Postal Connections: A ‘Bones’ to Pick

We got the news that Daniel Cormier was out of his championship defense against Jon Jones -- it still feels weird to say that considering Jones never lost the belt in the cage -- and Ovince St. Preaux will step in to compete for an interim title at UFC 197 on April 23. I find it comical that Jones may indeed walk to the cage with a belt when he finally faces “DC,” and it won’t be the real strap. I hope he takes the new belt after mauling OSP, spikes it like a football and leaves it in the cage. He knows that’s a “toy” belt and wants what he feels is rightfully his. It’s too bad we’re going to miss out on this epic rematch, but at least Jones is still going to fight. UFC 197 would have been a tough sell with only a flyweight title fight headlining the pay-per-view broadcast.

Without further ado, away we go:

I heard you and Jordan Breen talking about Jones and Cormier having a similar rivalry as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. To be fair, Jones hasn’t called “DC” an “Uncle Tom” yet, so I don’t think it has quite the same edge. -- Burt D.

Admittedly, this heated rivalry is not on par with the Ali-Frazier hatefest, but that was the point of our discussion on “Cheap Seats.” We were hoping we’d get to the point where there is so much heat between two high-level fighters that it spills over into their retirement and even their golden years.

I know we were joking around about these guys and their dislike for each other, but how funny would it have been if Jones, after asking that Albuquerque, New Mexico, police officer if his body camera was recording, went full WWE and cut a promo on Cormier? That might have taken their rivalry a little bit closer to Ali-Frazier, but as the following quotes show, it still wouldn’t have topped it.

“It would have been a good thing if he would have lit the torch and fallen in,” said Frazier after Ali lit the 1996 Olympic Flame in Atlanta. “If I had the chance, I would have pushed him in.”

And this one: “Now people ask me if I feel bad for him, now that things aren’t going so well for him,” said Frazier after Ali had been stricken with Parkinson’s disease. “Nope, I don’t. Fact is I don’t give a damn. They want me to love him, but I’ll open up the graveyard and bury his ass when the Lord chooses to take him.”

To say he took the fight-hyping hyperbole Ali employed seriously would be a massive understatement. Frazier went to his grave wanting to beat up Ali. Maybe I’m a little selfish in hoping for the same kind of rivalry for the sport of MMA, but I don’t give a damn.

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How do you solve a problem like Khabib Nurmagomedov? He’s finally healthy and now this [injury to opponent Tony Ferguson at UFC on Fox 19]. Do you hold him for Tony in May? Does he stay on the card in Tampa? Does he go for [lightweight champion] Rafael dos Anjos?‬ -- @jaypettry

Well, luckily enough for Nurmagomedov and the paying public, he’s going to remain on the UFC on Fox card in Tampa, Florida. Unfortunately for Ultimate Fighting Championship newcomer Darrell Horcher, he was tabbed as the last-minute replacement. I know it’s hard to make it to the UFC, but this has to be one of the toughest debut fights in recent memory.

I’m guessing this isn’t going to take much out of Nurmagomedov and is likely to be over rather quickly. After such a long layoff, it’s probably best for the top contender to knock a little rust off before facing off with a guy like Ferguson. I’m guessing Nurmagomedov is only a fight or two away from his long-awaited title shot, so getting the extra cage time should be viewed as a bonus here.

With that said, I hope we get to see the Nurmagomedov-Ferguson matchup. Hopefully, Nurmagomedov can stay healthy and Ferguson can heal up so they can be rebooked for sometime this summer. It was a fight I was really looking forward to, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone in that thinking.

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I want to know your thoughts on Bellator MMA putting its first female championship title bout on prelims -- WTF? -- @snarkyRedhd

‬I can see why some people are a little fired up over the news that Marloes Coenen will square off with Julia Budd for the Bellator women’s featherweight title on a Spike.com prelim. I can also see why the promotion would want to draw people to its online platform and its digital app. There is a tradeoff, for sure, and while I tend to agree with putting the best fights on the medium most people will be able to see, I guess there are others who feel it is good business to drive people to other parts of the promotion’s content delivery apparatus.

Honestly, I don’t see it as a slight to the women or their title. I actually see it as Bellator and Scott Coker -- a man who was one of the early benefactors of women’s MMA -- viewing the ladies as a means to expand their reach to MMA fans.

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Do you think Ben Rothwell gets a title fight after a Junior dos Santos win, or does he have to keep moving through the heavyweight division?‬ -- @bcp451

Well, it seems you and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to the Rothwell-Dos Santos fight. I like Rothwell pretty big in the main event on Sunday in Croatia. I think he has been improving and gaining confidence, while dos Santos looks like he’s still feeling the effects of his two one-sided beatdowns at the hands of former champ Cain Velasquez.

If Rothwell can go out and put on an entertaining and dominant performance, he will continue to make his case for a crack at the crown. However, I think there are a few guys ahead of him in the queue. Velasquez, for one, will certainly get a shot before Rothwell, should he stay healthy. Add in Travis Browne and Alistair Overeem, and you have a pretty muddled picture at the top of the division. You never really know how things are going to work out with injuries, suspensions or even timing, so all “Big Ben” can really do is beat the guys that are put in front of him and stop doing that creepy laugh. I kid, or do I?

Should Rothwell get the job done, as I expect him to, I think one more big win, along with the progression of the division, would put him in a prime spot to lay his claim to a well-deserved title shot.

Sherdog.com Executive Editor Greg Savage can be reached by email or Twitter @TheSavageTruth. If you would like to have your question or comment answered in the weekly Postal Connections mailbag, please submit them by Wednesday evening each week.