Outside of its lightweight champion fitting himself with bigger gloves and longer odds and stepping into a boxing ring next month, the UFC is bringing its hottest fight to Anaheim. Put aside the li…
Outside of its lightweight champion fitting himself with bigger gloves and longer odds and stepping into a boxing ring next month, the UFC is bringing its hottest fight to Anaheim.
Put aside the light middleweight boxing match between UFC superstar Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. next month in Las Vegas. The light heavyweight championship rematch between champion Daniel Cormier (19-1) and former champion Jon Jones (22-1) is the UFC’s biggest fight of the year, and UFC 214 at Honda Center has been bolstered with two other title fights and several key matchups.
Here are 10 things to know going into Saturday’s blockbuster event at Honda Center:
‘BONES’ IS BACK
One of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters and most controversial figures in MMA history returns to the Octagon for the first time in more than 15 months. Twice, Jon “Bones” Jones has been stripped of a UFC light heavyweight title (one interim) . Twice, Jones has been suspended for a year — the last time a result of a positive drug test that blew up his fight against Cormier just three days before UFC 200 last July. Yet only once has he lost, and that was early in his UFC career when he was disqualified for illegal elbows in a fight he was easily winning. Which Jon Jones shows up at Honda Center?
CAN CORMIER OVERCOME?
The light heavyweight champion gets to avenge the only loss of his career against the only MMA fighter to take him down. The former world-class wrestler has beaten some former champs and big names at 205 pounds — Dan Henderson, Anthony Johnson twice, Alexander Gustafsson and Anderson Silva (granted, on two days’ notice vs. a much lighter Silva — and at heavyweight — Antonio Silva, Josh Barnett, Frank Mir, Roy Nelson. Beating Jones would be his greatest victory in a decorated combat sports career.
UFC RETURNS TO OC
Anaheim will be hosting its seventh UFC card, tying Newark for third among U. S. cities to have hosted a UFC event, trailing only Atlantic City (8) and, of course, Las Vegas (111) . The UFC hasn’ t been at the Honda Center since Feb. 23,2013, when Ronda Rousey defended the bantamweight title awarded to her with a first-round armbar submission of Liz Carmouche in the first women’s fight in UFC history.
CYBORG’ S WAIT IS OVER
Cristiane Justino (16-1,1 NC) has won titles in Strikeforce and Invicta FC, and the Brazilian, who fights out of San Diego, has not-so-patiently waited for her shot at UFC gold. Now the most ferocious striker in women’s MMA history, known as Cris Cyborg, gets her crack at the UFC featherweight championship. Rather than make her first title defense against Cyborg, inaugural 145-pound champ Germaine de Randamie let the UFC strip her of the strap. Invicta FC featherweight champion Megan Anderson signed on the dotted line before withdrawing for personal reasons eight days later. Credit to Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger (19-5) for coming up 10 pounds to take on Justino next week in the Octagon.
THE CO-MAIN EVENT
Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (17-3-1) is undefeated in his past five fights at 4-0-1. The two-time NCAA All-American wrestler out of Missouri shocked the world by knocking out Robbie Lawler for the belt a year ago at UFC 201. He has since fought top-ranked Stephen Thompson to a draw and a majority-decision victory. Now he gets top contender Demian Maia (25-6) , who has won seven consecutive fights over the past three years. Maia is a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and one of the elite grapplers in the UFC. Something’s gotta give.
DON’ T BLINK
The pure, unadulterated and highly anticipated welterweight violence that is Robbie Lawler vs. Donald Cerrone was gifted to SoCal after an infection caused Cerrone to pull out of their UFC 213 bout July 8. No. 3 Lawler (27-11,1 NC) hasn’ t fought in a year since losing the belt to Woodley. He has earned four Fight of the Night bonuses and one Knockout of the Night. No. 7 Cerrone (32-8,1 NC) had a four-fight finish streak halted in January when he was knocked out by Jorge Masvidal in the second round. He has earned 18 fight bonuses, including eight Fight of the Nights.
JIMI JUST IN CASE
Jimi Manuwa (17-2) , the third-ranked light heavyweight, was put on the card as insurance in case someone was forced out of the main event. Coming off two consecutive Performance of the Nights knockouts, the Sacramento native who fights out of London gets no break in Volkan Oezdemir (14-1) . The fifth-ranked 205-pounder needed just 28 seconds to floor highly regarded Misha Cirkunov two months ago.
LOCALS ONLY?
The UFC typically stacks cards with local fighters, yet Brian Ortega (11-0,1 NC) and Kailin Curran (4-4) are the only ones from the L.A. and Orange County areas fighting on UFC 214. Lomita’s Ortega, ranked No. 8 in the featherweight rankings, suffered a torn labrum 11 months ago. He puts his unbeaten record against fellow undefeated 145-pounder Renato Moicano (10-0-1) , who is ranked ninth. Curran, a Hawaiian strawweight fighting out of Orange County, is in the featured early prelims bout on UFC Fight Pass against Alexandra Albu (6-0) .
THERE’ S A CATCH
The California State Athletic Commission flexed its muscle and refused to license Renan Barao (35-4,1 NC) to fight at 135 pounds. The CSAC cited the former bantamweight champion’s bad weight cut two years ago that forced him off UFC 177 in Sacramento. Now No. 8-ranked Aljamain Sterling (13-2) feels shafted going into this 140-pound catchweight fight, which could make for an easier cut for Barao.
214 FOR NOW
While only a few days away, it wouldn’ t be a shock if the UFC 214 card changes again. Five fights have been altered so far:
• Anderson withdrew from her featherweight title fight with Justino for personal reasons.
• A knee injury cost Chan Sung Jung a featherweight fight against Ricardo Lamas.
• Injured Doo Ho Choi pulled out of his featherweight bout against Andre Fili, who now gets newcomer Calvin Kattar.
• Claudio Puelles suffered a knee injury and withdrew from his lightweight fight against Sage Northcutt.
• John Makdessi stepped in for Puelles, but recent injuries to him and Northcutt caused their fight to be canceled.
