The UFC Light Heavyweight Championship takes center stage on Saturday night starting at 10 p.m. ET at UFC 192, as Daniel Cormier defends his title for the first time against Alexander Gustafsson in a showdown between two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts.
UFC has been on a roll with huge title fights in recent months, going back to Conor McGregor's win over Chad Mendes to win the interim featherweight crown at UFC 189, so Cormier and Gustafsson have a lot to live up to.
The UFC 192 preliminary card can be streamed at UFC Fight Pass.
Pre-Fight Storyline: Tyron Woodley Misses Opportunity
Tyron Woodley should have been fighting for an opportunity to get in the welterweight title discussion, but Johny Hendricks' weight-cutting issues forced UFC President Dana White to scrap the fight altogether.
It's possible that Woodley gets another fight very soon, presumably a title eliminator bout, and is able to make his case for a championship match early next year.
Woodley had been close to crossing that threshold before, notably after defeating Josh Koscheck and Carlos Condit, but he squandered it with a loss against Rory MacDonald. While there is no shame in losing to a fighter of MacDonald's talent, it's not a good sign for Woodley's ultimate ceiling.
Woodley has rebounded with two wins, and he told reporters Saturday's original bout was being treated like a championship match, per Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog.com:
Many people thought Johny won that fight [against Lawler at UFC 181] and they thought that he’s the No. 1 guy in the world. So this is like a three-round title fight to me mentally. So I’m taking it very seriously.
...
…The goal is to focus on the person in front of you. You go out there, handle business and then whatever happens after that is going to happen. Whether I get a title shot or not is not going to solely depend on what happens Oct. 3. There are so many different variables that go into that.
Hendricks has had his problems in the spotlight, though no one is going to criticize him for losing to Georges St-Pierre. He did win the vacant welterweight title in a stunning match with Robbie Lawler at UFC 171, only to lose it in a rematch nine months later.
Woodley, who is 33 years old, will only have so many new opportunities to get a title shot. He's ranked No. 3 in the UFC.com welterweight rankings, behind Hendricks and MacDonald. Losing a match with Hendricks, while certainly not his fault, does present a stumbling block he will have to overcome.
Main Event Prediction
Gustafsson has really backed his way into a title shot. He lost to Anthony Johnson in January and missed a June fight against Glover Teixeira due to a back injury but nevertheless finds himself in a main event against Cormier despite not having won a fight in the interim.
Like Woodley, Gustafsson has come up short in his two biggest tests. He put on a fantastic performance against Jon Jones at UFC 165, one that made him a star in the process, but he lost a unanimous decision.
In January, Gustafsson's fight with Johnson was a No. 1 contender bout, and Rumble knocked him out in the first round.
Cormier is a different challenge because Gustafsson is clearly the more impressive physical specimen. He's 6'5" with a 79-inch reach and improved grappling skills; however, Cormier is a world-class wrestler who will have the edge if this becomes a mat fight.
Coming into the fight, Gustafsson is trying to deflect the pressure away from him, telling Ryan McKinnell of Cagewriter that Cormier is the one under pressure on Saturday.
“All the pressure is on him,” Gustafsson said. “He’s the champion; he’s got that belt. He’s fighting in front of his home crowd. I’m here in the United States and I’m challenging him. I’m coming here as the underdog, and he has other stuff he has to worry about.”
The problem with Gustafsson's comment is Cormier has proved himself on the big stage. He also had a strong fight against Jones, losing a five-round decision, and rebounded with a submission win over Johnson in May to capture the vacant light heavyweight title.
Plus, Cormier is just a better all-around fighter than Gustafsson. He made his name in mixed martial arts as a wrestler, figured out that being a one-trick pony wasn't going to be enough to make him a title contender, has continued to add striking to his game and is now an effective puncher.
Even though Cormier doesn't have huge power, he has the ability to attack from a standing position and move to the ground quickly. Gustafsson, on the other hand, has to prove he's able to adjust his style when necessary.
Until that happens, Gustafsson deserves to be considered an underdog. Cormier has the more diverse set of skills and will use them to secure a victory in his first title defense.
Prediction: Cormier wins via second-round TKO.
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