Tag: Jon Jones

What could’ve been: 10 of the best booked UFC fights that never happened

Conor McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos, Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirer, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson, and more make the list.

There have been numerous highly anticipated UFC matchups that have fallen through over the years because of unfortunate circumstances, and they easily could’ve produced fireworks.

From championship fights, to rivalries, to intriguing stylistic pairings, here are 10 of the best scheduled matchups that never ended up happening.

****

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson

[jwplayer o0fhTRLu-FLu19iir]

While it appears that another [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] fight booking is imminent at the time of this writing, let’s just hope the fifth time is the charm.

These two were scheduled to fight on four other occasions, but a series of unfortunate circumstances and injuries has resulted in it never happening. The first booking was during The Ultimate Fighter Finale card on Dec. 11, 2015, when Nurmagomedov was forced out due to injury and replaced by Edson Barboza. Ferguson submitted Barboza in the second round via D’Arce choke, earning both “Performance” and “Fight of the Night” bonuses.

They were then scheduled to fight at UFC on FOX 19 on April 16, 2016, but this time it was Ferguson who pulled out. Ferguson was replaced by newcomer Darrell Horcher, whom Nurmagomedov battered before earning a second-round TKO win.

Then, an interim lightweight championship fight was scheduled to take place at UFC 209 on March 4, 2017, but the fight was canceled due to Nurmagomedov falling ill from a bad weight cut.

Finally, the two were set to meet a fourth time. At UFC 223 in April 2018, Nurmagomedov and then-interim champ Ferguson were going to fight for the undisputed lightweight title. But in a freak accident, Ferguson tripped over a wire and blew out his knee. Max Holloway stepped in briefly, but the New York State Athletic Commission deemed Holloway unfit to compete due to a severe weight cut. Al Iaquinta, who was scheduled to face Paul Felder on the same night, stepped in for the massive opportunity but was dominated by Nurmagomedov in a five-round battle.

Nurmagomedov finally realized his dream of becoming the UFC lightweight champ, and here’s hoping the fight with Ferguson will finally come to fruition in early 2020 as expected.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10

Jan Blachowicz has three options in mind for his next fight after UFC on ESPN+ 22

Jan Blachowicz isn’t quite sure what’s in store for him after a lackluster win at UFC Sao Paulo.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] has three names in mind for his next fight after UFC on ESPN+ 22.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag], or maybe [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] are the realistic options in the on-deck circle for Blachowicz.

After he defeated Ronaldo Souza (26-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) Saturday by unanimous decision in the UFC on ESPN+ 22 headliner, Blachowicz (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) took to the microphone and called for a fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Jones.

“I want someone from the top,” Blachowicz said in the cage. “Maybe a title shot. Why not? I’m ready. Jon, let’s do this. Give me the fight. Give me the title shot because I don’t have time. Maybe three more years and I go to retirement. It’s now or never.”

On the ESPN post-fight show, Blachowicz elaborated on his options. He said he’ll have to find out from the UFC what’s available. From there, Blachowicz said he and his team will figure out how to proceed.

“First of all, I have to come back to Poland and talk to the coaches,” Blachowicz said. We have to find a way to do something, so I’m not going to feel like this in a fight. Right now I don’t have answers.”

[lawrence-related id=463482,463271]

A top contender, Reyes has been linked to Jones as being the next 205-pound title challenger. If that’s the case, Blachowicz said he’ll have no problem sitting out and waiting for his shot.

“I will wait for Dominick Reyes or Jon Jones,” Blachowicz said in the post-fight press conference. “No problem. … I’m just going to wait for either from the UFC.”

Another option Blachowicz didn’t rule out is fellow light heavyweight contender Anderson. The American fighter is riding a wave of momentum coming off of a one-sided starching of rising star Johnny Walker at UFC 244 earlier this mont.

Anderson and Blachowicz fought at UFC 191 in September of 2015. Anderson walked away with the unanimous decision victory, but Blachowicz tacks up the loss to luck more than skill.

“Corey will be good – a rematch (with) him,” Blachowicz said. “Because he got a lot of luck in our first fight. I will prove that he was lucky. I (think) it will be a pleasure for me to fight against him also.”

UFC on ESPN+ 22 took place at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The card streamed on ESPN+.

[vertical-gallery id=463676]

Off Guard: Dan Henderson recalls conversation with Jon Jones: ‘Get it done and quit screwing up’

Dan Henderson: “I don’t know what his reasons are for screwing up, but I’m sure there’s a way not to.”

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Dan Henderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] have history.

