4-5 close rounds where nearly nothing happened, lots of stalling in the clinch, and a few pointless takedowns? Shit, if Cormier had taken Jones down in two more rounds, instead of just one, he might have won on that alone.
It was a clear win for Jones but the domination narrative doesn't hold water.
Cormier might take this one if he makes a handful of improvements or doesn't gas. Or maybe Jones does dominate, if he's off the drugs. More likely Jones wins another boring decision. Which is why this main event isn't compelling. All the animosity before the first one meant fuck-all.
These two guys are the two best fighters in the UFC regardless of weight division.
"If Cormier had taken Jones down in two more rounds".
He couldn't except for a pity gift takedown in the fourth or fifth. He was getting completely nullified in the grappling. Jon was the first to take him down and a bunch more after that and pretty much took his fighting spirit with them.
I also hate this whole coulda woulda shoulda narrative. It's like if Aldo didn't get punched in the face, he could have possibly put up a decent fight against McGregor.
Jon "dominated" that fight winning 4 out of the 5 rounds. Against a guy who had never even lost a round before that. And the reason Cormier was gassed was because Jon kept throwing kicks and punches to the body that Cormier didn't block. From what I remember, Comier had the most success in the clinch with those hard uppercuts.
I'm sure it'll be a little more competitive this time around but as long as a motivated Jon shows up, he secures another W.
That being said, I like the fight. It's the two best fighters in the UFC and that's exactly who should be headlining at their marquee event. It doesn't have the glitz and glamour of the initial Diaz/Conor fight and most likely a lot less PPV buys + gate but it's a formidable replacement imo.