UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones II will air on July 29, 2017, in Anaheim, California.
(C) DANIEL “DC” CORMIER (19-1-0) vs. #1 JON “BONES” JONES (22-1-0)
This is a five-round fight for the light heavyweight championship. Cormier brings kickboxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control leading him to become the current champion. Jones brings Muay Thai, Gaidojutsu, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio leading him to become the former light heavyweight champion and the number one pound-for-pound king. This is the rematch in the making as two of the top contenders in the division as well as the entire sport step inside the octagon for the second meeting with Cormier looking for redemption and Jones to regain what he was stripped of due to outside reasons. Now, both fighters bring a great combination of striking and grappling techniques so they are pretty much dead even on skills, but when it all comes down to who is more well-rounded as a fighter Jones is the one who looks to take the fight and continue his reign as the GOAT of the UFC and mixed martial arts. From his striking, not to mention his reach advantage, and his ground-and-pound he has proven time and time again why he is the best there has ever been even when he has not been in action for quite some time. Though, Cormier is no one to keep out as he has proven just how dangerous of an opponent he is with his striking and intense wrestling background that has helped him remain on top throughout his career with Jones being the only man to defeat him and if Jones does not keep his defense up then Cormier for sure will show him much more of the ground-and-pound he possesses. But, Jones has already shown he can stand toe-to-toe with Cormier’s wrestling as he not only was the first person to bring Cormier to the ground but out wrestle him proving that it takes much more than an Olympic wrestler or any athlete to beat him. My prediction: Jones wins via TKO in Round 4.
(C) TYRON “THE CHOSEN ONE” WOODLEY (16-3-1) vs. #1 DEMIAN MAIA (25-6-0)
This is a five-round co-main event for the welterweight championship. Woodley brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio leading him to become the current welterweight champion. Maia brings boxing, karate, judo, and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power along with grappling control and cardio. Now, this looks to be an interesting matchup as these two fighters are known for putting on a great performance and to see them go head-to-head will be one fight no one wants to miss. From what both of these fighters bring the fight looks to be in favor of Woodley with his deadly knockout power and wrestling combination which can do serious damage and might be more than Maia can handle. Though Maia has great jiu-jitsu techniques and if he used them the way he did against Carlos Condit then he could very well have a chance at adding his greatest victory to his record and bring another title back to Brazil. But he will have to find a way to overcome Woodley’s speed and power which will prove to be a great challenge, so if Maia cannot find his opening then I am afraid he will not be walking away with the gold this time around. My prediction: Woodley wins via knockout in Round 4.
CRISTIANE “CYBORG” JUSTINO (16-1-0, 1 NC) vs. TONYA “TRIPLE THREAT” EVINGER (19-5-0)
This is a five-round fight for the women’s featherweight championship. Justino brings boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving her extreme knockout power leading her to become a former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion. Evinger brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving her knockout power with grappling control leading her to become the current Invicta Bantamweight Champion. It looks like the UFC will finally get a women’s featherweight champion that will not refuse to defend the title after Germaine de Randamie was stripped of the title for refusing to defend it after winning it against Holly Holm at UFC 208. With both fighters bringing great striking and grappling techniques this fight could go either way, but since aggression will play a part of it Justino will probably use her striking power to pressure Evinger against the cage where she will unleash a fury of fists which Evinger will not be able to stand against. Unless Evinger can use her jiu-jitsu and wrestling to try and wear down Justino then She really doesn’t look to stand much of a chance against a top athlete like Justino. My prediction: Justino wins via TKO in Round 2.
#3 ROBBIE “RUTHLESS” LAWLER (27-11-0, 1 NC) vs. #6 DONALD “COWBOY” CERRONE (32-8-0, 1 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the welterweight division. Lawler brings boxing and wrestling giving him intense knockout power with grappling control leading him to become a former welterweight champion. Cerrone brings boxing, kickboxing, Gaidojutsu, Muay Thai, taekwondo, and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power along with grappling control and cardio. This is a fight fans have been wanting to see for a long time and now that it will finally go down both fighters will finally be able to test their skills against each to see who really is the better athlete. Both are skilled with outstanding striking and grappling so, either way, this fight will be great on both feet and the mat, but what I see will be the key to victory is cardio and Lawler has just a little more of an edge on that aspect of the fight. Yes, Cerrone has great cardio too, but the fact that Lawler has fought in many five-round wars and almost always came out on top just speaks for itself and unless Cerrone can put Lawler away as fast as Tyron Woodley did then Lawler just might put this fight in the bag. My prediction: Lawler wins via split decision.
#3 JIMI “POSTER BOY” MANUWA (17-2-0) vs. #5 VOLKAN “NO TIME” OEZDEMIR (14-1-0)
This is a three-round fight in the light heavyweight division. Manwua brings boxing, Muay Thai, and jiu-jitsu giving him hardcore knockout power with some grappling control. Oezdemir brings boxing, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power with some grappling control. Now, this fight will be a fun fight to watch as two all-around strikers go head-to-head where anything can happen. For both fighters, a lot has happened in just a short amount of time, but in the techniques, Manwua seems to show much cleaner strikes that have been proven to be lethal and with the power, he places in them makes one wonder if Oezdemir will be able to stand against that type of power. Now yes, Oezdemir has just come off of an impressive win over a top contender, Misha Cirkunov, however, Manwua is not that easy to drop and if he does not keep his distance or let Manwua come charging at him then he probably won’t last as long as he probably was planning for. My prediction: Manwua wins via unanimous decision.
