As the old saying goes, “desperate men take desperate measures,” and Jon Jones is a desperate man. At least if you ask Daniel Cormier, that is.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani ahead of UFC 210 this weekend, the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Cormier said that if he were in Jones’s position of serving a USADA suspension, he would be lying low as opposed to attending UFC events and speaking to the media.
“If I was suspended for anything, especially for something whatever it may have said to be, there’s no way I’m out in public,” Cormier said of Jones, who was suspended after taking what was found to be a tainted, uh, “dick pill,” as it’s been dubbed. “I’m staying home, I’d lick my wounds until my suspension is done, and then I’d come back out. But I think that says a lot about your character.”
Jones is in Buffalo for Saturday’s event and will be speaking with the media on Friday and may be sitting cage side for Cormier’s championship defense.
“It doesn’t bother me, I just think he’s desperate,” he said. “Very desperate. He’s like the old quarterback that was super successful in high school, and he comes back to the parties with his jacket on.”
Whatever Jones shows up wearing, Cormier should keep his focus on Anthony Johnson, who may walk out wearing a new championship belt if Cormier isn’t careful.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: I don’t think it’s desperate of Jon Jones to show up to the fight this weekend. It’s close to his hometown and it’s likely that he’ll be fighting the winner when his suspension is up this summer. Whether it’s Cormier or Johnson, Jones has a built in storyline with either, so it’s a natural matchup to make. It’s actually Cormier who comes off as desperate because he seems a little obsessed with Jones. Hopefully, for Cormier, he isn’t allowing Jones’s presence to be too much of a distraction.
THURSDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS
-Jason “Mayhem” Miller has pleaded guilty to a set of misdemeanor and felony charges for events occurring between 2014-2016. The plea will allow Miller to avoid any further jail time. Miller’s lawyer says his “life is back on track.”
-Nevada Athletic Commission Director Bob Bennett told MMA Fighting that Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor is an “approvable” fight. (SOURCE)
-UFC 210 Embedded episode 4 has been posted HERE.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ROUNDUP
-Ed Ruth vs. Aaron Goodwine at Bellator 178 on April 21.
-Dong Hyun Kim vs. Colby Covington at UFC Fight Night Singapore on June 17.
-Alex Caceres vs. Wang Guan also for the Singapore card.
-Rousimar Palhares vs. Alexei Ivanov at Fight Nights Global on June 30.
-Travis Browne vs. Aleksei Oleinik is “close” to being official for UFC 213 on July 8 from Las Vegas.
http://www.mmafighting.com/2017/4/6/15206152/travis-browne-vs-aleksei-oleinik-slated-for-ufc-213
THROWBACK THURSDAY
Rewatch the first Cormier-Johnson fight from May 2015: CLICK HERE
NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE 4/5: McGregor coach says Mayweather fight is going to happen, training underway (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)
(MMATorch’s Daily News Digest features the top story of the day with added analysis, plus smaller tidbits in the News Notes section. Mike Hiscoe, who writes the News Digest Sundays through Thursdays, has a background in film criticism and previously wrote for the DVD Town and Movie Metropolis websites. His passion for Mixed Martial Arts goes back to 2005, but it was in the promotion for UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie that he really got hooked.”This is my house, I build it,” is still among the all-time great UFC promos. You can follow Mike on social media under the tag @mikehiscoe. He now provides his experienced writing and perspective on live MMA events for MMATorch.)
Johnson TKO 1