Author: bgoldstein

VIDEO: CagePotato Breaks Down UFC 182?s Jones vs. Cormier Fight on TYT Sports

(Props: TYTSports on YouTube)

We have no idea why they keep inviting us do this, but once again, the good folks at TYT Sports had CagePotato’s founding editor Ben Goldstein on their show today to discuss Jon Jones‘s dominant decision win against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182, as well as Jones’s now-complete transformation into a super-heel. There aren’t many controversial things you can say about the greatest fighter in the world winning a fight, but we always have a good time hanging with the TYT crew. Check out our conversation above, and stay tuned for videos about what’s next for Jones and Cormier, and the prospect of Conor McGregor fighting Jose Aldo in an Irish soccer stadium. (Assuming he beats Dennis Siver.) (Which he will.)


(Props: TYTSports on YouTube)

We have no idea why they keep inviting us do this, but once again, the good folks at TYT Sports had CagePotato’s founding editor Ben Goldstein on their show today to discuss Jon Jones‘s dominant decision win against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182, as well as Jones’s now-complete transformation into a super-heel. There aren’t many controversial things you can say about the greatest fighter in the world winning a fight, but we always have a good time hanging with the TYT crew. Check out our conversation above, and stay tuned for videos about what’s next for Jones and Cormier, and the prospect of Conor McGregor fighting Jose Aldo in an Irish soccer stadium. (Assuming he beats Dennis Siver.) (Which he will.)

UFC 182 Salaries: Jon Jones Earns Waaaaaay More Than Everyone Else


(Yep, that’s gonna suck. Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

The UFC paid out $1.5 million in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the 22 fighters who competed at UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier, with light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones taking home over a third of the pie. Of course, these numbers never really tell the full story, as they don’t include pay-per-view incentives and undisclosed “locker room bonuses” that can make UFC fights much more lucrative for the headliners. Anyway, the official payout list is below via MMAJunkie. Let us know if you have any questions.

Jon Jones: $550,000 (no win bonus; includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Daniel Cormier: $140,000 (includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Donald Cerrone: $140,000 (includes $70,000 win bonus)
def. Myles Jury: $16,000

Brad Tavares: $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus)
def. Nate Marquardt: $49,000

Kyoji Horiguchi: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
def. Louis Gaudinot: $10,000


(Yep, that’s gonna suck. Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

The UFC paid out $1.5 million in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the 22 fighters who competed at UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier, with light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones taking home over a third of the pie. Of course, these numbers never really tell the full story, as they don’t include pay-per-view incentives and undisclosed “locker room bonuses” that can make UFC fights much more lucrative for the headliners. Anyway, the official payout list is below via MMAJunkie. Let us know if you have any questions.

Jon Jones: $550,000 (no win bonus; includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Daniel Cormier: $140,000 (includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Donald Cerrone: $140,000 (includes $70,000 win bonus)
def. Myles Jury: $16,000

Brad Tavares: $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus)
def. Nate Marquardt: $49,000

Kyoji Horiguchi: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
def. Louis Gaudinot: $10,000

Hector Lombard: $106,000 (includes $53,000 win bonus)
def. Josh Burkman: $45,000

Paul Felder: $70,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus)
def. Danny Castillo: $36,000

Cody Garbrandt: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Marcus Brimage: $12,000

Shawn Jordan: $94,000 (includes $22,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus)
def. Jared Cannonier: $8,000

Evan Dunham: $54,000 (includes $27,000 win bonus)
def. Rodrigo Damm: $12,000

Omari Akhmedov: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Mats Nilsson: $8,000

Marion Reneau: $17,600 (includes $8,000 win bonus, and $1,600 from Dufresne’s purse)
def. Alexis Dufresne: $6,400 (Dufresne was penalized 20% of her purse for missing weight)

UFC 182 Photo: Jon Jones Reminds Daniel Cormier of His Place in Life


(Click for larger version.)

