Jon Jones recently stated that he was not interested in facing Daniel Cormier for a third time, being that he considers himself 2-0 against Cormier. Jones went on to say that Cormier would have to earn a fight against him after Jones regains the light heavyweight championship. But Jones would suddenly do an about-face earlier this week when he challenged Daniel Cormier to a fight, even being willing to donate $100,000 to a San Diego charity should Cormier accept. So why the sudden shift by Jones? (via MMA Fighting):
“The only reason I brought up the name of Daniel Cormier is that he brought up my name,” Jones said on the UFC 232 conference call on Thursday. “And I just figured, when I was in trouble, I just stepped back, all summer long, and let everybody talk as much sh*t as they want, and just talk blindly, knowing no facts. I watched everybody that I beat in the past say ‘ohh, he was on steroids when he fought me the first time, that’s why he beat me.’ I just sat back and let everybody have at it.”
The interview Jon Jones is referring to and that he quoted in one of his Tweets to Cormier is a recent appearance by Cormier on The Jim Rome Podcast, where Cormier once again criticized Jones for allowing steroids to be found in his body on multiple occasions. And now, Jones says, when his name is mentioned by foes, it is no more Mr. Nice Guy.
“I stayed quiet for almost a whole year,” Jones said. “And now I’m back, and I’m ready to reclaim my throne, and the sitting down and being quiet days are over. Daniel Cormier opened his mouth about me. He wants to sell to the people that steroids had something to do with my success. He would love it if, that’s the dialogue he wants to get out there, that’s the narrative he wants to get out there, and I want to nip it in the bud.”
It would seem that the call-out from Jon Jones was not a hasty decision made in a moment of resentment after reading Cormier’s quotes, but that instead the former light heavyweight champion has really made a trilogy bout against Cormier a priority to the point where Jones is still awaiting Cormier’s response in anticipation:
“I challenged Cormier to be my first title defense, and let’s see what he does,” Jones said. I don’t think he responded yet, and I think everybody knows he doesn’t want to fight me a third time.”
What do you make of Jon Jones calling out Daniel Cormier to be his “first title defense?”
