Near-Miss Rematch in Buffalo
Once again an old issue came up in the UFC’s latest showcase and it is one that the UFC and commission around the world have been trying to solve for the last few years.
That issue is possibly the most dangerous one in a sport where physical harm is the name of the game.
Weight cutting has always been a necessary evil in every combat sport and some sports have required a little bit more than others.
In MMA the mentality of wrestling seemed to take over as big fighters tried to get down to smaller weights in order to be the stronger guy, or girl when the fight began.
Often that led to some serious issues as fighters began missing weight and were unable to cut the weight they needed.
Cards were blown up for years because of weight issues and that problem has continued to this day.
Rules put in place have made it somewhat safer while the UFC attempts to encourage those who miss weight to move to a more natural division.
The weight cut issues continue to come up though as Khabib Nurmagomedov was hospitalised before his fight last month after the weight cut took too much out of him.
It almost made a massive impact at UFC 210 as well but it wasn;t the person that most people thought was going to have the problem.
Without hearing the details the safe bet might have been on title challenger Anthony Johnson missing weight as he has had issues with his weight in the past.
Those issues came when he was trying to fight as a middleweight though and since his move to light heavyweight, he has never missed weight.
He, in fact, became the perfect example of what can happen when a fighter makes a decision to fight closer to his natural weight rather than hurting himself to get down to another division.
After committing to the light heavyweight division he rose to be one of the top fighters in the UFC and got his second shot at the title at UFC 210.
During weigh-ins, he came in under the weight limit at 203.5 lbs proving his commitment and the fact that he is at the best weight class for him.
Meanwhile, the champion was looking rough as the weigh-ins got closer with Daniel Cormier looking very drawn out as the week went on.
The former heavyweight star dropped a weight class to avoid a fight with training partner and close friend, Cain Velasquez, who was a champion at the time.
He hasn’t really seemed to have issues making weight in the past but this time around it seemed like a tougher weight cut for the champion.
He weighed in 1.2 lbs above the 205 lbs limit and had very little time left before the weigh-in deadline to lose those extra pounds.
A few minutes after his first weigh-in he came back and made 205 lbs on the dot to keep the fight going and avoid another terrible loss due to cutting weight.
There was some speculation on how he cut the weight in such a short time and some saw Cormier lean on the towel that was put up in front of him.
With his hands on the towel, there are a lot of people who claim that the support of the towel was enough to take the 1.2 lbs off of the scale and put him under the limit.
It only adds to the less than great fanfare following Cormier as he remains one of the most hated fighters in the division.
It also added to a rivalry that people have been waiting to see for a second time as Jon Jones held his own press conference before the fight and called out Cormier for his tactics.
It is a tough position for many fans to be in as there are a lot that don’t want to see Cormier win but want to see the rematch between Jones and Cormier.
Then again a match-up between Johnson and Jones could be an even more exciting fight and the winner of the UFC 210 rematch was sure to get a date with Jones when the former champion returns from his suspension.
The last time Cormier and Johnson fought it was Cormier to imposed his will taking the fight to the ground and grinding out a win.
This time around Johnson was looking to use his amazing power to end the fight early and avoid the grinding fight that Cormier was looking to start again.
From the start of the fight though it seemed like Johnson was just playing into the hands of Cormier.
Instead of keeping his distance and trying to find his range for that amazing power, Johnson clinched against the fence and eventually took the fight to the ground.
That was not the strategy that was going to win him a belt and he proved it himself in the first when he hit Cormier with a big combination including a head kick that broke the champion’s nose.
That was the last of the standing output though as Johnson continued to grapple and Cormier took advantage in the second round.
That is when Cormier went to work on the ground and sunk in a rear naked choke to take his second straight win over Johnson and keeping his belt.
After the fight, Johnson announced that he will no longer fight as he is moving on to another career-ending the career of one of the most talented fighters in the division in the prime of his career.
After that bombshell, the speculation started for Cormier as Jones seems like he will return in the summer and everyone has been waiting for that rematch.
There is also an upcoming fight between Alexander Gustafsson against Glover Teixeira which has all the signs of a top contender fight.
Cormier also started talking to Jimi Manuwa who was at the arena in Buffalo, which could add another name to the mix in the light heavyweight division.
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