UFC announced Wednesday night it had pulled Jones from Saturday’s UFC 200 because of the failed tests. Cormier postured up with 30 seconds remaining in the opening round and dropped a few bombs, none of which appeared to land clean.
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Originally, Cormier was to rematch Jon Jones in a unification bout Saturday night at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Yes, yes it is.
“I’ve been training for a specific fight for eight weeks”, Cormier, (18-1) said nearly apologetically in The Octagon following the fight. “I don’t even know how to pronounce it”.
Typically, fighters train for months to prepare for fights.
Daniel Cormier (L) outlasts Anderson Silva, who is perhaps the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of this generation. The money the UFC must have offered Silva to take this fight must be ridiculous and it is rumored that he could only fight because he was already in Vegas. Cormier is bigger, younger and more prepared as well as opening the odds as a heavy favorite. But it wasn’t without at least some adversity, as Silva had Cormier hurt in the last minute of the bout with a vicious body kick.
The 41-year-old Silva (33-7) reigned as the middleweight champion for almost seven years, but he hasn’t earned a victory in four fights since October 2012.
Cormier said that he is willing to find and fight another opponent. “This goes to show for everybody out there, if you don’t stick your neck out, you’ll never get ahead”. Conor McGregor is aware of the problem and wouldn’t mind filling in only if the UFC asked him.
This is fitting, since Lesnar headlined UFC 100 in 2009, before he disappeared from the UFC world to pursue wrestling in the WWE. I’m optimistic. But man, at the end of the day, I’m a fighter.
He’s also an underdog for the first time in his UFC career – a big one at that. But after nearly five years out of the cage, it is hard to see Lesnar not showing a bit of ring rust. Kicking off the pay-per-view we have former heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, facing six-foot-seven Hawaiian, Travis Browne.
Nunes staggered Tate early with a precise right hand. The women’s bantamweight title bout between champion Miesha Tate and challenger Amanda Nunes was named the new main event. This time past year Ronda Rousey decimated Bethe Correia and the world thought she may just be out of challengers in the sport. At +220 Nunes is worth taking a look at tonight. The most interesting thing about this fight is what will happen after.
Silva has lost three of his last four fights, but that’s no reason to count him out.
Frankie Edgar is facing Jose Aldo tonight in what is basically a pick ’em.
Jones won an interim championship in a comeback fight in April. And it’s the fourth match on the card?!? When Holly Holm upset Ronda Rousey in November of 2015, she had plans of being UFC Bantamweight champion for more than one fight.
He was suspended by the UFC for several months a year ago for his involvement in a hit-and-run accident. After an emotional roller coaster of a week, Cormier will be ready to finally get the fight started no doubt.
“If I do have to sit out two years, I will definitely be back”. Jones originally won the title in 2011 and defended it eight consecutive times.
Yes, you read that right.
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As if the UFC brass hadn’t had enough drama, former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks came in just under the deadline shaking and looking shockingly gaunt. Either way, this is going to be a heavyweight brawl and another classic striker vs. wrestler matchup. The “Super Samoan” Mark Hunt is a mainstay in the heavyweight division and a hard-hitting kickboxer with a wealth of experience in combat sports. Cormier absorbed it well though and the fight ended with the two clinched against the cage. Anderson just couldn’t handle his weight and he was desperately trying to fight his way out, but he couldn’t move and was being held down.
