Cormier: ‘I’m pretty sure’ UFC will take 205-pound title from me
UFC double-champ Daniel Cormier has conceded to the possibility of being stripped of the 205-pound title.
On July 7th at UFC 226, Daniel Cormier became the second fighter in company history to simultaneously hold world titles in two different weight classes. But that can all change anytime soon, in Cormier’s mind, at least.
”I imagine they’re going to take that belt, because I am scheduled to fight Brock Lesnar [at heavyweight],” Cormier said on Monday’ episode of the Ariel Helwani MMA Show on ESPN. “I can’t fight at 205 first, so I’m pretty sure that they will take that title.”
Cormier is hoping for the Lesnar fight to happen as early as January 2019. If he does end up getting stripped of the light heavyweight title, he expects to reap the financial benefits he will be getting from a matchup of such magnitude.
”If a fight with Brock Lesnar for the amount of money that that brings and the prestige that that brings is your fallback plan, that’s a pretty good one to have.”
As for rival Jon Jones, Cormier previously stated that he is unsure if he would be willing to put himself through such an emotional rollercoaster again. But at the same time, he admits that his competitive side may just turn that all around, despite the deadline that he set for himself to retire by his 40th birthday on March 20th of the coming year.
”I can’t turn this off. It’s what makes me uniquely me: my competitiveness and my desire to fight and compete against the best in the world.”
”He’s just a cheater,” Cormier said of Jones. “And ultimately that fault -- that he’s a cheater -- does not deter me from wanting to compete against him again.”