LOS ANGELES — If Jon Jones defeats Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of UFC 165 on Saturday in Toronto, it will mark his sixth successful title defense, which would top Tito Ortiz’s light heavyweight record.
As far as future challengers at 205 pounds are concerned, though, the champion doesn’t sound overly enthused. At a Monday media luncheon in downtown Los Angeles, Jones raised questions about both undefeated Daniel Cormier and the fighter the UFC has tabbed as next in line, Glover Teixeira.
Jones expressed a personal distaste for Cormier, the former Olympic wrestler and Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix tournament winner who has openly lobbied for a match with Jones.
“To be honest with you, I don’t think Daniel Cormier really deserves a big fight,” Jones said. “I don’t respect him as a person. I think fighting me would be an opportunity of a lifetime for him. I don’t think I have much to gain from beating Daniel Cormier because no one knows who he is, and he hasn’t really proved much.”
Jones, also expressed disappointment with Cormier, as part of a fraternity of fellow African-American mixed martial artists, noting he’s had issues with both Cormier and Rashad Evans.
“He seems to really not like me and be a big hater of mine,” Jones said. “It’s sad, considering we’re both African-American and there’s not many of us in the sport. We should try to find a common bond. We don’t need to be friends, but we should at least respect each other. It’s pathetic that me and Rashad have such a bad relationship and me and Daniel have such a bad relationship.”
In Teixeira’s case, there’s no personal animosity. While Jones respects Teixeira’s skills, he says he saw holes in Teixeira’s game during the latter’s recent victory over Ryan Bader.
“I thought he showed signs of being a high-level fighter,” Jones said. “I don’t think he’s ready to beat me. I thought he showed signs, being punched that hard by Bader shows me where he’s at. No matter what your excuse is, it still happened. If you’re a seasoned vet and you said you allowed overconfidence to be your weakness, it’s still a weakness you allowed to happen in the first place. If you have a great opponent and great understanding, then you won’t rush into a guy like Ryan Bader who is obviously going to swing looping punches at you. I don’t think he’s the guy who’s going to beat me.”