UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier doesn’t want to see Jon Jones anywhere near the Octagon if he gets past Anthony Johnson this Saturday.
Cormier is currently scheduled to defend his 205-pound belt against Johnson in the main event of UFC 210 in Buffalo. The bout is a rematch, as Cormier previously defeated “Rumble” for the vacant light heavyweight title back at UFC 187 in 2015. The champion is confident he’ll defeat Johnson once again come Saturday night, even it means battling the dangerous striker on the feet.
“I have prepared for an Anthony Johnson that’s as good as anyone that’s ever stepped foot in the Octagon,” Cormier said at UFC 210 open workouts Thursday. “I made him better than he could truly be because I want to make sure I leave nothing uncovered. But realistically, we haven't had much to see. Anthony Johnson has only fought for seven and a half minutes in three fights, so we’ll see how much different he is on Saturday. But the difference is that I’m going to stand up to him, I’m not afraid of Anthony Johnson in any way, shape or form. And when that happens, Anthony usually loses.”
Despite having a tough test ahead in Johnson, Cormier can't get away from questions about the only man who’s defeated him in a professional fight. His bitter rival, Jones, will also be in attendance at UFC 210, and is expected to return to the UFC this summer after serving his one-year USADA suspension.
“He [Jones] better not come in my cage after I win,” Cormier said. “He’s not welcomed in there, he’s still suspended. When he's eligible to fight, then he can walk in the cage, but if he dares to step foot in that Octagon, something bad will happen.”
Cormier said he finds Jones’ troubles outside of the cage to be sad, but he's not letting the rivalry with the former champ distract him from his opponent at UFC 210.
“The guy is the most talented human being I have ever competed against,” Cormier said of Jones. “He’s so good at every aspect of fighting, but for him to have done the things he has done, to limit the history that he was making, it’s crazy, it’s sad. But at the end of the day, I have to worry about myself and Anthony Johnson. You guys [media] care about Jon Jones. We don't. He's a non-factor. This is a guy that hasn't fought in almost two years. The last time he fought Ovince Saint Preux, it was just a sh*tty fight, almost as bad as me and Anderson Silva.”
Cormier understands why Jones is present in this UFC 210 fight week. Jones is an upstate New York native. But Cormier said if he were in Jones shoes, he wouldn't be around.
“I mean, this is where he’s from, I get it,” Cormier said. “But if it was me, and I was in this situation, I wouldn't here.”
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