Jon Jones may be a world champion and the face of the UFC, but Daniel Cormier believes he has faced tougher opposition at this stage of his career.
With only 10 fights under his belt, the former Olympian has already climbed to the top of the heavyweight ranks.
He recently defeated former UFC champions Josh Barnett and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva to win the Strikeforce Grand Prix and become the new Strikeforce heavyweight champion.
Lately, fans have been salivating over the possibility of Cormier dropping to light heavyweight and challenging Jones for the UFC title.
At first, it seemed like the proposed super fight was all talk, but with Strikeforce closing its doors and stars jumping ship to the UFC, there is a strong chance the bout could come to fruition.
“I said that I would only take [the Jon Jones] fight if Cain [Velasquez] was UFC heavyweight champion and I was offered the fight with Jones; that was the stipulation,” Cormier said, in an interview with Fight Hub TV.
“I am totally content at staying at heavyweight. My diet is pretty much whatever I want, I don’t need to cut really any weight and I still am fast and able to compete with a lot of people in my weight class, why move from it?”
Velasquez, Cormier‘s close friend and training partner, is set to challenge Junior Dos Santos for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 155 on December 29.
If Velasquez wins, it could force Cormier down to the 205-pound ranks.
Luckily, the light heavyweight division is in need of fresh contenders. It has taken Jones a little over a year to tear through the division that was once considered the most stacked weight class in the sport.
For Cormier, it’s all about the challenge of ousting, arguably, the greatest talent MMA has ever seen.
Can it be done?
Cormier believes his résumé speaks for itself.
“Who I have fought and how I have fought, it says something about me. That shows that I am content fighting wrestlers, bigger guys, Jiu-Jitsu guys, all the division has to offer, I’m OK with and ready for it.
When you look at my record at 10-0 as a professional and look at Jon Jones’ record when he was 10-0, who was his toughest guy? Stephan Bonnar and he did not finish him. I have fought higher caliber opponents at this stage in my career than Jon did in his at 9-1; His tenth fight was Matt Hamill.”
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com