Bruce Buffer would like Daniel Cormier to ‘retire on top’ rather than take on Jon Jones in a trilogy bout.
Renowned Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer is not interested in seeing a trilogy bout between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.
Jones, the current light heavyweight champion, has beat Cormier twice already, but the latter win at UFC 214 was overturned to a No Contest (NC) after ‘Bones’ tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Jones originally knocked out ‘DC’ with a head kick in the third round to defend the title.
Since then, Cormier went on to capture both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, and Buffer thinks it’s the perfect time for the former Olympian to retire ‘on top.’
“I don’t think it should happen unless they want it to happen,” Buffer told Express Sport in a recent interview at the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) in the Bahamas. “I think that Cormier has made what I would guess to be a tremendous amount of money in his last three fights. He has a fight potentially scheduled with Brock Lesner for a couple of months from now. If that comes to fruition then he is going to make a tremendous amount of money out of the fight.
“He is at a point now, being a double belt holder and all, he could just retire on top,” he continued. “But, money talks, people walk and you never know how much money will be involved. If you said ‘hey I want Jon and you to fight’ then he is going to do what he needs to do.”
Cormier voluntarily relinquished his light heavyweight title — rather than be stripped of it by the UFC — on the eve of UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2. Jones went on to TKO Gustafsson in the third round to capture to vacant belt, becoming the first-ever three-time UFC light heavyweight champion in the promotion’s history.
Cormier is anticipated to take on Brock Lesnar in his next bout, but the 39-year-old would like Jones to move up in weight to challenge him for the heavyweight strap. Jones, however, is content to rule the light heavyweight division and has no interest in challenging Cormier at his ‘natural’ weight.
Jones is expected to defend his LHW belt against Anthony Smith at the upcoming UFC 235 pay-per-view on March 2nd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.