If you look at DC he could easily trim some fat and add some lean muscle and really improve his stamina and strength. Those would be the biggest change he needs to make, but I'm not sure it will put him over the top. Jones is just so much bigger.
I think the difference is those other athletes were charismatic(minus Kobe), consistent, practiced what they preached, and gracious in victory and defeat. Bones comes across like a spoiled child, talks about how much he loves jesus then acts the opposite, and doesn't know when to just stop talking. Even mike bisping knows when to call it a day and be gracious.
I think Gus beat him the first time by the thinnest of margins, but that wont happen again. Bones is just too good and will make the adjustments. I agree with Barns, DC didn't gas cause he is "old", but because of his approach to training. He is still new to MMA and is still retraining his body as he slowly drops from the 240+ he was. I think will definitely continue to improve and is probably the only threat to Bones at LHW. But Bones is still so much bigger. As for HWs, I think there are several that can give bones a great challenge as he would no longer Have the huge reach and height advantage But who knows, and that is the awesome part. At some point bones is going to have to go up and we will all get to see it.
I don't think Cormier can get down any more fat. I mean he trained at a level he never had before for this fight. If he could lose more without comprimosing his stamina and health, he would have IMO. They weigh exactly the same, but I thought Cormire would have an advantage wrestling from a lower center of gravity. He just couldn't get Jones in a position to take him down. Jones's defense was just too good. Then I couldn't believe how easily he was picking up and dumping Cormier in the later rounds.
It takes time to lose fat and build muscle. It has taken some time for him to even make 205, as he stays there in weight and tweaks his training and diet he can certainly lean out a great deal and get stronger. As for Bones size, I don't mean weight, I mean height and length. Bones is just flat out bigger than DC in all areas outside of weight.
You might be right about DC losing weight, I just doubt it. This was actually the most toned I've ever seen CD. I could actually see a six pack when he breathed in sometimes, but I think that's just close to as toned as he can get while still maximizing his energy and health. Some people are just built like that I think.
I think if he really changes his diet things could change, but in the end i am not sure that he could beat Jones. I had it 3/2 but it could have been easily 4/1 Jones. Besides getting in way better shape he need to continue to grow leaps and bounds. BUT this loss might be what does it for him. He really hasn't been challenged in MMA yet and losing could be a great thing for him.
Jones is a master at unexpected and unorthodox striking. All those shoulder and elbow strikes really wore on Cormier IMO. The one and only time I saw Cormier surprise Jones was when he reversed a clench and threw Jones off balance and almost down. And then Cormire had to keep closing the distance because of that 12" reach disadvantage. That's the biggest part of Jone's size that's pretty tough to overcome. I thought Cormier might have a chance at challenge Jones as a wrestler because of his background, and because of all his training partners, but he couldn't even challenge Jones there either. The guy's just a beast all the way around. I wonder how long before people start talking about supassing Silva, and Jones being the best ever
cowboy stepping up a replacement to fight Benson in 2 weeks. That's crazy. He won handily, but two weeks between fights is just awesome. Remember the good ol days of 3 fights in one night?
I didn't hear about that. Cowboy is a maniac. Henderson isn't someone you want to fight with little to no notice like that.
I agree Barnes. I would generally take cowboy over most, even with only two weeks notice as he has been on a tear, but bendo is gonna be hard to beat.
The shocker their is how short a time cocaine stays in the system. For the average person it out in a day or two, for someone like Jones who is constantly flushing his body it would be shorter. That means he probably did it either the night before, or more likely the day of, perhaps even right before the fight which would actually act as a performance enhancer in a way.
They said they tested him the day after the fight. He could have done it the night of after the fight or something, but cocaine isn't considered a performance enhancing drug, so the UFC won't do anything about it from what I hear. Still, I doubt this hurts his image much. People hated him anyway.
I'm glad it wont muttle up his fights, that's not fair to him or the other fighters either. I hope he can get real help and get his life together. As for his image, sadly it just confirms what most of the world thought about him anyway.
I also read that he failed a drug test a on Dec 4th and that test came back on the 23rd and the NSAC didn't reveal it. http://mmajunkie.com/2015/01/ufc-ch...-positive-for-cocaine-reportedly-enters-rehab
More like a month before. I think Dana should have been more transparent about it, explaining "jones tested positive for benzo-whatever on dec 4th, which is not a banned substance, but common in cocaine. Jones will be allowed to fight, but the ufc will investigate the matter and if illicit drug use is indicated, rehab and/or a suspension will be in order."
