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411 Fact or Fiction MMA: Does Cormier Have a Say in Where He Fights Jones?
Welcome back to another edition of 411 Fact or Fiction MMA, and I’m your host, Wyatt Beougher! Last week, Todd Vote tried to hand Larry Csonka his first loss of this tournament season, and they discussed Conor McGregor being the early betting favorite over Jose Aldo, Bellator’s overseas prospects, and more. When the dust settled, Todd proved to be just another victim of Larry’s Fact or Fiction prowess, with Larry capturing nearly 73% of the vote en route to a 29-8 victory.This week, Jonathan Solomon will attempt to succeed where Todd (and several other competitors) have failed in knocking off another undefeated competitor, the Wrestling Zone’s Dino Zee. They’ll be discussing Benson Henderson’s free agency future, Demetrious Johnson’s stance regarding potential brain damage, and more!
TALE OF THE TAPE
RED CORNER
“Juggernaut” Jonathan Solomon
Contributor/Rankings Compiler, 411 MMA Zone
1-3-1g>VS
BLUE CORNER
Dino “Salad Bar” Zee
Contributor, 411 Wrestling Zone
5-0-0
1.) Benson Henderson is one of the few fighters that Bellator would be wise to tender a large contract to, as he would actually provide a solid return on investment.
Jonathan Solomon: FICTION I don’t see Henderson as someone deserving of a large contract entering 2016. He’s 32 years old and has never been a big enough star to where he’s considered one of the best fighters in the world. Even at his very best, he was beating Frankie Edgar and Gilbert Melendez by decisions (two of those three were split). In Bellator, he’s probably automatically the best lightweight and welterweight in the company. But, does offering him a deal north of $200,000 really make fiscal sense? Does he really bring in new viewers to Spike TV that makes such an offer a sound move? I don’t believe so.
Dino Zee: FACT There are clearly two schools of thought to consider here, one being that Benson Henderson is a former UFC Champion with a recognizable name, and for that reason, Bellator should go for him. The other is that while he has a name, Henderson has never proven himself to be an actual draw, and so Bellator doesn’t necessarily need to try and sign him. I’m personally a believer in the first, and so I say FACT for this one.
Henderson would immediately be considered the best lightweight (should he return to 155) on the roster, and easily one of their top welterweights (should he stay at 170). Fights with Will Brooks, Michael Chandler, a rematch with Josh Thomson, or even fights with Paul Daley or Andrey Koreshkov could all be interesting affairs. Regardless of your personal feelings on Henderson, I think we can all agree (hopefully) that Bellator needs to try to sign Benson. He’s a top fighter coming off a 2-fight win streak, and in this time of money woes for UFC fighters, Bellator throwing a bunch of money his way in the hopes that UFC won’t match isn’t the worst idea in the world. This is a slam dunk FACT.
2.) Contrary to what Daniel Cormier says, where he fights Jon Jones is not his decision at all.
Jonathan Solomon: FACT If the UFC wants Jon Jones fighting for the light heavyweight championship on April 23 in New York City, it will happen regardless of whether Daniel Cormier is his opponent that night. With it seeming like the UFC is hellbent on running Madison Square Garden in the spring (whether it’s actually legal or not), Jones is almost definitely the biggest name available (Rousey and McGregor do not appear likely) and let’s not act like Cormier has any political pull that could force the UFC’s hand when it comes to scheduling such a big date. Besides, Cormier would be a fool if he were to turn down headlining the first MMA event in MSG.
Dino Zee: FACT He should have some say, but we know he won’t. If UFC can book a New York event, there’s no way Jon Jones isn’t going to be on that card. I’m not too worked up on this though, as Cormier’s comments just felt like the latest round of posturing between two alphas that don’t really get along. I don’t really think Cormier believes that he has any kind of input when it comes to where he fights next, but that doesn’t mean he won’t pretend that’s the case to the media.
3.) While it makes sense for Invicta to have Cristiane Cyborg Justino’s next fight be a defense of her featherweight title, rather than a 140-pound fight, it is surprising that UFC (who holds Justino’s contract) aren’t proceeding with their previously-discussed plan to see if she could make bantamweight.
Jonathan Solomon: FACT It continues to be a weird situation where Cyborg remains at featherweight, further pushing back any actual plan to try moving down in weight incrementally. Even though Ronda Rousey has lost, a Cyborg/Rousey fight is still a big money bout, certainly a lot more money than any 145-pound matchup for Cyborg. Whether it’s her move to delay any drop and continue on at featherweight or if the UFC is also behind this move, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’d like to see Cyborg try to make 140-pounds first at some point over the next two months. This gives her time to see if a bantamweight contest in 2016 is even realistic. Meanwhile, Rousey and Holly Holm build up to their rematch by next summer, all the while Cyborg ultimately gets the winner. Sure, that’s a perfect situation that would require several things to go as planned, but it’s better than keeping Cyborg from even touching 135-pounds.
