UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Roe Jogan
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Introduction
UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2. July 29, 2017. Honda Center, Anaheim, California. Three title fights on one card. Jon Jones appeared to knock out Daniel Cormier with a head kick and ground-and-pound at 3:01 of round three to reclaim the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. The result was later OVERTURNED to a No Contest by the California State Athletic Commission after Jones tested positive for turinabol. Cormier was reinstated as LHW champion.
Cris Cyborg finally won UFC gold, stopping Tonya Evinger by TKO in round three for the WFW Championship — a title that had effectively been created for her. Tyron Woodley made his third WW title defence against Demian Maia in one of the most inactive title fights in UFC history, stopping all 24 of Maia’s takedown attempts in a fight the crowd booed throughout.
Robbie Lawler def. Donald Cerrone by UD in a WW rematch. Volkan Oezdemir KO’d Jimi Manuwa in 42 seconds to announce himself as the LHW division’s next challenger. Brian Ortega submitted Renato Moicano for the Fight of the Night.
Contents
Quick Stats
Date: July 29, 2017
Venue: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Title fights: THREE — LHW (Jones vs. Cormier 2) + WW (Woodley vs. Maia) + WFW (Cyborg vs. Evinger)
Main Event: Daniel Cormier (c) vs. Jon Jones — LHW Championship Unification (Jones held interim; stripped 2015/2016)
Original result: Jones def. Cormier — KO (Head Kick + Ground-and-Pound) R3, 3:01 — Jones out-struck Cormier 94-57; Jones 14-fight win streak in UFC
OVERTURNED: CSAC changed result to NO CONTEST after Jones tested positive for turinabol; Jones stripped Sept 13, 2017; Cormier reinstated as LHW champion; Jones 15-month USADA suspension
WW: Woodley def. Maia — UD (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) — BORE FEST; 86 total combined strikes; crowd chanted ‘boring’; Woodley stopped ALL 24 of Maia’s takedowns
WFW: Cyborg def. Evinger — TKO R3, 1:56 — Cyborg finally wins UFC gold
Bonuses: FOTN: Ortega/Moicano ($50k each); POTN: Jones + Oezdemir ($50k each)
The Build-Up
Jones vs. Cormier 2 had been in the works since Jones’ reinstatement. They had a deeply personal rivalry. Jones had beaten Cormier by UD at UFC 182 in January 2015. Cormier had held the LHW title since Jones’s strip. Jones had returned at UFC 197, taken the interim title, and been removed from UFC 200 for USADA. UFC 214 was the third attempt at the rematch.
The WFW title fight was the culmination of Cris Cyborg’s long path to UFC gold. After years outside the promotion, Cyborg had signed with the UFC in 2016. The WFW division had been created partly to accommodate her at 145 lbs (she was unable to make the WBW 135 lb limit). The inaugural WFW champion Germaine de Randamie had been stripped for refusing to defend against Cyborg. Tonya Evinger was the replacement challenger.
Main Event — Result Overturned to No Contest
Daniel Cormier (c) vs. Jon Jones — LHW Championship
Rounds one and two were competitive. Jones landed with more volume (94-57 significant strikes across five rounds); Cormier appeared to do damage with his right uppercut and left hook. Jones controlled with oblique kicks and front kicks.
Round three: Jones landed a left high kick that visibly rocked Cormier. He followed with a right hand; Cormier dropped. Jones landed ground-and-pound until referee John McCarthy stopped the fight at 3:01.
The aftermath: Jones tested positive for turinabol (an anabolic steroid metabolite) in USADA testing. The CSAC overturned the result to a No Contest on September 13, 2017. Cormier was reinstated as LHW champion. Jones received a 15-month suspension, retroactive to July 6, 2016, and was fined $205,000 by the CSAC.
WW Title: Woodley vs. Maia
Tyron Woodley (c) vs. Demian Maia — WW Championship
Woodley stopped all 24 of Maia’s takedown attempts across five rounds. He delivered a big right hand early that closed Maia’s left eye. For the remaining 22 minutes he offered almost no offensive output, defending Maia’s grappling and doing very little else. The fight featured a combined 86 total strikes — the third-fewest in any UFC title fight. The crowd chanted ‘boring’ and booed Woodley post-fight. UD: 50-45, 49-46, 49-46.
