- Joined
- Oct 10, 2011
- Messages
- 2,288
- Reaction score
- 268
I'm a big Jones fan, and even I can see why Jones is lobbying for Cormier. Not saying Jones will get Cormier next, Gus is next and what Jones is doing is rather interesting and frustrating for fight fans, haters, Gus and his fans, though Jones saw something in Cormier's bout with Hendo that warranted a little revaluation of the situation.
-First things first, Jones is not scared of Gus, but he does realize the reality of the situation, if he can get the easier fighter out of the two while nothing is yet finalized, he will at least have gotten ahead (at least for a little while; he still has to fight both fighters at some point). Why take on the most difficult challenge out there right away when he can take on what most considers to be the tougher challenge (even though it isn't)?
-Cormier is not the Jones killer, not even close, and I'll explain why. Cormier possesses incredible skills, but they just don't pose the type of threat to Jones that the media and forum members would have you believe.
-Cormier's shot is too slow for Jones, plus, the type of distance Jones will keep between himself and Cormier will be unreal. Cormier's shot will be seen from a mile away and the takedown will be easily stuffed.
Jones has one of the best takedown defenses in MMA and combine that with the distance game, that makes him even harder to get a hold of. There's only a few ways Jones can end up on his back (all of which can possibly happen against Cormier)
1. Jones is caught out of position (like he was against Gus), anyone who is a competent grappler can get Jones down when he's like that, Shogun almost did as well, but he couldn't capitalize because Jones was so much more than him + was already beaten to a pulp to secure anything.
2. Jones is knocked down, it never happened, but don't no fighter is immune to that.
3. If Jones pulls guard. Jones has done crazy things in the octagon, sometimes just to prove a point. If Jones can find an opportunity to spice things up and pull off something crafty here, I would not be shocked.
With the exception of the three above occurring, taking Jones down is a daunting task, and may even prove fruitless in the long run. Also, Cormier's strategy of wanting to put Jones on his back because he believes he can work some offense there given that Jones is virtually a mystery of his back is a troubling approach.
As Jones has said before, if he gets taken down, it's not the end of the fight. Everyone was clamoring for Shad against Jones because Shad had the ability to take Jones down, though in the interviews, Jones maintained to have confidence in himself, saying that it's possible he'll get taken down, but he's been training to fight off his back and in multiple vids he has looked really slick off of his back, transitioning to submissions and reversals with ease (of course it's training, but it's something [in regards to the proficiency of Jones' bottom game] to take into consideration and given how very versatile Jones has appeared overall in his UFC career, don't expect Jones to be brand new here).
-Just because Cormier was all over Hendo like some heartless predator on a rape victim, doesn't mean we should even fathom him doing that to Jones. Hendo is old, worn down, and was gassing due to Cormier's weight. Cormier also didn't show anything on Hendo on the bottom that looked harmful for Jones. Cormier's GNP and control may have been enough to stall and sting Hendo, but it didn't look suitable for the kind of active, slick, and strong guy like Jones. Cormier on Hendo was a slow, grinding pace mixed in with a couple hard shots here and there, that statement encompasses the GNP, transitioning, and control Cormier displayed over Hendo. Won't work on Jones. I don't expect Cormier's wrestling to have any kind of measurable effect on Jones.
-Also, Cormier was visibly tired in the fight against Hendo despite the pace not being at a high level, I think that will also play into Jones' favor.
-Finally, the striking game, where Cormier basically poses as much threat to Jones here as Rampage, Vitor, Shad, Glover, and Bader did. Cormier's sneaky right rook is clever, but it's literally the only thing Jones has to worry about. It's fast and is set up by a kick, but it's nothing Jones is unable to prepare for.
-Jones prepping for Cormier is a lot easier than prepping for Gus. Against Gus, Jones has to prepare for a rapid pace, striking affair and look for the takedown opportunities which will be far and few in between. Jones is a smart man and is holding out for the possibility to have the easier of the two right away; he may not get it, but Jones is in the unique situation that he has two more contenders left atm, and either one is considered legit contenders (Jones picking here will not look like the worst thing in the world when Cormier is considered the more dangerous contender [even though he's not:icon_chee).
