Sean Pierson was a fan of the Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier fight at UFC 214, but believed one variable made a big difference in the fight.
Pierson appeared on the “Holy Smokes” podcast and talked with host “Showdown” Joe Ferraro. Pierson said he was impressed with Cormier’s efforts in the fight, but Cormier’s age was a determining factor in Jones’ win. At 38 years old, Cormier is starting lose the edge in cardio when fighting someone like Jones, who had just turned 30 years old and is someone with a lot of energy and stamina.
“I was really impressed with Cormier. We all had the same assessment of the fight. I thought that Cormier was taking it to Jones a little bit and I liked his strategy of being in Jones’ face and keeping him back all the time. The problem I see with Cormier in this battle is cardio and this might come with the fact that Cormier is what 39, 38? This is not a slight against him, but my thing is you got an athlete in his prime, Jon Jones, one of the greatest athletes the UFC has ever seen, who’s in his prime versus an athlete who’s past his prime but doing a lot of great things. That doesn’t mean you can’t win, but when you’re equal in most areas, pushing back [Jones] takes a lot of energy. That whole time, I thought [Jones] was being set up [to deliver the knockout blow]. Jon Jones, being the great fighter that he is, didn’t rush to it. He thought, ‘I got him,’ and then was slow and methodical with that low sweep leg kick. I thought it was a great fight. Cormier should have his head high because I thought he put a great effort in trying to win the fight,” Pierson said.
Pierson's comments can be seen in the video above. You can listen to the “Holy Smokes” podcast with Ferraro and Fightful managing editor Sean Ross Sapp every Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET.
