Sunday, May 25, 2014

Bring on Jon Jones




Great interview with former Olympian (freestyle) Dan Cormier after he submitted another Olympian (greco) Dan Henderson at UFC 173 last night. I believe Cormier can beat Jon Jones. Cormier is only about 5"10 whereas Jones is 6"4 (both fighting at 205). Previous fighters have been forced by Jones to play his striking / top control game. But Cormier is smart -- he didn't get into striking exchanges with Henderson, who has a dangerous right hand. He kept the fight on the ground and dominated from the top. He can do the same to Jones. Using this strategy, he can use Jones's length against him -- we'll see Jon Jones fighting off his back for the first time. What I like about Cormier is that he is really developing his jiujitsu. Many wrestlers are unable to capitalize on top position due to lack of high level submission skills.
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4 comments:

ben_g said...

I don't think all previous fighters intended to let Jones play his striking game. Chael Sonnen definitely wanted a wrestling match but that's not what he was given.

5:58 PM
steve hsu said...

OK, fixed!

8:51 PM
Rob Gressis said...

Didn't Gus take Jones down in their fight? So, wasn't Jones fighting off his back, at least for a bit? Or by "fighting off his back" do you mean "having to deal with ground and pound for an extended period of time"? Sorry to nit-pick, but this is the first time I've ever seen you post anything on your blog that I can understand, so I jumped at the chance.

7:56 AM
steve hsu said...

"having to deal with ground and pound for an extended period of time" Yes :-)

We don't know how good JJ's guard is. Cormier might be able to pass guard and then JJ's length could be a huge liability. Length will also make it harder for JJ to defend Cormier's takedown once he gets close or inside.

8:00 AM

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