It’s nearly as if the American justice system has a sense of humour.
Advertisement
The former champion has been out since an April incident in Albuquerque in which he allegedly ran a red light, struck a vehicle operated by a pregnant woman, and then allegedly fled the scene.
Just like the Evans-Bader bout, this is another one where regardless of the outcome, we’re going to know a hell of a lot more about one of the participants once the dust settles.
“Like the whole Cormier situation, I let everything go, and I just focused on Rashad”, Bader said.
“It’s amusing that it worked out (with the plea deal being reached on fight week), but oh well, I’m a competitor”.
“He should know one thing: I would never get into the cage looking fat”, Evans said.
If this had occurred as “DC” was climbing the ranks and while Gustafsson was still fresh off his instant classic with Jon Jones, this would have been a fight that lit up social media with anticipation.
The former light-heavyweight champion has been on the sidelines since his first round defeat of Chael Sonnen in November 2013 after two knee operations.
Both Hendricks and Woodley possess big power in their hands; however, they also rely heavily on their wrestling, which makes this a tough fight to call. I’ve got new goals.
Cormier’s striking game has come a long way over the year, but he is still not on Gustafsson’s level on the feet. We know he’s coming back at a few point, it’s just a matter of when.
Most assumed Evans, who’s on a two-fight streak, was bound to return as soon as he was healthy. In front of the second-largest crowd in UFC history, “Rumble” bombed on the local favourite, finishing Gustafsson in the first round and leaving him considering retirement.
Heading into the Cormier fight, though, the story is a bit different.
The reality is, unless Jones returns to the UFC, there’ll be an asterisk beside the name of whoever is the champ for quite sometime.
Say what you will about the legitimacy of the UFC’s current light heavyweight title belt, Daniel Cormier earned that belt. My actions have caused pain and inconvenience in the lives of others and for that I am truly sorry and I accept full responsibility.
Advertisement
Even though the bout would have to be pushed back from its originally planned spot atop UFC 178, opening the door for Gustafsson to potentially return to the main event pairing, “The Mauler” remained the odd man out. He hasn’t been reinstated yet. We’re talking about this guy like he’s scheduling a fight.
