When Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier meet at UFC 200 on July 9, the first order of business will be adding a second and potentially final chapter to their protracted personal beef.
The second item on the agenda will be deciding who is the rightful light heavyweight champion.
The first time this pair met up at UFC 182, Jones scored a unanimous-decision victory over Cormier, seemingly turning away the biggest threat to his dominance over the 205-pound division.
In the wake of that win, however, Jones' mounting personal problems suddenly caught up with him and sent the entire division into a tailspin.
Fast forward some 18 UFC events and suddenly it's Cormier carrying the UFC championship, while Jones comes into this rematch toting a hastily conceived interim title. The winner here unifies the gold, takes the pole position in their heated rivalry and adopts the mantle of best light heavyweight on the planet.
So you could say there's a certain amount at stake.
But after so much personal turmoil and a fairly lackluster return to the cage at UFC 197, can Jones still be the beast that he was? Or does he approach this bout somehow more vulnerable to Cormier than in their first meeting?
Here, Bleacher Report lead writer Chad Dundas (that's me) and senior columnist Mike Chiappetta take on that gripping question heading into UFC 200.
Chad: It has been approximately 18 months since Jones and Cormier first fought, and enough water to float an international cruise ship has passed beneath the bridge. Simply put, Jones’ 2015 wasn’t so hot.
Days following his competitive but convincing victory over DC, news broke that he’d tested positive for—technical term incoming—drugs of abuse during the lead-up to the fight. By April, he’d turned himself in to police on hit-and-run charges, was stripped of his title and suspended indefinitely by the UFC. (Spoiler alert: It turned out to be more like six months.)
Meantime, Cormier made the most of Jones’ absence. He won the vacant light heavyweight strap at UFC 187 in May and even successfully defended it with an instant classic against Alexander Gustafsson at October's UFC 192. Somehow along the way, the consummate nice guy also fell out of favor with fans looking for a place to displace their aggression over Jones being gone.
If nothing else, it has been a lesson in the mysterious ways of the MMA world.
Everyone is back and in working order now. Following one injury delay, the two best 205-pounders on the planet are ready to scrap over a unified title. So, Mike, we start with this: Considering everything that has happened—and add to the above list Jones’ relative inactivity, his dalliance with weightlifting and a fairly inauspicious return against Ovince St. Preux in April—is there any reason to believe this fight will go differently than the first? Or that Jones is more vulnerable now to Cormier’s attack?
Mike: The most logical—and maybe the only—conclusion based upon available evidence is that Bruce Buffer will be announcing the same winner as the first time around. In that fight, Jones convincingly proved he was the better fighter. Cormier, like everyone else, had trouble with Jones' kicking and distance games, and though he did have some success when he was able to make it ugly with the clinch game, Jones was able to adapt to his style in real time.
That ability to analyze and readjust his approach during action is one of Jones' most underrated qualities. Now, after five rounds of feeling out Cormier's likes and preferences, he has even more information with which to prepare.
While it is true that one is almost always able to learn more from a loss than a win, Jones still holds the upper hand based on his built-in advantages and ability to shift on the fly. On top of it, Cormier is coming off a leg injury, marking the first time he's had to pull out of a fight. Will that affect him physically or mentally? It's impossible to know, but it's certainly a consideration, especially knowing that Jones uses the oblique kick as a key tool of his arsenal.
Cormier is now 37, and while his MMA wear-and-tear is not severe due to a late start, he does have a lot of mileage on him from a life in the wrestling room. His body is a factor.
Jones did not put on a vintage performance against St. Preux last time out; however, he was returning after a lengthy absence. He was rusty. It's hard to believe he'd have back-to-back performances like that, isn't it, Chad? More likely, his dislike for Cormier will bring out the best of him. And for Cormier, well, that ain't good.
Chad: Yeah, I’ve suspected all along that this whole saga of the UFC taking his title away—not to mention strapping it on Cormier—was going to turn Jones into a monster. And I mean that in the best possible way.
He’s been around the game long enough now that I think we understand a little bit about how his mind works. Since his UFC debut back in 2008, there have been stories detailing his obsessions and unorthodox methods. Along with the brain trust at Jackson’s MMA, I felt sure the hyper-competitive side of Jones’ mind would turn this into a “me-against-the-world” situation and that he would come out against Cormier with more to prove than ever.
That said, I was a little bit disquieted to see Jones pull off such a stinker against OSP. I agree with you about ring rust and would add to it the emotional letdown of a sudden and underwhelming change of opponents. Still, if a version of Jones that looks anything like the guy who beat St. Preux shows up to fight Cormier, I gotta think the former captain of the Olympic wrestling team has a chance to win this.
And, really, that wouldn’t be so bad. All it would do is guarantee that one of the most bitter and entertaining rivalries in UFC history would go to a trilogy.
What, if anything, can we make over the latest plot twist in this soap opera—that Jones is halfway protesting the assignment of veteran referee John McCarthy to the bout, saying that "I don't feel like we have the best energy," per MMA Fighting.com's Dave Doyle?
Mike: It’s a minor distraction at the most. While McCarthy does have some detractors, he is probably the most respected referee in the sport, so Jones probably won’t have a lot of support for his personal preferences. In addition, I don’t think most fans want a fighter selecting the adjudicator of his bout. They want the appearance of fairness; they want an athlete to win in whatever conditions present themselves.
Actually, I thought the more interesting recent development was Jones telling MMA Junkie that the intensity of his feelings for DC (read: hatred) is waning.
I think this is Jones attempting to distance himself from his emotion. Jones has only had these kinds of intensity-fueled rivalries a couple of times. One was with Rashad Evans; the other with Cormier. In both fights, Jones was not at peak efficiency. Part of that is likely due to the fact that in a matchup with personal feelings involved, the fear of losing to a hated opponent often causes conservative actions. There is less risk-taking and more tightness of style.
Jones is at his best when he is free flowing and improvisational, so any impediment to that hurts him. Removing the feelings can remove the inhibition.
At some other time of history, Cormier might have been the best. He is tough, strong and durable, and he carries himself in a way that is worthy of the belt he wears. But let's be honest: That belt is a farce. Facing the actual best fighter in his division, he's got his hands full, and he hasn't shown the dynamic ability to change his approach as Jones does.
Cormier has accomplished plenty in his life, but if he can adapt and beat Jones, he will have accomplished his greatest athletic achievement.
