It’s the fight that everyone has been waiting for; Jon Jones versus Daniel Cormier at UFC 214. Ever since Jon Jones was stripped of his title two years ago, fight fans have been waiting for this grudge match.
Neither fighter likes the other one and there will be no love lost when they face-off on July 29th. Jones has repeatedly insisted that he is the rightful holder of the light heavyweight UFC title, while Daniel Cormier has argued that Jones doesn’t even deserve to be in the sport after his repeated misdemeanors.
The press conferences in the lead-up to this bout have been heated, with Cormier attacking Jones’ past and Jones insisting that he is still the greatest light heavyweight MMA fighter on the planet.
Jon Jones form
Jon ‘Bones’ Jones is returning from a suspension which put him out of the octagon since April 23rd, 2016. That night, Jones easily overcame Ovince St Prieux via a unanimous decision. As good as he was that evening, it still wasn’t Bones at his best.
Prior to that bout, he looked unstoppable. Particularly in his first bout against Cormier in early 2015. Jones repeatedly brought Cormier to the ground during that fight and took the unanimous decision win.
Most of the scorecards marked it four rounds to one for Jones, which is a result he would happily take in their upcoming fight at UFC 214.
Daniel Cormier form
Since that loss to Jones, Cormier has been doing his best to climb the ladder to the top of the MMA game. He won the title vacated by Jones’ first suspension by defeating Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson via submission.
He then got decision wins against Alexander Gustafsson and Anderson Silva, before once again submitting Rumble Johnson in his last bout at UFC 210.
News
The big story with this bout is Jon Jones looking for redemption. He has been through several suspensions and it may be a case of now or never for a fighter who was once considered the great hope of the sport.
He will feel that the title is rightly his and it will hurt seeing Cormier hold the belt.
Another side-plot of this bout is Cormier’s struggle to make weight. In his last fight against Anthony Johnson, he had to be weighed-in twice and there were many fans asking questions about that suspicious occurrence
If he does make weight, how draining will the dieting be on his physique and will be able to fight to the best of his ability? These are all questions which will be answered on July 29th.
Top betting tips
Jon Jones is 30-years-old and at the peak of his physical career. Daniel Cormier, on the other hand, is 38 and is finding it hard to cut-weight for this division. The pair met two years ago, when Cormier was a younger man and Jon Jones demolished him.
It is difficult to envisage Cormier improving to the point that he can defeat Jones. He quite simply wouldn’t have the same gas tank that he once had and even when he was fitter, he still wasn’t able to beat Jones.
Thus, we are putting our money on Jon ‘Bones’ Jones to win at a price of 2/5 with Ladbrokes. If you would prefer a slightly better price, you can back Jones to win by KO or TKO at a price of 15/4 with Ladbrokes.
After this fight, we have no doubt that he will be viewed as the top light heavyweight in the world.