2015’s first “Photo of the Year” nomination goes to MMAFighting‘s Esther Lin, who captured the demoralizing moment at UFC 182 when Jon Jones palmed Daniel Cormier‘s head at the end of round 4, after taking the former Olympic wrestler down repeatedly. Cormier can barely summon the will to get angry; his spirit had already been broken.

In terms of Jones trolling his opponents following dominant rounds, this ranks right up there with the time that Jones went through Rampage’s legs just to be a jackass. Classic heel stuff. You can see the rest of Esther Lin’s UFC 182 photos right here.


(Click for larger version.)

2015′s first “Photo of the Year” nomination goes to MMAFighting‘s Esther Lin, who captured the demoralizing moment at UFC 182 when Jon Jones palmed Daniel Cormier‘s head at the end of round 4, after taking the former Olympic wrestler down repeatedly. Cormier can barely summon the will to get angry; his spirit had already been broken.

In terms of Jones trolling his opponents following dominant rounds, this ranks right up there with the time that Jones went through Rampage’s legs just to be a jackass. Classic heel stuff. You can see the rest of Esther Lin’s UFC 182 photos right here.

VIDEO: Donald Cerrone’s UFC 182 “F*ck You” Kicks — The Indiana Jones Remix

(via MMA – Mixed Martial Arts)

“Oh the ‘f*ck you’ kicks? Yeah. That’s what that was. I was either trying to kick and break my leg or his. I was very upset.”

That’s how Donald Cerrone described his assault on Myles Jury‘s legs at the end of their co-main event at UFC 182. Cerrone was super bummed that his fight with Jury wasn’t the sort of barnburner that fans are used to from Cowboy, and said that hearing the fans boo burned his soul. And so, he took his anger out on Jury’s ass — a thrashing that looks even more savage when you add Indiana Jones whip-sounds. Enjoy.


(via MMA – Mixed Martial Arts)

“Oh the ‘f*ck you’ kicks? Yeah. That’s what that was. I was either trying to kick and break my leg or his. I was very upset.”

That’s how Donald Cerrone described his assault on Myles Jury‘s legs at the end of their co-main event at UFC 182. Cerrone was super bummed that his fight with Jury wasn’t the sort of barnburner that fans are used to from Cowboy, and said that hearing the fans boo burned his soul. And so, he took his anger out on Jury’s ass — a thrashing that looks even more savage when you add Indiana Jones whip-sounds. Enjoy.

UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier — Live Results & Commentary


(Daniel was expecting more trash talk, more mind games. Instead, Jon began whistling a melody so beautiful that Daniel felt his heart might fold in on itself. And for four-and-a-half minutes, all he could do was stand there listening. / Photo via Getty)

Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier is the greatest UFC title fight/rivalry in a long-ass time, and it’s finally going to happen tonight in Las Vegas. After a rough 2014, we MMA fans needed this. We deserve this. The time is actually now, for once.

Also on the UFC 182 main card: Donald Cerrone looks for his sixth consecutive win against confident young contender Myles Jury, Josh Burkman gets a “welcome back!” fight against Hector Lombard (yikes), hot flyweight prospect Kyoji Horiguchi meets Louis Gaudinot, and Nate Marquardt fights Brad Tavares just because.

Our man Mike Fagan will be dropping round-by-round results from the “Jones vs. Cormier” PPV after the jump, beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and follow us on twitter for additional commentary. Thanks for being here.


(Daniel was expecting more trash talk, more mind games. Instead, Jon began whistling a melody so beautiful that Daniel felt his heart might fold in on itself. And for four-and-a-half minutes, all he could do was stand there listening. / Photo via Getty)

Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier is the greatest UFC title fight/rivalry in a long-ass time, and it’s finally going to happen tonight in Las Vegas. After a rough 2014, we MMA fans needed this. We deserve this. The time is actually now, for once.

Also on the UFC 182 main card: Donald Cerrone looks for his sixth consecutive win against confident young contender Myles Jury, Josh Burkman gets a “welcome back!” fight against Hector Lombard (yikes), hot flyweight prospect Kyoji Horiguchi meets Louis Gaudinot, and Nate Marquardt fights Brad Tavares just because.

