest heavyweight in UFC history in Stipe Miocic.

Miocic just came off of a grueling win over Cormier. It was an absolute battle, but Miocic proved how tough and how good he is in the conclusion of their trilogy. Stipe has only lost one fight in five years and that was the first fight to Cormier.

Outside of that, the champion has been dominant. We don’t know what is next for the champ. There were rumors of retirement, but Miocic put those to bed this week. Francis Ngannou (15-3) is waiting and wants his rematch. Ngannou deserves to be next.

However, a fight with Jones and Miocic would be massive for the UFC. The greatest heavyweight of all time going against the greatest fighter of all time sells itself. I’m not sure what the promotion does with either guy next, but it’s clear that Jones is wanting to move up sooner rather than later.

Despite rumors, Stipe Miocic not planning on retiring after UFC 252

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MMA, Stipe Miocic

Tomorrow night, Stipe Miocic (19-3) will defending his heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier (22-2, 1 NC). The trilogy fight at UFC 252 will settle the debate on who is the greatest heavyweight in the promotion’s history.

While Cormier has said that tomorrow night will be his last fight, there have been rumors about Miocic. Stipe will turn 38 years old just days after UFC 252. Many have speculated that he could ride off into the sunset with a victory tomorrow night.

If you look at Miocic’s career, there wouldn’t be much left for him to prove if he beats Cormier again. However, Miocic made it clear at the pre-fight press conference that win or lose, he’s not planning on walking away yet.

What would be next in the UFC?

“I think about retirement. But I love what I do. The moment that it starts to feel like a job, I’m out. But right now I’m good and I’m happy,” Miocic told the media.

The next fight in the UFC‘s heavyweight division is very clear. Assuming Miocic sticks to his word that win or lose he’s not retiring, the next title fight should already be setup regardless of tomorrow’s outcome.

The clear number one contender in the heavyweight division is Francis Ngannou (15-3). The Predator has knocked out four straight opponents in a combined time of 2:42. Miocic has already fought and defeated Ngannou once.

A rematch between the two men would be highly anticipated. Ngannou looks to be a completely different fighter than he was before their first fight. Miocic humbled him extremely which has fueled a fire within Ngannou.

Another big fight out there for Miocic would be the showdown with Jon Jones. Jones’ career is in limbo right now while he continues to try to work things out with the UFC. Dana White said he is waiting to hear back, but Jones might be fighting before the end of 2020.

If Miocic wins at UFC 252, the move should be the Ngannou rematch. If he wins that, there should only be one fight left for him. A massive showdown against Jon Jones.

If Miocic can go out by beating Cormier and Ngannou both a second time then going on to defeat Jon Jones, he would have an argument as the GOAT. What we do know is that the heavyweight champion isn’t planning on walking away just yet.

UFC will have a light heavyweight title fight before 2020 is over per Dana White

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UFC, Jon Jones

For the last few months, the UFC‘s light heavyweight division has been in a state of limbo. The current champion and pound-for-pound top fighter in the world, Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC) has been in a dispute with the UFC.

The dispute had to deal with fighter pay. Jones expressed interesting in moving up in weight to fight Francis Ngannou in a super fight, but he wanted a little more money. The UFC said no, and then the public dispute started.

There was a ton of back and forth where people were being called liars. Jones even called for his UFC release due to the talks. Many were left wondering if the UFC would release Jones or at least strip him of his title.

Earlier this week, Dana White said that the promotion had no plans on stripping Jones anytime soon. Recently he also said the promotion would work things out with Jones. He shed a little more light on that with an interview with ESPN.

The UFC’s GOAT returning in 2020?

“We’re making moves on that (the light heavyweight division)… We’re actually waiting to hear back from Jon Jones right now,” White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

White was later interviewed by The Schmo where he was asked about Jones’ future at light heavyweight. “If he stays at light heavyweight, he’s got to fight Reyes again. You have to see that fight again,” White told The Schmo.

It’s very clear what the UFC‘s plan is if Jon Jones returns to the division he’s reigned over for so long. It appears that the promotion will try to make the rematch with Dominick Reyes (12-1) happen.

The two men fought at UFC 247 back in February and the fight was razor close. Many people didn’t think Jones won the fight. In fact, 14 of 21 journalists scoring the fight, had the fight for Dominick Reyes.

The big question will be if Jones returns to light heavyweight. Maybe Jones just wants to be done with the division. There are plenty of options for him at heavyweight whether it be a fight with Ngannou or a potential fight with Stipe Miocic.

