Det finns ännu inget datum för en retur mellan den nuvarande mästaren i lätt tungvikt Daniel Cormier och den före detta mästaren Jon ”Bones” Jones. Under tiden tränar Cormier för fullt och han tror sig nu har listat ut hur han ska besegra sin rival.
Det här berättade Cormier under en radioshow med Bruce Buffer och T.J. Dillashaw:
The truth is, I lost that fight to Jones, but I didn’t fight my best fight. I didn’t fight very well and I still had a lot of moments in that fight. For me going into the next fight, not only do I feel like I’m going to win, I feel I’m supposed to win. I am a better mixed martial artist than Jon Jones. Skill for skill I’m better than that guy.
Jones och Cormier har under lång tid varit bittra rivaler och hamnat i ett flertal bråk i sociala medier. Inför det senaste mötet under UFC 182 för ett år sedan rök de ihop under deras staredown. När de sedan möttes segrade Jones via ett enhälligt domslut.
There was a lot of talk and on Jan. 3, 2015 Jon fought the better fight. He was the better fighter on that night. He did a phenomenal job of making me fight the way he wanted. As the fight progressed and both of us started to tire a little bit he started to initiate clinches and slowed me down and made me fight the slow fight that he’s very good at. He’s not going to get to do that again this time. I’m already covering those bases. There are a lot of things I did in that first fight that lent to me losing. Not really respecting Jon and his ability to dictate a fight.
I thought that by putting the type of pressure that I put on people that eventually he would fold. Kenny Florian told me something right before the fight and it rang so true. ’DC, got out and win this fight because you’re better. He’s not going to give up on himself in 25 minutes.’ I trained for three months to break him, but 25 minutes isn’t enough time for Jon to give up on himself. I have to go beat him because I’m better than him.
Jones var sedan inblandad i en smitningsolycka där en gravid kvinna skadades. Detta resulterade i avstängning från UFC och han fråntogs sitt bälte som Cormier tog hem efter segerna mot Anthony Johnson. Jones avtjänar nu samhällstjänst i 18 månader men fick sedan komma tillbaka till organisationen
Jones har nu inte gått match på ett år men tror inte att det kommer på verka den forne mästaren.
He’s so good. He’s such a good fighter that I don’t think the layoff will affect him like it does others. I think he’ll be OK. I think his issues are going to be with the improvements that I’ve made. Not anything on his end. He’ll be just as good as he always is, if not better. But it’s the improvement I’ve made that will make the difference.
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