UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has hit back at Jon Jones after the former champ fired shots on Twitter, hinting at a possible rematch between the two and that he still considers himself the king of their 205-pound weight class.
Jones’ tweet did not mention Cormier by name but was clearly aimed at his successor:
Cormier duly replied:
As Bloody Elbow’s Mark Bergmann notes, Jones’ comments weren’t exactly cryptic—DC recently admitted his desire to take a recuperative break from fighting after stepping into the Octagon with Jones, Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson in 2015.
Per Bloody Elbow’s Lewis Mckeever, DC told the Jon Anik and Kenny Florian Podcast the following:
I have no idea [when Jones will be back]; all I know is that I’m taking a break. In 2015, I fought Jones, I fought “Rumble” Johnson, and I fought Alexander Gustafsson. I fought the toughest guys the division has to offer—all in 10 months, at 36 years old. I need a little bit of a break. I fought seven times in two years in the UFC. I need some time to sit back and spend with my family.
Meanwhile, Jones is serving an indefinite suspension from the sport after his involvement in a hit-and-run incident in April that left a pregnant woman with a broken arm—for which he was also stripped of his light heavyweight title.
Jones defeated Cormier when the pair fought in January, and should the 28-year-old make a high-profile return to the Octagon, DC is likely to be his first opponent—granting him the opportunity to try and reclaim his title and pitting the division’s two best fighters against each other once again.
This latest exchange in their ongoing war of words will only serve to stoke the fire of a possible future bout—particularly with Cormier’s response indicating he’s more than willing to put his title on the line against him.
The 36-year-old has gone from strength to strength since suffering the only defeat of his career at Jones’ hands, so a fiery and dramatic encounter undoubtedly awaits should their eagerly anticipated rematch ever come to pass.
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