On paper, Cormier looks like the more dangerous threat, the truth is farther from what a lot of us think. A lot of Jones' past opponents seemed troubling to him, but in actual application, we've seen otherwise.
-First things first, Jones is not scared of Gus, but he does realize the reality of the situation, if he can get the easier fighter out of the two while nothing is yet finalized, he will at least have gotten ahead (at least for a little while; he still has to fight both fighters at some point). Why take on the most difficult challenge out there right away when he can take on what most considers to be the tougher challenge (even though it isn't)?
-Cormier is not the Jones killer, not even close, and I'll explain why. Cormier possesses incredible skills, but they just don't pose the type of threat to Jones that the media and forum members would have you believe.
-Cormier's shot is too slow for Jones, plus, the type of distance Jones will keep between himself and Cormier will be unreal. Cormier's shot will be seen from a mile away and the takedown will be easily stuffed.
Jones has one of the best takedown defenses in MMA and combine that with the distance game, that makes him even harder to get a hold of. There's only a few ways Jones can end up on his back (all of which can possibly happen against Cormier)
1. Jones is caught out of position (like he was against Gus), anyone who is a competent grappler can get Jones down when he's like that, Shogun almost did as well, but he couldn't capitalize because Jones was so much more than him + was already beaten to a pulp to secure anything.
2. Jones is knocked down, it never happened, but don't no fighter is immune to that.
3. If Jones pulls guard. Jones has done crazy things in the octagon, sometimes just to prove a point. If Jones can find an opportunity to spice things up and pull off something crafty here, I would not be shocked.
With the exception of the three above occurring, taking Jones down is a daunting task, and may even prove fruitless in the long run. Also, Cormier's strategy of wanting to put Jones on his back because he believes he can work some offense there given that Jones is virtually a mystery of his back is a troubling approach.
As Jones has said before, if he gets taken down, it's not the end of the fight. Everyone was clamoring for Shad against Jones because Shad had the ability to take Jones down, though in the interviews, Jones maintained to have confidence in himself, saying that it's possible he'll get taken down, but he's been training to fight off his back and in multiple vids he has looked really slick off of his back, transitioning to submissions and reversals with ease (of course it's training, but it's something [in regards to the proficiency of Jones' bottom game] to take into consideration and given how very versatile Jones has appeared overall in his UFC career, don't expect Jones to be brand new here).
-Just because Cormier was all over Hendo like some heartless predator on a rape victim, doesn't mean we should even fathom him doing that to Jones. Hendo is old, worn down, and was gassing due to Cormier's weight. Cormier also didn't show anything on Hendo on the bottom that looked harmful for Jones. Cormier's GNP and control may have been enough to stall and sting Hendo, but it didn't look suitable for the kind of active, slick, and strong guy like Jones. Cormier on Hendo was a slow, grinding pace mixed in with a couple hard shots here and there, that statement encompasses the GNP, transitioning, and control Cormier displayed over Hendo. Won't work on Jones. I don't expect Cormier's wrestling to have any kind of measurable effect on Jones.
-Also, Cormier was visibly tired in the fight against Hendo despite the pace not being at a high level, I think that will also play into Jones' favor.
-Finally, the striking game, where Cormier basically poses as much threat to Jones here as Rampage, Vitor, Shad, Glover, and Bader did. Cormier's sneaky right rook is clever, but it's literally the only thing Jones has to worry about. It's fast and is set up by a kick, but it's nothing Jones is unable to prepare for.
-Jones prepping for Cormier is a lot easier than prepping for Gus. Against Gus, Jones has to prepare for a rapid pace, striking affair and look for the takedown opportunities which will be far and few in between. Jones is a smart man and is holding out for the possibility to have the easier of the two right away; he may not get it, but Jones is in the unique situation that he has two more contenders left atm, and either one is considered legit contenders (Jones picking here will not look like the worst thing in the world when Cormier is considered the more dangerous contender [even though he's not:icon_chee).
On paper, Cormier looks like the more dangerous threat, the truth is farther from what a lot of us think. A lot of Jones' past opponents seemed troubling to him, but in actual application, we've seen otherwise.