At UFC 151, Henderson was supposed to fight Jones before he went down with an injury. Jones was offered Chael Sonnen as a short-notice replacement, but turned the fight down and the UFC pulled the plug on the entire event.

Fast forward seven years, and Henderson may finally be going up against Jones – only this time as a coach. Henderson helps train Dominick Reyes, the current frontrunner to be Jones’ next challenger.

MMA Junkie caught up with Henderson at his gym in Temecula, Calif., Dan Henderson’s Athletic Training Center, to discuss the upcoming matchup and more.

Henderson said he has no nostalgic fervor when it comes to Reyes against Jones. He’s not living out the title shot he never got vicariously through Reyes. Despite this, Henderson does feel an increased sense of determination to help Reyes defeat Jones.

“Jon Jones is one of those guys for me – he’s very skilled,” Henderson said. “He’s a wrestler, so I want to root for him. But he’s hard to root for, just because of how he’s represented himself in the sport. He just hasn’t done a good job with that.”

[lawrence-related id=462863,462605]

Henderson explained he has never seen eye-to-eye with Jones, despite the kind of athletic superstar the champion is. Jones’ out-of-the-cage antics have been too much for Henderson, who said he’s told Jones that to his face.

“These are all things I’ve told him to his face,” Henderson said. “Unfortunately, he keeps screwing up. I just said, ‘Hey, you’re in the place where you could represent the sport well and you haven’t done it. Get it done and quit screwing up.’ I don’t know. I don’t know him that personally. I don’t know what his reasons are for screwing up, but I’m sure there’s a way not to.”

As for Reyes, “Hendo” offered up nothing but praise. He talked about Reyes’ attitude and ease in coaching him. He thinks his pupil can win against Jones, but would like to see Reyes get more experience beforehand.

“Dom was coming in here once or twice a week to come train and he’s a good kid,” Henderson said. “He learns really well. I think that’d be a really good fight for him. I would like to see that fight happen after another couple opponents for Dom, but I do think Dom’s capable of beating Jon Jones.”

[lawrence-related id=461771,460537]

As for Henderson himself, he is comfortable in retirement, but that doesn’t mean he’s totally ruled out an MMA comeback. The offer just has to be a good one.

“I’ll always listen to an offer,” Henderson said. “But so far I haven’t had an offer that’s made me get off the couch. I know I’m still capable of beating almost anybody out there on every given day. I just don’t really need to. I’m comfortable with what I did in the sport and what I’ve achieved.

“I’m not real excited about getting my ass in shape now. The preparation is what’s the tough part of the sport.”

Henderson, 49, hasn’t competed since UFC 204 in October 2016. In his final professional bout, Henderson was granted a title shot against then-champion Michael Bisping. Henderson lost by unanimous decision.

Check out Henderson’s full “Off Guard” interview in the video above.

[vertical-gallery id=391887]

Anthony Smith: Dominick Reyes is an easier fight for Jon Jones than Corey Anderson

Anthony Smith believes UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones picked an easier fight in Dominick Reyes over Corey Anderson.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] actually picked the easier opponent in [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag].

UFC light heavyweight champion Jones tweeted that he picked Reyes over [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] because he believes he’s the more dangerous fighter, but Smith said he thinks Anderson presents more problems overall.

“I honestly think Jon probably chose the easier opponent between Corey Anderson and Dominick Reyes,” Smith said on UFC Unfiltered. “I think that Reyes is absolutely more dangerous, as far as explosiveness and size and his length. I think he may give Jon some problems on his feet a little bit and Jon will have to dodge some bullets. But look at everybody Jon’s beat – they’re one-dimensional, and that’s what Jon wants.”

The undefeated Reyes (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), is coming off a first-round knockout over Chris Weidman at UFC on ESPN 6 in Boston. Anderson (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is coming off a first-round finish of his own, taking out top prospect Johnny Walker at UFC 244.

Both were in the running for a title shot, but Jones ultimately chose Reyes. However, Smith said that Reyes’ split decision win over Volkan Oezdemir in March exposed some holes in his game that he can see Jones exploiting in the fight.

“Like we’ve seen in the Volkan Oezdemir fight, Dominick Reyes isn’t necessarily dominant on the ground and his takedown defense isn’t that great,” Smith said. “Even though he was able to stuff some of Weidman’s (takedowns) … he did have some improvements there, but Volkan Oezdemir took him down several times and Jon Jones is a much better wrestler than Volkan Oezdemir, that’s for sure.”

In Anderson, Smith sees a more skilled fighter overall who could present more issues to Jones, considering his wrestling ability.

