Can Daniel Cormier Finally Earn Light Heavyweight Title By Defeating Jon Jones At UFC 200?
The minute that he decided to drop down to the UFC’s 205-pound division in late 2013, the life of current UFC light heavyweight king Daniel Cormier has revolved around his rivalry with former champ Jon Jones.
Even when Cormier was training for another opponent, the thought of defeating Jones fed the former Olympian’s fire. And when he entered the Octagon to face fellow contenders such as Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson, two of the division’s toughest, it was Jones who Cormier saw standing across from him.
Considering that highly-publicized history, it’s fitting that the outcome of Cormier’s upcoming rematch with Jones at UFC 200 on July 9th will have such a significant impact on what remains of his UFC career.
Reminder: 'UFC Counterpunch: Cormier vs. Jones 2' debuts today on FOX Sports 1 https://t.co/ChMwfidtzM
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) July 1, 2016
Since claiming the then-vacant light heavyweight crown with a submission-win over Johnson in May of 2015, Cormier has worn a belt that still technically belongs to his nemesis, and at the age of 37, failing to finally earn that title by defeating Jones will sentence the former heavyweight to a future highlighted only by lucrative super-fights—a career death sentence for a fighter who’s spent most of his life pursuing glory born strictly from individual greatness.
Whether he admits it or not, Cormier knows that his title will always be tainted by doubt if he doesn’t defeat Jones at UFC 200. But in the face of that harsh reality, Cormier told the media via MMA Weekly that his approach to the rematch won’t be any different than it was in his first meeting with Jones while speaking at April’s press conference in New York to promote UFC 200.
”I’m not changing anything. I’m going right at his ass,” said Cormier. ”I’m not changing nothing.”
”Last time, I didn’t take Jon down as many times as I wanted to,” Cormier added. ”This time, you’re going to see a fight where I go right over there and take him down.”
Jones: DC ‘doesn't punch hard,' doesn't have ‘stopping power to stop me' (@shaunalshatti) https://t.co/AgnbyBGofI pic.twitter.com/xB7dIEMnR0
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) July 2, 2016
In April, a leg injury forced Cormier to withdraw from UFC 197 and postpone his inevitable rematch with Jones. As a result, an unpolished version of Jones defeated late replacement Ovince Saint Preux after the former college football player was chosen to personally welcome Jones back from a 15-month layoff.
Although Jones won his first fight since January of 2015 by beating Saint Preux, the victory has been criticized by folks from every corner of the fight game due to the former champion’s lackluster performance. And according to Cormier’s comments during last week’s UFC 200 promotional conference call via MMA Junkie, UFC 197 was a glimpse into Jones’ immediate future.
”The Jon that showed up against Ovince Saint Preux is the guy that is going to be in the octagon on July 9th,” said Cormier. ”That is who he is. Nothing’s free, so all the partying and other stuff, you have to pay for that. And now, we’re seeing him where it’s time to pay the costs. He’s paying for all the outlandish living and burning that candle at two ends, and now we’re getting to the middle where it starts to die out.”
With a second loss to Jones on his resume, Cormier will immediately become nothing more than the gatekeeper of title shots for all the UFC’s light heavyweight contenders to test themselves against until Jones is legitimately dethroned or decides to retire. But with his 40th birthday looming, the overwhelming majority of Cormier’s UFC future undoubtedly lies in the commentator’s chair.
While Jones has recently claimed that his hatred for Cormier is beginning to fade, the relationship between the UFC’s top two light heavyweights remains about as friendly as the one that currently exists between Elizabeth Warren and Donald Trump, and the sport will be losing something if Jones ends this rivalry with another win at UFC 200.
But by choosing to replicate the game plan used in his first loss to Jones, Cormier is taking a serious gamble. He’s betting that the unimpressive version of Jones that we saw against Saint Preux will walk into the Octagon on July 9th, and if he’s wrong, Cormier’s time at the top will come to an immediate end.
[Photo By-Steve Marcus/Getty Images]
