UFC fans have been waiting on the Jon Jones-Daniel Cormier rematch for a long time. It looks like it’s finally going to happen on Saturday in the cherry-on-top bout of what appears to be a fantastic card.
Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (19-1) has one loss on his resume and that came against former champion Jon Jones (22-1), whose own lone loss came via DQ in December 2009. Jones beat Cormier by unanimous decision in January 2015 but has had a slew of legal troubles since then. Rematches have been cancelled because of injuries and drug suspensions, and the two have since gone back and forth in the media. But when they get in the octagon, the biggest question will be Jones’ ring rust as he hasn’t fought since April 2016.
Cormier last fought in April of this year; will that give him the edge in this grudge match? Also, how much has his striking improved since his first fight with Jones? Jones was once the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC and many want to see if he’s still in those ranks. He’s a -260 favorite for this bout while Cormier comes in at +200.
Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (17-3-1) will aim to defend the belt against Demain Maia (25-6), who is known as arguably the best pound-for-pound grappler in the UFC. Woodley is coming off a pair of tough scraps against Stephen Thompson, both of which could have went either way but went in his favor (a draw and a majority decision for). Woodley is a fantastic wrestler and has knockout power. However, he doesn’t want any part of going to the mat with Maia, who has improved as a striker, but he has 12 submission wins. Woodley doesn’t have much to gain in this fight but plenty to lose. He is constantly clamoring for respect and a win here doesn’t get him much but a loss would hurt his standing significantly. He’s a -205 favorite while Maia is priced at +165.
Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Justino (17-1, 1 NC) faces Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger (19-5, 1 NC) at featherweight. Justino wanted to fight champion Germaine de Randamie, who didn’t want the fight because of Justino’s failed drug test in 2011, so she was stripped of the title. Then Justino was supposed to fight Invicta FC featherweight champion Megan Anderson for the vacant belt, but Anderson had to pull out of the fight. Justino is a knockout artist with 15 TKO/KO wins to her name, which is why the well-rounded Evinger has to get this fight to the mat. She doesn’t want to get into a slugfest with Justino in this title fight. Cyborg is a massive -1100 favorite while Evinger is at +650.
Former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler (27-11, 1 NC) and Donald Cerrone (32-8, 1 NC) were scheduled for UFC 213, but Cerrone needed time to recover from an injury. Now they finally meet in what could end up being the best fight on the card. Both men love to finish fights and both need wins, so they’ll be coming out swinging. Cerrone’s biggest worry are his slow starts but the longer they go, the better it gets. Lawler is a -160 favorite while Cerrone is the dog at +130.
Jimi Manuwa (17-2) and Volkan Oezdemir (14-1) will kick off the card from the light heavyweight division in a clash of strikers with plenty of knockout power. Manuwa could be first in line for a title fight versus Cormier/Jones, but he can’t overlook Oezdemir. He would vault into the conversation for a championship match if he wins this fight. He comes into this bout having won four straight but still finds himself as the +150 underdog. Manuwa is posted at -185.