MMA Rumors: Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones Reveal Why They Are No Longer Interested In A Trilogy Fight
At UFC 230, UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier became the first fighter to win and defend both the light heavyweight and heavyweight belt after beating Derrick Lewis via rear-naked choke. As expected, in the post-fight interview, Cormier called out former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar for the second time.
Brock Lesnar has already agreed to face Daniel Cormier, but before he is allowed to enter the Octagon, he first needs to pass all the drug test with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). With his money fight against Lesnar yet to become official, most mixed martial arts fans can’t help themselves but ask if the third bout between Cormier and former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is still possible to happen.
After serving a lengthy suspension, Jon Jones is set to fight again in the Octagon. At UFC 232, Jones will be facing Alexander Gustaffson for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. If he succeeds to reclaim the belt, rumors about his potential trilogy fight against Daniel Cormier will surely circulate around the MMA world. However, in a recent appearance at Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show (h/t ESPN), Cormier said that he’s no longer interested in fighting “Bones” for the third time.
“I don’t need [the Jones fight] anymore,” Cormier said.
Anthony Johnson says he’ll return only for heavyweight fight with Jon Jones or Daniel Cormier https://t.co/X8mK62SXUp pic.twitter.com/fdI3J3UyFd
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) November 7, 2018
Jon Jones felt the same way as Daniel Cormier. Jones said that he no longer has any business with the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, especially after defeating him in the Octagon twice. However, Jones believes Cormier needs to beat him in order to be considered as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
“I already have all the marbles when it comes to Daniel Cormier,” Jones said. “I’ve beaten him twice. This game has never been personal. What is personal to me is chasing greatness, not individuals. So in the case of myself and Daniel Cormier, he needs to fight myself one more time if he ever wants to be considered one of the all-time greats. I don’t need to fight him again to be considered one of the all-time greats. I have many more years to prove it.”
Daniel Cormier denied Jon Jones’ claim, saying that, after winning the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight title, he is already in the G.O.A.T. discussion. Cormier suffered his only official MMA loss against Jones, whom he accused of relying on performance-enhancing drugs to win. With only one fight left in his MMA career, Cormier said that he will happily retire even without fighting Jones for the third time.
