Daniel Cormier, UFC light heavyweight champ is usually quick with a call out after he wins a fight. After defending his light heavyweight title on Jan 20th in the co-main event of UFC 220, Cormier did not have any specific foe in mind for his next title defense.
Before UFC 220, the last time that fight fans saw Daniel Cormier compete at UFC 214 where he got third-round knockout defeat to Jon Jones on July 29 in Anaheim, California. Jones took the title from Cormier that night, but the belt was quickly returned to Cormier after Jones failed a drug test related to the July event.
As a result, Jones was stripped of the UFC light heavyweight title and removed from the official UFC rankings.
After the win at UFC 220, Cormier point back to his rivalry with Jon Jones. It may have been a low point in his life.
“I’ve been through a lot,” Cormier told Joe Rogan during his Octagon interview. “I go through a lot of stuff, man, and it’s because of my greatest rival. But it feels good to get back in here and get a victory.”
Cormier could not help and said he is not too keen on the idea of a third fight with Jon Jones, as of the moment and as Jones is facing a potential four-year suspension for his latest failed drug test.
“I’m just past it right now,” Cormier said during his post-fight press conference (transcript via MMAjunkie). “Until he’s able to do what we want to do, and that’s fight, I’m kind of past it.”
“I’m kind of a bit of this spot when it comes to Jones. Competitively, all I want to do is fight him again. But at some point, it’s just like, ‘Man, is it ever going to be just a fight without nothing else?’”
“I don’t know if I can put myself through that again. I’ve done everything right,” he said. “And I’ve just been dragged down by this guy constantly. So I’m not thinking about it. I’m going to do my thing for right now.”
From Jones side, he is expecting to bounce back strong after his second failed drug test.
Thanks brother, my best is yet to come https://t.co/mlaIFAUfeo
— BONY (@JonnyBones) January 21, 2018
Cormier has begun to contemplate retirement and is looking at 2018 as his last fighting year.
