UFC 214

UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2
Company type	Mixed martial arts event
Industry	Mixed martial arts
Founded	July 29, 2017; 9 years ago
Headquarters	Anaheim, California, United States
Area served	Mixed martial arts fans

UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2 was a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 29, 2017, at the Honda Center located in Anaheim, California.

Background

Initially set for January 21, 2017, the event was postponed to July 29 due to difficulties in finalizing a headline bout.

The main attraction featured a rematch for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship between reigning champion Daniel Cormier and former titleholder Jon Jones. Their first encounter occurred at UFC 182 in January 2015, where Jones successfully defended his belt. Subsequently, Jones was stripped of the championship and suspended following a hit-and-run incident. Cormier claimed the vacant title at UFC 187. The scheduling of their rematch faced multiple delays caused by injuries and USADA suspensions related to Jones. In May 2017, the fight was officially confirmed as the main event by UFC president Dana White, who also arranged for Jimi Manuwa to serve as a backup opponent against Volkan Oezdemir.

In the women's featherweight division, former Strikeforce and Invicta FC Featherweight Champion Cristiane Justino (known as Cris Cyborg) was slated to challenge the inaugural UFC Women's Featherweight Champion Germaine de Randamie. However, De Randamie declined due to concerns over Cyborg's history with performance-enhancing drugs, resulting in her being stripped of the title. Cyborg was then scheduled to compete against promotional debutant and Invicta FC Featherweight Champion Megan Anderson for the vacant championship; after Anderson withdrew, Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion Tonya Evinger stepped in as her replacement.

Another championship bout featured UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley defending his title against former middleweight contender and jiu-jitsu world champion Demian Maia.

Among other significant matchups was a featherweight contest originally planned between former title challengers Ricardo Lamas and Chan Sung Jung. Due to a knee injury, Jung withdrew and Jason Knight took his place.

Doo Ho Choi pulled out of his fight against Andre Fili because of injury; Calvin Kattar, a newcomer to the promotion, replaced him.

Sage Northcutt was scheduled to face Claudio Puelles; however, Puelles withdrew due to injury and John Makdessi stepped in as substitute. The bout was later canceled after both fighters sustained injuries.

A welterweight clash between former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler and ex-Lightweight title contender Donald Cerrone was rescheduled multiple times but ultimately confirmed for this card despite Cerrone dealing with a staph infection and groin injury.

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Renan Barão competed against Aljamain Sterling at a catchweight of 140 pounds after the California State Athletic Commission denied Barão’s clearance to fight at bantamweight due to previous weight management issues.

A women's bantamweight matchup between Sara McMann and Ketlen Vieira was shifted to UFC 215.

A heavyweight bout featuring Dmitrii Smolyakov versus promotional newcomer Adam Wieczorek was removed from the lineup for undisclosed reasons with plans for future rescheduling.

Results

Template:MMAevent bout

Bonus awards

Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were granted to the following fighters:

Fight of the Night: Brian Ortega vs. Renato Moicano
Performance of the Night: Jon Jones and Volkan Oezdemir

Reported payout

The disclosed fighter earnings reported to the California State Athletic Commission exclude sponsorship earnings and customary "fight night" bonuses. The cumulative reported payout amounted to $3,636,000.

Jon Jones: $500,000 vs. Daniel Cormier: $1,000,000
Tyron Woodley: $500,000 defeated Demian Maia: $110,000
Cristiane Justino: $200,000 defeated Tonya Evinger: $100,000
Robbie Lawler: $300,000 (including a $100,000 victory bonus) defeated Donald Cerrone: $155,000
Volkan Oezdemir: $110,000 (with a $30,000 win bonus) defeated Jimi Manuwa: $120,000
Ricardo Lamas: $106,000 (incorporating a $53,000 win bonus) defeated Jason Knight: $31,000
Aljamain Sterling: $66,000 (including a $33,000 victory bonus) defeated Renan Barão: $53,000
Brian Ortega: $52,000 (with a $26,000 win bonus) defeated Renato Moicano: $23,000
Calvin Kattar: $24,000 (including a $12,000 win bonus) defeated Andre Fili: $24,000
Alexandra Albu: $20,000 (with a $10,000 victory bonus) defeated Kailin Curran: $10,000
Jarred Brooks: $24,000 (including a $12,000 win bonus) defeated Eric Shelton: $10,000
Drew Dober: $44,000 (with a $22,000 win bonus) defeated Josh Burkman: $54,000

Aftermath

On August 22, Jon Jones was notified of a potential anti-doping violation by USADA after his urine sample from July 28 tested positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol. He faced provisional suspension while the case was under review. The "B" sample confirmed the presence of the banned substance on September 12. Although Jones had cleared several out-of-competition screenings and passed a July 29 blood test—which does not detect Turinabol—the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) subsequently overturned his UFC 214 victory to a no contest on the following day.

The UFC officially stripped Jones of his title on September 13 and reinstated Daniel Cormier as champion. On February 28, 2018, CSAC revoked Jones’ fighting license and imposed a fine totaling $205,000—including 40% of his reported fight earnings; he may seek license reinstatement once his USADA proceedings conclude.

Following an independent arbitration hearing on September 20, USADA announced a 15-month suspension for Jones. Investigator Richard McLaren determined that while Jones bore "some degree of fault," the violation was unintentional and did not provide performance enhancement. The suspension is retroactive to July 28, allowing Jones to be eligible for competition again on October 28.

References