Machida: Jones, Weidman will retain titles
Both have formidable opponents, but Lyoto Machida, who has fought both of them, believes they will both defend their respective titles successfully.
Both UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and middleweight champion Chris Weidman are scheduled to defend their title. Both have formidable opponents, but Lyoto Machida, who has fought both of them, believes they will both defend their respective titles successfully:
Weidman versus Vitor is a tough matchup for both. Vitor has a chance of knocking him out, especially in the beginning of the fight, but I believe time is not on Vitor’s side. It’s common for a striker to lose his power during the fight, something which wrestlers deal with a little better, Machida noted.
I think Jones retains his belt. Cormier is a great fighter, but the matchup isn’t very favorable for him, with the reach issue and stuff. Cormier has very solid wrestling, but if you look at the big picture from a technical point of view, I don’t see him winning. I think [Alexander] Gustafsson, who’s taller and has a longer reach, can give Jones a hard time. But then, I see Cormier being a bad matchup for Gustafsson. It’s all about the matchups.
Jon Jones defend his title against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 2nd and Chris Weidman defends his title against Vitor Belfort at UFC 184 on February 28th in Los Angeles, CA.