Our man Mike Fagan will be dropping round-by-round results from the “Jones vs. Cormier” PPV after the jump, beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and follow us on twitter for additional commentary. Thanks for being here.

UFC 182 Prelim Results
– Paul Felder def. Danny Castillo via KO (spinning backfist!), 2:09 of round 2
– Cody Garbrandt def. Marcus Brimage via TKO, 4:50 of round 3
– Shawn Jordan def. Jared Cannonier via KO, 2:57 of round 1
– Evan Dunham def. Rodrigo Damm via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Omari Akhmedov def. Mats Nilsson via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Marion Reneau def. Alexis Dufresne via unanimous decision (30-26 x 2, 30-25)

Please stand by…

UFC Raises “Jones vs. Cormier” PPV Price by $5; Higher Price Also in Effect for UFC 183 and UFC 184


(Dana White acts like it’s so easy to “get a couple more friends.” But what if you’re a reclusive MMA blogger who eats peanut butter with a spork?)

Just like the promotion did with UFC 168 in December 2013, the UFC is using the surge of attention around UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier to raise the price of the pay-per-view broadcast by $5. MMAPayout alerts us that UFC.TV and multiple PPV providers are charging consumers $59.99 HD/$49.99 SD for tonight’s event. Notably, those higher prices will also be in effect for the other two PPV cards the UFC already has scheduled in 2015, UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz on January 31st and UFC 184: Weidman vs. Belfort on February 28th. As MMAPayout explains:

Last year’s down PPV business forced Standard & Poors to lower Zuffa’s outlook and threatened to lower their credit rating if things didn’t turn around by the end of Q1 2015. Now having said that, it makes sense as to why Q1 2015 has been scheduled with some of UFC’s biggest stars and match-ups. As for the price hike, looking back at UFC 168, it did an estimated 1.025M PPV buys with the hiked PPV price, so it doesn’t appear to have been much of a deterrent. It’s pretty much a safe bet to say that the UFC’s takeaway from the UF 168 experiment was that their customers have no problem paying extra for a major event. In 2015, it looks like they are taking that experiment a bit further by scheduling the first three events of the year with the price hike.


(Dana White acts like it’s so easy to “get a couple more friends.” But what if you’re a reclusive MMA blogger who eats peanut butter with a spork?)

Just like the promotion did with UFC 168 in December 2013, the UFC is using the surge of attention around UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier to raise the price of the pay-per-view broadcast by $5. MMAPayout alerts us that UFC.TV and multiple PPV providers are charging consumers $59.99 HD/$49.99 SD for tonight’s event. Notably, those higher prices will also be in effect for the other two PPV cards the UFC already has scheduled in 2015, UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz on January 31st and UFC 184: Weidman vs. Belfort on February 28th. As MMAPayout explains:

Last year’s down PPV business forced Standard & Poors to lower Zuffa’s outlook and threatened to lower their credit rating if things didn’t turn around by the end of Q1 2015. Now having said that, it makes sense as to why Q1 2015 has been scheduled with some of UFC’s biggest stars and match-ups. As for the price hike, looking back at UFC 168, it did an estimated 1.025M PPV buys with the hiked PPV price, so it doesn’t appear to have been much of a deterrent. It’s pretty much a safe bet to say that the UFC’s takeaway from the UF 168 experiment was that their customers have no problem paying extra for a major event. In 2015, it looks like they are taking that experiment a bit further by scheduling the first three events of the year with the price hike.

At this point, we don’t know whether or not the UFC will return to its original prices as soon as there’s a PPV card with a less highly-anticipated main event. $59.99/$49.99 could be the new normal. Ugh. I mean, I know the UFC is experiencing some financially desperate times and they need to build their bankroll while the iron’s hot, but damn, this is how you repay fans who stuck with you last year? By jacking up prices as soon as the cards are good again? Come on, man. Come on.