In their post-fight interview, Joe Rogan asked Daniel Cormier why take-downs didn’t appear to be part of his strategy after the first round. Cormier’s answer was simple – he wanted to prove his ability to strike with top strikers. Cormier wouldn’t be the first fighter to abandon an effective strategy due to bravado, but that wasn’t the case here. He stopped taking Alexander Gustafsson to the mat because the Swede adjusted and shut that part of Cormier’s game down.
It is entirely possible that Cormier focused on his striking for this fight and neglected his wrestling, assuming he already had a significant advantage over Gustafsson in that category. Josh Koscheck, a former teammate of Cormier, did just that when he fought Georges St. Pierre in 2007. St. Pierre shocked the mixed martial arts world by outwrestling Koscheck, an NCAA wrestling champion.
Regardless of Cormier’s wrestling preparations for this fight, Gustafsson counter-wrestled well and showed off his own surprisingly effective take-downs. His ability to take down those with better wrestling credentials is one of the more demoralizing parts of fighting Gustafsson, for wrestling-oriented fighters.
Still, Cormier showed why he is the best fighter in this division, outside the currently-suspended Jon Jones. He is well-rounded, incredibly resilient, and he does an excellent job of finding his opponent’s weaknesses. His brutal clinch uppercuts were a deciding factor in the fight, along with his ability to dig deep and take it to Gustafsson in the deciding 5th round.
For Gustafsson, it’s another frustrating decision loss in another close title fight. Despite his 1-3 record recently, his performance ensures that he won’t drop out of the title picture. He brings in an international audience, puts on exciting fights, and he gave both Jones and Cormier extremely difficult fights, thus a rematch with either fighter would sell itself. With a couple wins, Gustafsson could get another shot at the belt.
Jones’ return will dictate the next light heavyweight title fight and while people may view Cormier as a legitimate champion after his war with Gustafsson, the reality is that Jones never lost as champion. With Jones’ legal situation sorted out it appears a comeback is on the horizon, and when he does return, he is fighting for the title. This leaves Ryan Bader as the odd man out after his decision victory over Rashad Evans at UFC 192.
Bader may end up as a victim of bad timing, although his inability to impress UFC matchmakers also plays a part in his current situation. He is riding a five match winning streak, with the last three coming against top ten opponents. He deserved the title shot over Gustafsson, but his point fighting style against quality opposition led to him getting passed over. His fight against Evans was more of the same, as he thoroughly defeated the former champion without coming close to getting a knockout.
The next light heavyweight title fight is likely going to be Cormier versus Jones, as it’s doubtful the UFC will risk a big money matchup like that just to have Cormier take on Bader. That leaves Bader needing another fight, and he has already mentioned Glover Teixeira as one possibility if he wins his next fight. Anthony Johnson is another option, although that’s a very dangerous fight for any light heavyweight.
Of the four light heavyweights who competed at UFC 192, Evans’ title hopes look the bleakest. Bader used Evans’ old game plan against him, mixing effective punching in with the occasional take down to score points and win a clear decision. Evans was consistently beaten to the punch and overpowered in the clinch. While he was coming off a long layoff the fact remains that he looked like a shell of his former self. There are still fights for him left in light heavyweight, but he probably isn’t fighting for the belt again.
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