mma / Columns

Lambert: UFC Properly Building Jones vs. Cormier 2

July 21, 2017 | Posted by Jeremy Lambert
UFC 214 - Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier

I’m often hard on the UFC marketing and promotional team. Not every fighter can be “The pound-for-pound best fighter in the world” and not every card can be “stacked” or “the biggest card ever.”

UFC promotional videos typically follow that formula. Either one fighter is showcased as being the best in the world or the fight/card is showcased as potentially being the best fight/card ever. Throw in Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan screaming and yelling over striking – and only striking, not grappling – highlights, and you’ve successfully created a UFC pay-per-view promo.

The company finally did something different with UFC 214. They finally told a story.

This trailer is without a doubt the best trailer they’ve ever done for a fight. In three and a half minutes, the company told you everything you need to know about both men.

For good reason, Jon Jones is the focus of the video titled “Tame Your Demons.” Jon Jones is the demon for both men.

At age 23, Jones was on top of the MMA world. While the majority us were fresh out of college and wondering how we could put our degree to good use, Jones was getting paid thousands of dollars to beat up grown men at the highest level. He was on the road to becoming the unquestioned greatest fighter of all-time.

But he got in his own way.

Jones’ story is well-known at this point. Drugs, partying, being someone he wasn’t. It all caught up to him and his world came crashing down on more than one occasion.

Now, he’s back. He’s back to beat the only man standing in his way of being the unquestioned greatest of all-time. Himself.

Daniel Cormier wants to beat that man as well. Cormier knows who he is. He’s the guy who has always done things the right way. The consummate professional who has beaten everyone in his path on his quest to prove he’s the best. Except one man. Jon Jones.

In three minutes and thirty seconds, the UFC summed up years of history between Jones and Cormier. They gave you a story to sink your teeth into.

Is Jones finally on the right track? He’s not some choir boy family man who stops twenty bank robbers on the day of his UFC light heavyweight title fight. And that’s ok. Not every athlete is a squeaky clean role model. As long as they stay out of real trouble and show up to perform, most fans don’t care what athletes do in their free time. But is Jones ready to show up and perform at UFC 214?

Can Cormier prove that good overcomes evil? For a guy who has always done things the right way and who has stayed out of trouble, it eats at him that Jones is throwing away his talent. But that’s not the part that eats at him the most. It’s the part where Jones is throwing away his talent….and still beating him. And then bragging about it. Cormier feels he is good because he’s everything Jones is not despite the disadvantages. He wasn’t blessed with Jones’ athleticism or opportunities. He had to work twice as hard as Jones to get where he’s at. And it pains him to know that Jones has thrown away years of his career, but is still better than him.

That three and a half minute video is perfect and did more to make me want Jones vs. Cormier 2 than a week of press conferences did for Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.

But online videos have never been a huge issue for the UFC. They’ve always put together decent to good online trailers where they have over three minutes to sell the big fight. Television commercials have been their downfall. When they’re forced to condense three minutes into thirty seconds, that’s when the focus becomes singular.

So, color me surprised when I saw the following commercials air during this past weekend’s UFC card on FoxSports1.

Two separate commercials, one on each fighter, both once again nailing the plot.

Jones is still the bad guy. He’s the sore winner who wants to embarrass Cormier one more time. Cormier is still the good guy. He’s the tireless worker who wants to humble Jones.

No fight highlights. No Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg yelling. No false or worn-out proclamations.

Just two men telling the same story that they’ve been telling since 2011 when Jon Jones won the UFC light heavyweight title and Daniel Cormier began making his name in Strikeforce.

Aside from a late year appearance by Conor McGregor, Jones vs. Cormier 2 will be the biggest fight of the year for the UFC. I applaud them for treating it as such. Let’s hope their efforts are rewarded next Saturday.

I’m on twitter @jeremylambert88