Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones II: What will go down:

This second meeting is finally a reality.

One of the most anticipated UFC rematches in history is finally upon us, as the most important Light Heavyweight meeting ever headlines UFC 214. Current 205lbs champ Daniel Cormeir faces long time adversary, former champ and bitter enemy Jon Jones, as both men finally get hands on each other for a second time. After two previous unsuccessful bookings of this meeting, we finally have a rematch for these two fierce foes. After his return from his first suspension, Jones was scheduled to face 'DC' but an injury to Cormier forced an Interim battle between Jones and Ovince Saint Preux, where Jones picked up a unanimous decision win, despite a disappointing display compared to other octagon appearances. After the fallout of Diaz vs. McGregor II at UFC 200, Cormier vs. Jones II was confirmed as the main event of the monstrous card, but just three days before the event, Jones was notified by USADA of a potential Anti-Doping policy violation, forcing him from the contest and resulting in Anderson Silva flying in from Brazil to challenge Cormier in a three round clash. Jones was subsequently suspended, and just over a year later, we have an official rematch.

In Jones' absence, Daniel Cormier has established himself as one of the greatest mixed-martial artists in the world, currently occupying the #3 spot in the P4P rankings, falling just short of both Conor McGregor and Demetrious Johnson. The UFC 182 meeting with Jones presents itself as the only blemish on the American Kickboxing Academy trainee's record, but something that he has told is haunting him, as he seeks redemption. Cormier was promoted to a Light Heavyweight championship meeting with the now retired Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson back in 2015, and recovered from an early knockdown to secure a rear-naked choke victory. Next up for the Louisiana wrestler was Swedish striking sensation Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192, where he left Houston with a narrow split decision. A rematch with 'Rumble' Johnson finally took place at UFC 210, and almost unbelievably, the exact same outcome occured. 'DC' was stunned with a high kick early on, but a 'Rumble' who's mind was clearly elsewhere, gave up his neck early in the second and was once again forced to tap via rear-naked choke to Cormier. The Ultimate Fighting Championship hasn't been the only dominant stomping ground for Cormier, as his time in Strikeforce seen him crowned the Strikeforce Grand Prix Heavyweight champion, after the Olympian defeated Josh Barnett in the tournament finale.

Jon Jones is considered by many to be the greatest of all time, and rightfully so. In my opinion only Anderson Silva rivals Jones in this category, simply for the diverse and high level competition Jones has faced during his man handling of the UFC Light Heavyweight division. Arguably undefeated thoughout his career, Jones' only falter came via disqualification against Matt Hamill, after the New York native landed multiple 12-6 elbows, deemed illegal under the unified mixed-martial arts ruleset. Jones dominance started at the tender age of 24, when he became the youngest UFC champion in history, finishing Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua at UFC 128. In his first title defence, Jon was tasked with heavy hitter an all round favourite Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, where he used clever oblique kicks to shutdown the advances of Jackson, before submitting the PRIDE FC star. Jones went on to face Lyoto Machida where he executed one of the most recognisable submissions in the octagon, a standing guillotine against the Brazilian Karate expert. Long time friend Rashad Evans faced Jones next, but was dispatched in a decision win before Jones once more submitted another Brazilian legend, this time Vitor Belfort with an expertly applied Americana. 'The American Gangster' Chael Sonnen was then thrown to Jones, who finished the natural Middleweight in quite easy fashion. Swede star Gustafsson provided the next challenge to Jones' throne and to this day, rivals Cormier as the closest Jones' has been pushed, with the Rochester striker escaping with a narrow decision win. Brazil's third attempt to steal the title from Jones came in the form of now veteran puncher Glover Teixeira, who   similarly to Rashad Evans, was overcome with ease.

The main question heading into this matchup, is certainly, which Jon Jones will turn up in the early hours of Sunday morning. One thing is for sure, if 'DC' is met with the same Jones who battled OSP, the current champ has a much more realistic chance at retention. Jon Jones must utilise those effective yet nasty side kicks and oblique shots to inhibit the wrestling advances of Cormier, but even though Jones has been inactive since April 2016, he is in my opinion, unbeaten for a reason.

Jon Jones via knockout/unanimous decision.

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