MMA Rumors: Derrick Lewis Thinks Daniel Cormier Is ‘Scared’ To Fight Jon Jones, ‘The Guy Beat Him Twice’
Nearly four months after beating the “baddest man on the planet,” Stipe Miocic, UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier is set to fight again in the Octagon at UFC 230, which takes place on Saturday, November 3, at Madison Square Garden. Cormier will be defending the UFC heavyweight title for the first time, battling against Derrick Lewis.
Despite suffering a hand injury — and having a short period of time to prepare — Daniel Cormier still decided to accept the fight with Derrick Lewis, revealing that the UFC gave him an offer that he cannot resist. Also, unlike Stipe Miocic, Cormier believes that Lewis will be an easier opponent — as Lewis has a limited fighting style.
Derrick Lewis is aware of how confident Daniel Cormier is heading into their UFC 230 bout. However, Lewis believes that another reason why Cormier decided to fight him is because he is “scared” to fight the former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.
“The reason I think he took the fight with me is because Jon Jones was already fighting,” Lewis said, via MMA Fighting. “He didn’t want to wait until January and hear all the media talk about, ‘Why is Cormier not fighting for the 205 belt?’ They’re already saying he’s basically scared to fight Jones right now, anyway. He feels like it would be perfect to fight a guy like me that don’t have as much skills on short notice before the Jones fight and he thinks it’s going to be an easy fight for him.”
Derrick Lewis: Daniel Cormier is ‘scared’ to fight Jon Jones right now (@marc_raimondi) https://t.co/vK3y45kgMi pic.twitter.com/AVvWRSglgf
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) October 31, 2018
Derrick Lewis thinks that Daniel Cormier is not yet ready to face “the guy who beat him twice.” The one-sided rivalry between Cormier and Jon Jones started in 2015, when “Bones” defeated “DC” via unanimous decision at UFC 182. They met each other again at UFC 214, and this time, Cormier suffered a brutal defeat after Jones knocked him out in the third round. However, the result of their UFC 214 bout was turned into no contest after Jones tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
As of now, it remains unknown if the third fight between Daniel Cormier and Jones Jones is still bound to happen. After winning the UFC heavyweight title, Cormier revealed that he only has two more fights left before he permanently retires as an MMA fighter. Most mixed martial arts fans will surely love to see Jones as Cormier’s last opponent. Beating “Bones” will undeniably strengthen Cormier’s status as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. However, if he succeeds in defeating Derrick Lewis at UFC 230, it is highly likely that Cormier will be facing former UFC heavyweight champion — and WWE superstar — Brock Lesnar next.
