Alexander Gustafsson versus Daniel Cormier is, right now,
the pivotal fight for the light heavyweight division.
Mike Goldberg:
right here, right now.
It is all over!
Daniel Cormier is the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion!
Announcer 1:
-Announcer 2:
Announcer 2:
that number one ranking, and he roars like a Viking.
They're both excellent fighters and it's a spectacular fight.
Goldberg: Here comes Daniel Cormier,
the two-time Olympian
with the world-class pedigree in wrestling.
Daniel Cormier is going to come out like a man possessed.
In beating Rumble Johnson he won the vacated belt.
Now he has a chance to legitimize it even further.
-Announcer 1:
Cormier has done it!
I'm sitting here with the Strikeforce Championship
and the UFC Championship,
and I'm excited about this next phase of my career.
I'm trying to hold on to that gold belt.
Trainer: Side to side. Side to side on the head.
There we go, champ. That's what I'm looking for.
He's constantly getting better and constantly striving
for perfection and success.
He's better than he showed in the Jon Jones fight.
Joe Rogan:
He's even better than he was in the Rumble Johnson fight.
Goldberg:
Puts him down.
He's got to get through Alexander Gustafsson
to take it to the next level.
Goldberg:
It's a fight that people want to see
because we are such opposite fighters.
He's a short wrestler, I'm a tall striker,
so it's a very good matchup and it's going to be a war.
-Rogan:
Rogan:
that he's one of the scariest of the contenders.
I like to fight, and I land a lot of punches,
and I'm pretty accurate myself,
so I'm going to pressure him and I'm going to push him,
and I'm going to make him work and exhaust him
like he's never been exhausted before.
Goldberg:
just like that!
Obviously he thinks his height is going to carry him
in the fight, but if he thinks that's his advantage, great.
I think it gives me an advantage,
because it allows me to get to his legs faster,
and also it gives me a nice target
standing way up there in the air.
The first thing a wrestler learns
is how to throw an overhand right.
So for a tall guy, thank you for the target.
Rogan:
It's been a long journey, man,
of ups and downs, heartbreak, heartache.
So to be here today,
preparing for a title defense in the UFC,
it's completion.
I've done everything I ever wanted to accomplish
in my entire life.
Bruce Buffer:
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion of the World!
When the belt is put around my waist,
it's going to be my big dream become reality.
Alexander Gustafsson is a crafty fighter.
We saw that in his fight with Jon Jones.
We saw his excellent transitions between striking and takedowns,
and he really surprised Jon Jones in that fight with that.
Goldberg:
First time in the UFC.
He became the first man in Jon Jones' mixed martial arts career
to take him down, not just once, but twice.
It was a really close fight, and many people thought
Gustafsson could have gotten the nod in that fight.
It was that competitive.
Goldberg:
and there's that big right hand again.
Rogan:
These two years since my last title fight
has been a roller coaster for sure.
I had some ups, I had some downs, so....
It's been a very learning experience for me,
and I feel better in every way.
Announcer: Oh, there's a huge knee there for Gustafsson.
I think we're going to see an even better version;
a more focused and more intense Alexander Gustafsson.
Gustafsson: I believe I can beat anyone in my division right now.
I feel more motivated than ever now,
and I feel stronger than ever.
Quitting is not an option, you know.
I just keep going and I keep training every day,
and I want that belt.
Rogan:
Everybody points to him fighting Jones tough for five rounds.
Nobody's talking about him knocking out
Vladimir Matyushenko.
Nobody's talking about him knocking out Jimi Manuwa.
His greatest performance was a loss.
He's tough for me because of his abilities,
not because of what he did against Jon Jones.
His footwork, his height,
his wrestling defenses, why he's tough.
Announcer:
and guillotine. Big save by Gustafsson.
I'm a fighter that believes in precision and speed
with good wrestling techniques.
Goldberg:
Alexander Gustafsson chokes out James Te Huna.
Whatever he throws, whatever he's going to do
in the fight, I'll be ready for it.
And I'm going to have an answer for it too.
If it's one round, it's going to be one tough round.
If it's five rounds, it's going to be five tough rounds.
But I can tell you it's going to be me as a winner.
I'm gonna leave that Octagon with the belt around my waist.
