UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier says it will ultimately be his decision as to whether he faces longtime rival Jon Jones in a trilogy fight.
Cormier recently revealed he would be open to fighting Jones again and would even do it at light heavyweight again.
However, as he has mentioned in the past, he no longer feels he needs to get a win over Jones in order to retire with no regrets.
That is why if he does decide to face the light heavyweight champion again, it will only be because he made the decision to.
“If I fight Jon Jones again, it’ll be at 205,” Cormier told reporters on Friday. “That’s where he won the fights, and that’s where I would want to beat him at. I’ve done so much more now that my career is not tied to Jon Jones anymore. It was initially, right? Because he beat me, I won the light heavyweight title, and I was always fighting at light heavyweight, then I became the heavyweight champ. Then I defended the light heavyweight title three times.
“This is my ninth UFC title fight. Why am I worried about tying my career to somebody else? I fought for the gold belt, it’s going to be 10 times in my career. So, I need no one. But if I want to fight Jones, I’ll fight Jones. It’ll be my decision this time.”
Jon Jones Makes Daniel Cormier Better
Since his second loss to Jones which was later overturned, Cormier would defend his reinstated light heavyweight title against Volkan Oezdemir.
He later became a two-division champion when he defeated Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title last summer. Though he later vacated his 205-pound title, “DC” would then become the first fighter to defend belts in different divisions when he defeated Derrick Lewis at UFC 230.
Now scheduled to face Miocic in a rematch at UFC 241 in August where he could make it two title defenses, it’s easy to see why Cormier no longer needs Jones.
However, Cormier acknowledged that it is only Jones who can bring out the best version of himself.
“When I’m preparing to fight him, I train better, my focus is better, and I believed when he beat me on those two nights that was the best version of who I am,” Cormier explained. “I know how much work I’ve put into being ready for those fights. I think it makes me better. Any time you have a person like that to chase, it makes you better.”
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