Sonnen: Jones vs. Cormier is not going to be competitive

Former UFC contender Chael Sonnen recently spoke with Michael Stets for MMAMania about who he thinks takes it in the main event of UFC 182.

“On my system/little check list, when I go down that list, I check every box for Jon Jones: youth, speed, length, and experience,” said Sonnen. “And Daniel will argue that experience, but what I’m talking about is five-round, main event, world-title-fight experience. Daniel has never done that. Jones has done it six times or seven getting ready for seven or eight. He’s been there and he’s tested it out. Jon Jones has far more ways to win. And the biggest problem you run into when you’re fighting Jones, and you can study all the tape you want and every single fight — it never fails — every fight Jon Jones comes out with a move that we’ve never seen. And that move changes the fight.”

“So now, how does Cormier win? And he can win. But he has to pressure him. He has to close that distance. He can’t circle with him. The length alone takes that ability away. Plus we saw Vitor do that, it doesn’t work. No matter how good of a striker you are, if you’re not in range to strike it doesn’t count. Cormier understands this concept. And Cormier will close the distance and start to fight from there and he will throw hard punches, very hard. He will get to that clinch position and push him into the fence. Can he keep him there? That is the question. Cormier believes he can keep him there. He’s prepared to hear the crowd boo. He’s prepared to ignore those boos and just win the round the same way he won against Frank Mir. That is straight from Daniel’s mouth and I believe him.”

“I would like to make this final point, because I don’t think anyone else will. This is not going to be a close fight. This is either going to be takeboxing, as I like to call it, instead of Jon Jones kickboxing. I like to call it takeboxing when he does it because he just takes you away. He will kick you in your gut. He will kick you in your thigh. He will leg chop you. He will be over here and drop down and punch your body like he did with ‘Shogun.’ He will just kickbox you to death until there is nothing left and you fall down.

“If that doesn’t happen, Cormier is going to run through him like a bull. He is going to charge him, push him into the fence like he says. Stomp his feet, knee his body, punch his head, pull him off that fence, pick him up and slam him on his head and start punching him in the head, wear him out and making him looking really bad.”

“It’s not going to be competitive. One guy is going to run away with this thing. I do believe it goes all five rounds. I don’t see any quit out of either one of those guys. I definitely don’t see knockout power or a submission hold, but I think someone is getting their ass kicked for five-straight rounds. I think it’s lopsided.”

So there’s Chael Sonnen’s predictions:

•Fight goes to distance;

•Jones unveils some new technique we all be doing Monday;

•Who ever wins, wins in dominant fashion;

•Jones probably wins.