That's it.
I love that he kind of buys into the hype, you know?
Believe all those things.
That makes me confident, even more confident on October 3rd.
It makes me want to go for a run right now.
Goldberg:
we had a new welterweight champion
for the first time in six years,
and it was this man, Johnny "Bigg Rigg" Hendricks.
I got to the belt...
I thought I was where I wanted to be,
and I wasn't.
Goldberg:
Rogan:
Goldberg:
Johnny Hendricks:
to Robbie Lawler,
you take a step back and you say, "Okay.
Why did that happen? Why did we lose that fight?"
All right, get that under control.
Now I've realized that I got to do whatever I can.
My destiny's in my own hands.
And if that means taking more fights and knock everybody else
out of the way, then that's what I got to do.
I'm just going to fight everybody
until there's nobody left.
Rogan:
in this fight, Mike. He looks spectacular.
Goldberg:
Woodley's been asking to fight for me
because that's his way to the title.
We have everything down the line
and we're both fighting for somewhat the same reasons.
Tyron Woodley:
because at this point in my career, I want the big fights.
When I get the big fights I prepare big and I fight big.
Goldberg:
Kim might be hurt.
Woodley looking to finish! It is all over!
I'm a realist, man. I look at the division,
I look at the style matchups,
and I've always picked Hendricks as my toughest matchup.
And if I can get through him, you know, I feel like
that's my toughest test,
and I should be on my way to being a world champion.
He's my title.
I got to beat him to get to that title,
and that's all that's on my head,
is beat him, beat him and beat him.
Win at all costs.
Woodley:
being something where we both have something to prove,
I think it's just the history behind it.
Tyron Woodley wrestled for Missouri.
I wrestled for Oklahoma State, big 12's.
We wrestled once that I know of.
I ended up going and winning that tournament.
Woodley: You know, losing that didn't feel great,
and I've just been wanting to punch him in the face
ever since then, so this is a great opportunity
for me to get that payback.
I did it once. Let's show him that it's not a fluke.
Rogan:
-Goldberg:
Woodley:
You know, he gives a lot of guys problems.
He never stops trying to win,
he always competes to the last minute.
He can take a punch, he can give a punch.
Hendricks:
that has gotten me where I'm at today.
The good Lord blessed me with it, then I got to use it.
-Rogan:
Just like that!
Knockout win for Johnny Hendricks!
He's tough, he's proven. But, you know, I'm good too.
I'm not ranked third in the world
because I'm some pushover.
I'm one of the tough guys;
I'm one of the guys that can punch you with one punch
and put you to sleep.
-Rogan:
Tyron Woodley knocks out Josh Koscheck!
When Tyron Woodley is putting everything together,
whether it's wrestling, grappling, striking,
power, conditioning, depth, toughness,
competitiveness, just pushing through every round,
I really think that when I'm on all cylinders,
I am the very best welterweight in the world.
Hendricks:
I know that he's going to come out and want to win.
But I believe I'm the best fighter.
Now it's just about proving it.
Rogan:
fought for the title, and understands what it's about.
Woodley:
He's already tasted it.
In his mind, he never lost a fight to Robbie Lawler,
so he feels that he's been kind of shortchanged.
So that mental edge and that chip on his shoulder,
he's going to want to teach me something.
Guess what, I'm going to want to teach him something, too.
So, whoever gets there first
is probably, you know, gonna be the victor in this fight.
A decisive win over Tyron Woodley
is one step closer to my end goal.
I get my belt back.
Woodley:
where it's a no-brainer who the next guy in line is.
And, you know, you can delay but you can't deny.
If I beat him in great fashion like I plan on,
then I won't be able to be denied
my opportunity at UFC gold.
Na
ON OCTOBER THIRD,
NEW UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, DANIEL CORMIER,
A 5'11" FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT,
DEFENDS HIS BELT AGAINST 6'5" SWEDISH SUPERSTAR
ALEXANDER "THE MAULER" GUSTAFSSON,
THE DIVISION'S MOST SKILLED STRIKER.
THE TALE OF THE TAPE ONLY TELLS PART OF THE STORY.
UFC 192: CORMIER vs. GUSTAFSSON
ONLY ON PAY-PER-VIEW