Daniel Cormier to Jon Jones: 'Who Are You to Grant Me Anything?'
Daniel Cormier has targeted the final fight of his career for next year against WWE superstar and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar but until the day he hangs up his gloves, he's probably going to hear about Jon Jones.
Just a day before Cormier defeated Derrick Lewis to defend his heavyweight title, Jones appeared at the UFC 232 pre-fight press conference and said he wasn't interested in a trilogy with the reigning two-division champion because he had already defeated him twice previously.
Now the second win was overturned after Jones tested positive for steroids and Cormier has already committed to a fight with Lesnar next year but it still irked the him that his biggest rival decided he was going to try and dictate the terms of a third fight between them.
"Seriously, giving me the shot?" Cormier said while scoffing at Jones' remarks. "Here's the deal when it comes to Jones — it's hard for me to take anything seriously because you say 'I don't want to give you a shot, you don't deserve it, I beat you', said he knocked me out, which he did. You guys know I've always said he won the fight. He once put a video up of a little girl kicking a girl in the head and I said look, man, she set that kick up perfect but you were on steroids, dog. You can't use that!
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"I'm sure USADA said whatever but you still had steroids in your system. It does not matter. You cannot be on steroids in no way, shape or form. That's not fair. So for him to say 'I don't think he deserves a title shot' or 'I'm not going to grant him' — who are you to grant me anything?"
Cormier continued by pointing out how Jones has failed to live up to his part as champion on so many occasions that he's been able to hold the light heavyweight title for the past three years.
When Jones was arrested after a hit-and-run accident in 2015 and stripped of his belt, Cormier stepped into face Anthony "Rumble" Johnson to claim a vacant light heavyweight title. Then Jones defeated Cormier to win back the belt last year only to have the title stripped again when he tested positive for steroids.
"I'm the guy that's been here this whole time. Three years I've been the light heavyweight champion because this dude can't stay out of trouble," Cormier said. "That dude actually got in so much s--t that they just said 'hey DC you can have the belt back' last year after he knocked me out. Seriously. How crazy must the guy that won be for them to go 'you can just have this back'. Seriously cause we know with you that s--t is safe in San Jose. With you it's safe, with this dude, we don't know what he's going to do. So they just gave it back.
"Think about it — him and Alexander [Gustafsson] are fighting for what belt? What's it called? Interim. No, what's it called? Vacant. So why wouldn't Volkan and I fought for the vacant light heavyweight title? Guy got stripped just like I'm getting stripped. Why wouldn't I have fought for a vacant title? Because they know with me it's safe. I'm not sure if he wins in December and gets in trouble again they don't go 'hey DC you want this thing back?'. Seriously."
As far as Cormier's interest in a third fight with Jones, he's putting the rivalry behind him unless Lesnar can't compete and then he may pursue the trilogy. Otherwise, Cormier is satisfied with the legacy he's built during his career.
