Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier & Alexander Gustafsson face questions after UFC 192
Monday 5 October 2015 12:39, UK
Daniel Cormier won a gruelling world championship fight against Alexander Gustafsson while his absent adversary Jon Jones edged closer to a return after UFC 192.
Cormier earned a five-round decision after a hard-fought scrap against Gustafsson in Texas this weekend in his first title defence but former champion Jones - who has already beaten them both - could be back in the picture.
Sky Sports discuss five talking points after UFC 192 here.
When will Jones be back?
The inevitable shadow that the absent Jones cast over the second light-heavyweight title fight since his expulsion briefly dimmed when Cormier and Gustafsson slugged out a classic. But the murmurs, partly instigated by Jones himself, resumed before the two warring fighters had even been patched up.
Jones posted a message saying he missed fighting, before deleting it altogether, on Instagram after watching his two former opponents go to battle. Having been through a combined 10 rounds against both men, successfully on each occasion, it was impossible not to remember Jones at his finest when Cormier and Gustafsson duked it out.
Jones avoided jail time last week for his part in a hit-and-run earlier this year, making his UFC return plausible, but he remains suspended. Should he return, all signs point to a rematch with Cormier who he defended his championship against in January. With the belt now around Cormier's waist, Jones faces the intriguing possibility of entering a second fight with his biggest rival as a challenger.
Cormier is a worthy champ
His first attempt at a title, against Jones earlier this year, may have resulted in the first loss of a career that only began at the age of 30 when his Olympic wrestling drew to a close. As he watched Jones' hand get raised, he could never have envisaged how the next few months would go.
Cormier illustrated his own brilliance - a gut-wrenching display of determination and toughness rather than the flashy skills of the previous champion - against Gustafsson. Lifting the Swede above his head in the opening round was the most eye-catching moment but it was the grittiness to out-box the far taller, far longer Gustafsson that won him this fight.
Having knocked off Anthony Johnson now Gustafsson, the highest ranked fighters in the division, there can be no disputing Cormier's credentials to the championship he originally failed to win against Jones.
Gustafsson defined by defeats?
One of Europe's premier exports to the Las Vegas-based UFC, the Swedish fighter has thrilled at the top level of the 205-pounds division for two years by turning every fight into an exciting battle of wills.
On paper, the facts remain that he has lost his three biggest fights. He is defined by an epic defeat to Jones in 2013, one of the greatest fights of all time, on which he deservedly hangs his hat.
Since then, he was shockingly knocked out in his home country in a title-eliminator by Anthony Johnson in January. Such is the regard in which he was held, Gustafsson was immediately scheduled to challenge for Cormier's title and once again must make do with the tag of a brave but unsuccessful runner-up. The search for a landmark, defining victory continues.
Cut out the weight issues
Two days before UFC 192, a thrilling welterweight contest between knockout specialists Johny Hendricks and Tyron Woodley was cancelled due to a medical emergency stemming from weight cutting.
Hendricks, during his cut to the 170 pounds limit, was rushed to hospital having contracted kidney stones, a scary reminder of the dangers fighters put themselves through even before gloving their fists. A former welterweight champion, it was not his first battle against the scales to make the limit.
The UFC recently put a ban on IVs to rehydrate after weigh-ins, making it harder to drop weight prior to fighting. An enforced move to middleweight could be on the agenda for Hendricks.
Two years is a long time...
Rashad Evans found out the hard way that the ever-evolving sport of MMA will change even more quickly if you spend two years rehabilitating an injury.
A former light-heavyweight champion, Evans looked gun-shy and was soundly beaten by Ryan Bader at UFC 192 on his return from a knee injury. He hadn't fought for two years due to physical setbacks and found that his vast experience was scant consolation against a quicker, younger opponent.
Since Evans last win in 2013, Bader has gone from being a middling contender to putting together five straight wins and could fight for the title next.