Dino Zee: FICTION They lost the money fight, why continue to proceed with the plans? No one was clamoring for Cyborg to fight at Bantamweight unless her opponent was named “Ronda Rousey,” so that ship, for the time being, has absolutely sailed. Sure, they could still do Cyborg/Holm, or Cyborg/Tate, but why? The allure of the two “baddest” women fighters going at it was the draw, not the top two ranked women fighters. Maybe Holm can do some more work and build herself up to that level, but for now, there is no need to pull Cyborg from her duties as an Invicta champion simply to force a fight that no one was really asking for.
SWITCH!
4.) More fighters should adopt an attitude like Demetrious Johnson’s, that no amount of money is worth risking potential brain damage.
Dino Zee: FACT I’m surprised all fighters don’t have that mentality. Sure, there’s something very fun about a Diego Sanchez and his “bite down on the mouthpiece and walk forward” style, but when the object of a fight is to not get hurt, you’d think more fighters would try to avoid, you know, getting hurt. Some may cry that Mighty Mouse’s point of view is one of the reasons that he’s not a super popular fighter, but I think that’s bunk. Watching Mighty Mouse make top level guys look completely ordinary, and all while basically not getting hit, is (for me) way more impressive and entertaining than watching Diego once again trade haymakers until someone drops. Both are an element of MMA that we love, sure, but I fully appreciate what Mighty Mouse does more than what Diego does. And of course, Sanchez is just the example here – there are plenty of guys who like to just throw bombs and hope for the best.
Still, Mighty Mouse has the right idea – and the results speak for themselves.
Jonathan Solomon: FACT You cannot fault a man for wanting to maintain as much functioning brain power as he can while being an elite combat athlete. More fighters would be smart to follow suit, though not everyone is as skilled or has the means to train to be such a fighter. Johnson is one of the three or four best fighters in the sport and isn’t necessarily winning all his fights by boring decisions. Since he became flyweight champion in 2012, four of his seven title defenses included bonuses for performance, knockout, submission or fight of the night. He’s also had 26 pro fights, who knows how many amateur bouts and over eight years worth of training. It’s not that his brain is in perfect condition after such a long career (and he’s only 29-years-old), but it has to help in the long run when he’s not sitting in the pocket brawling as though his head is just a punching bag.
5.) With Gleison Tibau the first UFC fighter to provisionally violate the UFC’s new anti-doping program and not retire, there will be a great deal of media scrutiny on how his hearing plays out and what fines/suspension he ends up receiving, which may cause the UFC to make an example of him.
Dino Zee: FICTION You know, I’m not really up to speed on this, and I’ll admit it. However, while I know that a group will be looking for UFC to throw the book at Tibau for his failure, I hope that the UFC keeps Nick Diaz in mind and doesn’t go overboard in their punishment. I’m not comparing the what between Diaz and Tibau, let me clarify that now. I’m simply saying that the UFC has to be aware that going too far in a punishment is not going to make them look good in the eyes of fans. At the same time, this is their chance to legitimize the anti-doping program, and a slap on the wrist isn’t going to impress too many people. I’m actually hoping for a reasonable conclusion that sees Tibau suspended, but not suspended for an insane amount of time.
Jonathan Solomon: FICTION If it’s USADA that will be determining the punishment, it’s not the UFC’s role to impact fines/suspension in any way. Technically, we’re not even sure what Gleison failed his drug test for or when his test was taken.
6.) Considering professional wrestling has long enjoyed success in Pittsburgh, and the relatively short distance to Youngstown, Ohio, a hotbed of boxing activity for decades, it is surprising that UFC waited nearly five years to return to the Steel City.
Dino Zee: FICTION With the UFC focusing on expanding globally in recent years, it’s not a surprise at all that poor old Pittsburgh has been left out of the plans for the last 5 years, regardless of its wrestling or boxing connections. Multiple cards in the UK, Brazil, and Asia (amongst other spots) have taken away the smaller cards, and the UFC’s home in Las Vegas will never be left wanting for a card. I’m sure we could go through the events since the last Pittsburgh card and ask “Why not that event?” but at the same time, I’m not surprised that it’s taken five years to return. There’s plenty of places to run a show.
Jonathan Solomon: FICTION I assumed had the first/last UFC show in Pittsburgh done well enough, they would have returned much sooner. The 2011 card that included the ridiculous turn of events that led to Nate Marquardt being released must not have done that well. Or perhaps the Marquardt situation just left a bad taste in their mouths.
So who won? Did Dino remain unbeaten or was Solomon able to do what has been all-but-impossible? You’ve got until midnight eastern on Saturday to vote, so make sure you make your voice heard!
And that’s it for today, but we’ll be back next week with another contest! As always, if there’s anything you’d like to see featured in a future edition, leave your statement in the comments and I’ll add it in. Let me know what you thought in the comments or on Twitter. And please, be sure to vote!
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