Will Daniel Cormier Be The Man To Dethrone Jon Jones?
Daniel Cormier continues to make noise about a title shot against Jon Jones, and some might say rightly so; after beating some very tough competition at heavyweight, Cormier debuted and smashed Rashad Evans’ replacement Patrick Cummins. Add in to the mix that DC and Jones have a long-standing beef, and you have a recipe for a great back story.
Cormier is eying a pivotal 205-pound fight against Dan Henderson at UFC 173, and would move to 15-0 with a win. It would be very hard to argue against Cormier getting a shot at the title at that point, and if Jones is still champion at that stage, does the shorter man have a chance at winning? Well, there are a few points to consider.
Firstly, Cormier has spent his entire career battling taller me as a heavyweight. Although physical advantages are the main part of Jones’ game plan, DC has been playing that game for a long time; just take a look at the Silva fight. Granted, Big Foot isn’t as fast as Jones, but it’s a comparison nonetheless.
The second piece of food for thought is Cormier’s wrestling, DC is probably the most legit wrestler that the division holds, and we haven’t seen how Jones handles being dumped on his ass for five rounds. That is assuming that Cormier gets past those nasty kicks and elbows that ‘Bones’ possesses. Easier said than done.
What plays in to the hands of Jones you ask? Well, pretty much everything else. He is the champion, and comes in extremely confident in his abilities. He is very unpredictable, something that is almost impossible to train for. He has great takedown defense, lethal elbows from multiple positions, and of course the ridiculous reach advantage.
If Cormier keeps going down this path, a future bout with Jones seems inevitable. Jones obviously has to get past Gustafsson when they eventually rematch, but I wouldn’t be surprised if DC wanted Jones next, regardless. The two have certainly been embroiled in a heated war of words lately. What’s your take, does Jones have too much, or will Cormier bring that grand prix-winning spirit?