“I think Corey is more well-rounded,” Smith said. “He’s got fundamental boxing. His kicking game isn’t super high level, but he keeps his hands in the right spot. He moves his head well. His wrestling is good. His takedown defense is really good. His top pressure is good. His cardio is phenomenal. Corey presents a lot more problems than Dominick Reyes does, so I do think that Jon picked the easier fight.”

[vertical-gallery id=459186]

This insane statistic puts perspective on Patriots’ lockdown secondary

Here’s a disclaimer for NFL teams: Don’t throw a deep ball against the New England Patriots. 

Here’s a disclaimer for NFL teams: Don’t throw a deep ball against the New England Patriots.

Through nine games this season, opposing quarterbacks have a 13.3 passer rating while throwing 21 yards or more in the air, H/T Boston Globe’s Ben Volin. New England has more interceptions (7) than opposing teams have completions (5) when throwing for more than 21 yards.

The second-best team in this category is the Buffalo Bills, who have kept opposing quarterbacks at a 40.6 passer rating. But, they’ve only had 20 pass attempts against them, compared to New England with 44 pass attempts. The Patriots have the No. 2 pass defense in the league currently with 150.2 passing yards allowed per game.

The secondary is primarily composed of Stephon Gilmore, Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, J.C. Jackson, Pat Chung and Duron Harmon. Devin leads the group with five interceptions and Gilmore is second in the unit with three.  New England has a league-high 19 interceptions through nine games and the second-best team has 14.

The Patriots have accumulated a league-high 270 yards from interceptions along with two touchdowns. They’ve been able to create great field position for the offense, while helping hold opposing offenses to an average of 10.9 points per game.

New England struggled against the Baltimore Ravens in a Week 9 loss, but it was mostly due to the run defense. Baltimore had 210 rushing yards against the Patriots and only 162 passing yards.

This secondary has some talented quarterbacks ahead of them with Carson Wentz, Day Prescott, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. It would be an incredible feat if the Patriots could keep these numbers up for the entirety of the season.

[vertical-gallery id=72662]

Jon Jones hints that Dominick Reyes fight is a ‘few weeks away’

It appears a fight between Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes is all but done with “Bones” claiming a fight announcement is imminent.

It seems [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] is set to return to action in just a few weeks’ time.

UFC light heavyweight champion Jones (25-1 MMA, 19-1 UFC) took to Twitter to further confirm his hints that [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] is next and said the date will be revealed very soon. With “The Devastator” and Corey Anderson emerging victorious in their most bouts, it seemed a two-horse race to see who would get the next shot until Jones decided that he wanted to face Reyes (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) next because he’s the more “dangerous” fighter.

Jones responded to a question on Twitter, offering a hint that his next opponent has something in common with two of his previous foes, Ryan Bader and Daniel Cormier.

The answer, according to Jones, was that both were undefeated when they faced “Bones,” who was able to successfully snatch the zero from both their records – suggesting that the undefeated Reyes will be the next to meet that fate.

 

A few weeks away could allude to the UFC’s planned Jan. 18 card, which is projected to be UFC 246 on pay-per-view. It is widely believed that Conor McGregor will return on that card, as well, which may take place in Las Vegas, but nothing has been officially announced just yet.

[vertical-gallery id=391887]

Spinning Back Clique: What do we think of Greg Hardy now?

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, Gorgeous George and Goze unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 2 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, Gorgeous George and Goze touch on the biggest storylines from UFC on ESPN+ 21 and around the world of MMA.

Show rundown:

  • [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] traveled all the way to Moscow on short notice for the biggest test of his early career and came away with a three-round unanimous decision loss to former Bellator heavyweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 21. What did this performance tell us about the controversial former NFL standout? Did it tell us anything significant about his MMA outlook moving forward?
  • [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] remained undefeated in the UFC at 6-0 with a three-round unanimous decision win over [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN+ 21 headliner. Afterward, Magomedsharipov called for a title shot. Was this the performance that sealed the deal? Or does Magomedsharipov need a more signature victory to stake his claim?
  • At first, [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] said he wanted an immediate rematch with Jorge Masvidal. Then he was like, “peace out fight game.” Now he’s clarified he isn’t actually leaving the fight game, after all. What does all of this mean for Diaz’s future?
  • UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] has made it clear that [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] is his next title defense of choice over Corey Anderson. Is that the right next move? What about heavyweight?
  • [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] is off to Bellator and has detailed the reasons why he left the UFC to jump ship. What do we make of this move and his outlook with Bellator?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 2 of “Spinning Back Clique” in the video above.

[vertical-gallery id=461365]