Daniel Cormier just knocked out statistically the greatest UFC heavyweight champion ever – he’s entitled to contradict himself
In the build-up to UFC 226, Daniel Cormier became involved in a social media back-and-forth with his arch-rival, Jon Jones. What Jones took issue with was Cormier’s comments surrounding the greatest of all time discussion. DC stated that if he were to beat Stipe Miocic, he would be thrust into the conversation. Jones fired back with, ‘If he’s in the conversation, does that make me the motherfucking man?’
At this point, Cormier removed the only man to beat him inside the Octagon from the debate. He told CBS Sports that he wasn’t going to give Jones a platform because of his anti-doping violations.
“None. Jones doesn’t have a platform and I refuse to give him a platform. He’s a nobody. He has been suspended again. He’s mired in controversy for drug abuse. Your issues are tied to steroids, performance enhancers. You don’t get a platform when you’re like that. It’s like me glorifying Lance Armstrong.”
What about Brock?
Jones had his MMA licence revoked and was fined $205,000 for testing positive for the steroid Turinabol in an in-competition drug test for his UFC 214 headliner against Cormier. He cannot apply for another licence until the conclusion of his USADA suspension, which has yet to be set. As it is his second offence, he is staring down the barrel of a ban expected to last somewhere between two and four years.
His first offence came from an in-competition test at UFC 200. He tested positive for two banned substances – hydroxy-clomiphene, an oestrogen blocker, and ‘letrozole metabolite,’ an ‘aromatase inhibitor.’ He was handed a one-year ban and his fight, which was scheduled to be against Cormier, was scrapped.
However, the man he was more than willing to cut a promo with inside the cage at UFC 226 has also had his issues with USADA. Brock Lesnar received a one-year suspension for testing positive for the banned substance clomiphene in multiple drug tests surrounding his return at UFC 200. Lesnar was controversially granted an exemption from the four-month written notice rule for un-retiring athletes under the USADA/UFC drug testing policy ahead of the fight with Mark Hunt.
Lesnar formally retired six months into his sentence but has re-entered the testing pool with a view to fighting Cormier.
Welcome to Cormier’s world
Circumstances have changed considerably since Cormier declared that he would be refusing to give Jones a platform. He now sits on the thrones of the two biggest divisions in the promotion. He joins BJ Penn, Randy Couture, Conor McGregor and Georges St-Pierre in the list of fighters to hold two UFC belts. Only he and McGregor have held them simultaneously.
As he explained at the UFC 226 post-fight press conference, the chasing pack are playing by his rules now.
“Maybe we’re living in my world now. So I dictate the rules. Plus I just really don’t like Jones. So, I’ll never give him a platform.”
Cormier played down the possibility of completing his trilogy with Jones for the heavyweight championship. Presently, the series stands at one win for Jones and one No Contest. Jones scored a unanimous decision victory over DC at UFC 183 while his knockout win at UFC 214 was overturned due to the failed drug test.
“I would if he’s around, but I don’t know if he’s going to be around. Honestly,at this point, does he even deserve it? All these fights… I hold the cards now. He may have won the fights, but I hold the cards. I am the one that competed, I went up and did something that you were not going to do, I went and fought the baddest man on the planet, the most successful heavyweight champion of all time, a great guy, a great champion, a guy that does everything the right way – and I won. I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”
Ultimatum
That being said, Cormier doesn’t want to take on a dirty fighter. He vowed to do everything in his power to ensure that Lesnar is clean for their eventual scrap. Even it means putting his hand into his own pockets.
“Brock’s gotta be clean, man. I’m not going to fight him if he’s not clean. We’ll do USADA testing and we’ll do other testing. We’ll do testing above USADA to make sure the man’s clean because I’m not going to fight him if he’s cheating. I’ve done that on a number of ocassions already. I don’t want to fight him if he’s dirty, man. Do it the right way.”
“You’ve kind of put me in a hard position. I can’t really say much in terms of USADA because USADA’s been great to me. I’ve been in this testing programme since 2001. But, when you watch boxing, sometimes the guys do USADA testing and they do independent testing. I just want him tested all the time. He’s going to be getting tested, even if I’ve got to pay for it. We’ll get him tested as often as we need to just to make sure he’s clean.”
Jon Jones dropped the mic after he called out Lesnar at UFC 214. He must be absolutely raging now.
