Event UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2 [Results]

Joe Rogan regrets interviewing a scrambled, emotional Daniel Cormier after the fight.

 

I didn't see the early prelims tonight but I did see everything else since it was a good enough show to get.

Calvin Kattar was a late call-up to face Andre Fili and made a good impression. He is a crisp kickboxer. Andre Fili is another meandering TAM fighter who looks good one fight and bad the next. He's 4-4 in the UFC and might need a change of scenery.

Brian Ortega vs. Renato Moicano had FOTN potential and it lived up to it. Two undefeated fighters going hard to keep their perfect records. Moicano had better striking but he wasn't able to hurt Ortega, who did bust up Moicano early in the fight. I thought Mociano was winning the fight by the time he went for a take-down and landed in a deep guillotine choke that ended the fight. A very humble Ortega says he wants to see who beats him and how. He needs to refine his striking a bit and not be temperamental in the cage but he has a chin and some slick submission skills which make him an interesting player in the FW division.

Seeing Aljo Sterling start to achieve the potential he hinted at when he debuted a few years ago is exciting. He is a very tricky fighter and the ghost of Renan Barao had a hard time dealing with him. There are lots of match up possibilities for him in the division right now. As for Barao, I dunno, hard to believe someone who was considered top-5 P4P not even a few years ago is now a fringe top-15 BW/FW. He just doesn't look himself. If I'm Scott Coker I don't even look his way if he gets cut. Shades of Miguel Torres.

Ricardo Lamas is still really, really good. You need guys like him in every division if you can get them. He is a huge test for every up-and-coming fighter. Hick Diaz is fun to watch (Maggle) but not at that level. I'm not sure what they do with Lamas since Cub thinks he's getting a title shot. I hope they don't rush Ortega up to fight him but the timing makes sense.

Oezdemir made Alex Gustafsson a happy man tonight (until he wasn't one later on) by dispatching Jimi Manuwa easily in the first minute of their fight. I never really got the Manuwa title shot push, he's clearly a limited fighter, but the heavier divisions can be wild like that. Oezdemir is the prospect killer knocking off Cirkunov and Manuwa in succession. He's moving so fast you can't really put him in with a Pat Cummins or the like. He should be fighting top-5 or thereabouts guys. I'm not sure.

Robbie Lawler vs. Donald Cerrone was pretty good. Lawler bullrushed Cerrone in the opening minute of the fight and set the tone. I don't love his strategy of giving his all in the first and third rounds looking for a decision (but it worked). I thought Cerrone was effective in the fight but both guys seemed to be fighting for a cheque tonight. The stakes weren't laid out at all--I'm not sure where this win gets Lawler--which probably had something to do with both of them seemingly going 80%. High risk fight for both so maybe I'm underestimating how hard they were fighting.

If you were a casual fan watching tonight I think the UFC did a good job of reintroducing Cyborg to the general audience. She is the lone female fighter in the UFC who has a "big fight feel" when she is in the cage. Despite the way she looks she doesn't fight like a wild woman, she is patient and breaks down her opponents. I thought Evinger did well enough to justify the fight going forward with her as a replacement opponent but that was about it. Cyborg will likely face Megan Anderson next. I think she'll have an easier time with Anderson who is more straightforward and lacks the enormous experience and savvy that Evinger brought (like a female Josh Barnett).

Not that I'm congratulating myself but Woodley/Maia went exactly as I thought it would down to the crowd being close to rioting by the end. Woodley complains about being the worst treated UFC champion but how does he treat the fans? I mean this isn't just about winning, this is about entertainment, else they could fight in a backyard somewhere. They broke the ugly record for least strikes in a five-round fight which is fucking shameful. After Maia failed ten or so times to take Woodley down and basically resorted to hugging him on his knees, Woodley should've turned up the heat and knocked him out. Easy to say I know but are you or are you not the best WW in the world? I know that Maia is half to blame, he has only one dimension to his game, but I have high expectations for Woodley I guess.

He wants to fight GSP which is absolutely the right thing for him right now but he's actually looking more likely to take time away since he's been very active over the last year. There are no contenders at WW so the timing seems fine. I think the UFC did the right thing by sticking this fight in the middle of an otherwise baller PPV. Can't imagine the complaining that would've gone on had the fight headlined the Edmonton show, for example. At this point you can't have Woodley headline anymore or at least until he gets another KO.

The JJ/DC main event was better than I expected. It wasn't until the third round that Jones started going to the game plan of keeping DC at distance with his incredible offensive moveset of punches, elbows, kicks, and knees. He was throwing such volume at DC that he couldn't react or counterattack. When Jones fights like that and mixes in takedowns he is as close to unbeatable as any fighter ever. Heartbreaking to see Cormier so devastated after the fight. You can tell he put everything into this rematch. This is why I don't see him coming back, how can he motivate himself like this ever again, especially since probably made $5-million tonight ($1-million disclosed and PPV revenue) and is 40-years old. I feel like if he won a close decision he would be open to a rubber match but if he'd gone out there and stopped JJ he would've retired in his speech. We'll see. He's still a competitor.

Jon Jones is still the best, definitely ever in the LHW division, probably ever in any division. He has it all. The UFC pushed and pushed the redemption narrative tonight but when you listen to Jones talk he is so thoroughly disingenuous that I don't think he's going to win over fans by becoming a good guy. The crowd BOOED Daniel Cormier both times the two of them fought. They are willing to cheer Jones despite his problems--the UFC doesn't need to wash them away. I think they could run with the "he's the baddest man on the planet and you can't do anything about it" gimmick if they wanted to. You have to give him credit tonight as he fought DC's fight for two rounds and gave the guy a chance before shutting the door (and just about killing DC in the process). He really is amazing at fighting.

 

He's a freak of nature (and of science) but I think JJ is too spry for him.

Edit: spry is kind of a weird word to use. Agile is better.

 

Joe Rogan repeatedly shitting on Germaine de Randamie but not bringing up the fact that GDR wouldn't fight Cyborg explicitly because she is a doping cheat was pathetic. If you're going to trash her at least do it honestly. I guess they didn't want to bring up Cyborg's spotty past when they were trying to crown her tonight. I don't think any of us have anything positive to say about GDR but accusing a UFC fighter of being afraid of anyone is counterproductive. How the hell do they ever put her on a show and sell her again?

 

To follow up on this, DFW said that Rogan was told NOT to interview DC, so not only did he go against his own previously stated conviction, he went against company orders to get a few non-answers out of a blubbering, disoriented DC. DFW seems to be hot about it.

 

Woodley vs. the Fans, pt. 9999

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/lesnar-jon-jones-careful-young-man-48931634

The Associated Press reached Lesnar shortly after he watched the championship fight and then heard Jones call him out.

"Be careful what you wish for, young man," Lesnar replied.

 

What an absolute twat. How do you call out the LOSER of an untelevised prelim fight? Are you that bad?

Curran is 1-5 in the UFC. Magana doesn't have a win (0-2).

 

I feel bad for Cormier man. He looked decent before that kick. Beautiful execution by Bones though. Now do we get Gusto/Jones II?

Fuck Woodley. What a horrible fight. I completely agree with Dana. He could have ended that fight at any time but was looking for a highlight one punch KO. I'm glad he isn't being rewarded with GSP and that pay day. DFW likes the idea of Woodley v. Lawler II.

 

"Zombie Mommy" Evinger is growing on me.

 

Drew Dober, who KO'd Josh Burkman, will not be allowed to fight at lightweight again in the UFC in California. He weighed-in on fight night at 183-lbs. (for the 155-lbs. fight) which exceeds the CSAC's limit of 10% above the contracted weight (was at 18%).