If Jones were to vacate the light heavyweight title, Reyes would be fighting for the vacant title. Reyes would likely take on Jan Blachowicz (26-8) if there were to be a vacant title fight.

Either way, we should see the light heavyweight title contested in the UFC before the end of the year. My guess is that we will see Jon Jones make his return to light heavyweight. I think it’ll be another year before we see a potential move to heavyweight. There’s always that Israel Adesanya fight that’s potentially just a year away at 205.

Francis Ngannou is waiting as UFC 252 draws closer

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Francis Ngannou

This Saturday night at UFC 252, perhaps the greatest trilogy in the promotions history comes to a head. Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier will go to battle for the third time. Both men have knocked the other out in the previous battles.

The fight has been characterized by Dana White as the fight to settle who is the greatest heavyweight in UFC history. While both men battle for that distinction, the most intimidating heavyweight in UFC history is patiently waiting in the wings.

The UFC’s Predator awaits his chance

In terms of resume, Cormier and Miocic are head and shoulders above the pack when it comes to being the best heavyweight. However, when it comes to intimidation, nobody is more terrifying than Francis Ngannou (15-3).

When Ngannou fights, it’s like watching a prime Mike Tyson. Everyone is on the edge of their seat with their eyes glued open. Don’t blink because he might remove someone from consciousness in that one blink.

Don’t believe me, ask former UFC heavyweight champions Junior Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez and Andrei Arlovski. Or ask top UFC contenders Curtis Blaydes, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Alistair Overeem.

Incredible list of opponents right? Even more impressive when you consider the fact that Ngannou knocked all six of those men out in the first round. Not a single one of those UFC contests went past two minutes.

That is incredibly terrifying to think about. Now, Ngannou is not perfect as we saw in his fights with Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis. He dropped both of those by decision. I’m giving him a break on the Lewis fight because he just looked defeated after the Miocic fight.

Ngannou has never been better

Ngannou is even more dangerous now than ever before because he realizes his vulnerability. He realizes there is danger in fighting and a fighter who understands danger can become even more dangerous.

Ngannou is on a stretch right now where he’s 4-0 with four first round knockouts. Those fights have gone a combined 2:42. The Predator is the clear number one contender in the UFC‘s heavyweight division.

No matter what the result is on Saturday, the next title shot should belong to Francis Ngannou. Whether Ngannou fights Miocic again or he fights Jon Jones or Derrick Lewis for the vacant championship after the winner retires. Regardless of who, The Predator is ready for his next shot at UFC gold.

 

UFC: Per Dana White, Jon Jones isn’t being stripped of his title anytime soon

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UFC, Jon Jones

One of the biggest stars in the UFC has been very vocal about his thoughts on fighter pay since the promotion kicked things off back in May.

The light heavyweight champion and current pound-for-pound number one fighter, Jon Jones, has been in a public spat with the promotion. Jones has said that he would sit out as long as it took to get paid what he wants.

With that line of thinking, many have wondered if this would prompt the UFC to strip Jon Jones of his title. However, Dana White said in an interview with Barstool that the promotion is not planning on that.

“The last time he said ‘I’m not fighting,’ he’s not fighting, so we’re feeling this thing out. When it’s time for him to fight, we’ll see,” White told Barstool. When asked about stripping him, White replied, “Not as of yet, no.”

The UFC & Jones current position

It is a very delicate situation between Jones and the UFC. Jones was very active staring in December of 2019. After all of the suspensions and issues, Jones fought and won four times over the course of 14 months.

After Francis Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249, Jones and Ngannou started angling for a fight. Generalities were spoken in terms of financial figures, and the UFC had no interest in bumping Jones’ pay.

White came out and said that Jones was requesting Deontay Wilder money to fight Ngannou. This is a claim that Jones quickly refuted.

All of this drama between Jones and White came back in late May/early June. Since then, it’s been very quiet on this front. White did say he believes that they will resolve the issue.

The UFC has been cranking out cards, and I believe that they have the rest of the year figured out. The rest of 2020 may not included Jones or Conor McGregor. White guaranteed McGregor wouldn’t fight and it doesn’t appear as if Jones will fight either.

Time will tell what’s going to happen in this situation. I still believe that they will get this resolved in the end. Not sure if Jones will return to the light heavyweight division or if he’ll move up, but rest assured, Jon Jones will fight again in the UFC someday.