WFW Title: Cyborg vs. Evinger
Cris Cyborg vs. Tonya Evinger — WFW Championship
Cyborg controlled the entirety of the fight with her striking volume. Evinger had moments — she landed a takedown in round one and avoided several big shots. Cyborg landed 83 significant strikes across three rounds. In round three, her accumulation of damage forced the stoppage at 1:56. Cris Cyborg was the UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Drew Dober def. Josh Burkman — KO — R1, 3:04 — LW
Jarred Brooks def. Eric Shelton — Decision (Split) — R3 — FW [125 lbs]
Alexandra Albu def. Kailin Curran — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — WSW
Calvin Kattar def. Andre Fili — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — FW; Kattar emerging contender
Brian Ortega def. Renato Moicano — Sub (Guillotine) — R3, 2:59 — FW; FOTN ($50k each)
Aljamain Sterling def. Renan Barão — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — BW; Sterling beginning his BW title run; Barao decline
Ricardo Lamas def. Jason Knight — TKO — R1, 4:34 — FW; Lamas dominant
Main Card
Volkan Oezdemir def. Jimi Manuwa — KO — R1, 0:42 — LHW; POTN ($50k); Oezdemir announced himself as next LHW title challenger
Robbie Lawler def. Donald Cerrone — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — WW; Lawler’s return after Woodley loss
Cris Cyborg def. Tonya Evinger — TKO — R3, 1:56 — WFW Championship; Cyborg finally wins UFC gold
Tyron Woodley def. Demian Maia — Decision (Unanimous) — R5 (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) — WW Championship; 3rd defence; BORE FEST; crowd chanted ‘boring’; 86 combined total strikes
LHW Championship — Main Event (OVERTURNED TO NO CONTEST)
NO CONTEST — Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier — LHW Championship. Original result: Jones KO R3, 3:01 (head kick + G&P). CSAC overturned to NO CONTEST (Jones positive for turinabol). Jones stripped Sept 13, Cormier reinstated. Jones: POTN ($50k; bonus rescinded with stripping of title).
Bonuses & Awards
Fight of the Night: Brian Ortega vs. Renato Moicano — $50,000 to each fighter.
Performance of the Night: Jon Jones + Volkan Oezdemir — $50,000 each.
Records & Milestones
Jon Jones — first UFC fighter to have a result overturned twice in title fights (UFC 182 vs. Cormier 1 stood; UFC 200 vs. OSP interim title was stripped; UFC 214 KO of Cormier overturned). Jones was stripped of the LHW title on September 13, 2017 for the second time in his career.
Cris Cyborg — became the WFW champion. At the time of the fight she had never been finished in professional MMA. She held the WFW title until UFC 232 in December 2018, where Amanda Nunes knocked her out in 51 seconds.
Aljamain Sterling def. Renan Barão at UFC 214 — Sterling’s UD win over Barão was a sign of what was to come; Sterling became UFC BW Champion at UFC 259 in March 2021 (Petr Yan disqualified for illegal knee).
Legacy & Impact
UFC 214 is defined by what the LHW title fight would have been. Jones’s performance was exceptional in its execution: he controlled the range, out-struck Cormier significantly, and finished with a head kick. If the drug test had come back clean, it would have been one of the sport’s cleanest rivalries-ender. Instead, it became the sport’s most fraught asterisk.
Woodley’s win over Maia is the low point of his title reign. The strategy of denying a submission specialist’s grappling by refusing to engage produced one of the most criticised championship fight performances in WW history.
FAQ
Why was the Jones vs. Cormier 2 result overturned?
Jones tested positive for turinabol, an anabolic steroid metabolite, in USADA anti-doping tests. The California State Athletic Commission overturned the original KO result to a No Contest on September 13, 2017. Jones was stripped of the LHW title, Cormier was reinstated as champion, and Jones received a 15-month USADA suspension retroactive to July 6, 2016.
How did Jones knock out Cormier?
In round three, Jones landed a left high kick that rocked Cormier visibly. He followed with a right hand that put Cormier on the canvas. Jones then landed ground-and-pound strikes until referee John McCarthy stopped the fight at 3:01.
How significant was Cyborg winning the WFW title?
Extremely significant. Cris Cyborg had been the most feared women’s combat sports athlete in the world for years, but her inability to make the WBW 135 lb limit had kept her outside a UFC title fight. The WFW division was created partly to accommodate her. She was the clear favourite and won the title by TKO in round three.
Why was Woodley vs. Maia so boring?
Woodley stopped all 24 of Maia’s takedown attempts and offered almost no offensive output of his own after landing a big right hand in the first round. He refused to engage in exchanges with a submission specialist who could not take him down. The fight featured a combined 86 total strikes — the third-fewest in any UFC title fight history. The crowd booed throughout.
Did Jones ever receive his UFC 214 POTN bonus?
Jones was initially awarded a Performance of the Night bonus for his KO of Cormier. After the result was overturned and his title stripped, the financial implications of the drug test were handled separately. The CSAC fined Jones $205,000 (40% of his disclosed purse) and revoked his fight license pending resolution of his USADA case.
References
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