Cormier shows swollen face after beating Gustafsson. Photo: Reproduction
World light heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier punched his opponent several times at UFC 192, Alexander Gustafson, whom he even classified as one of the most overrated fighters today. However, after the fight between them, the North American changed his words and was full of praise for the Swede.
Cormier and Gustafsson fought an electrifying duel in the octagon in Houston (USA). With good moments for both athletes, the fight reached the judges' decision after five even rounds, and the victory went to the champion in a split manner.
In a press conference shortly after the fight, Cormier acknowledged that he was heavily punished, as he doesn't even remember several moments of the fight. However, he explained why he had criticized the Swede before the duel.
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“I'm a business partner with the UFC and I need to sell the fights. This affects my final payment. I tried to do my best for this, because I don't want people to be indifferent to me: those who love me, those who hate me, but who care to watch me. But now I have to tell the truth: he beat me up and made me fight my best. For that, I thank you. I feel like I caught a lot. I'm hurt. I hurt my foot – he blocked a shot and I don't know if my foot was broken. It was the worst punishment I've ever received. My God, this guy is so tough”, commented Cormier, with part of his face swollen.
Now with a title defense under his belt, Cormier was indifferent about his challenging future. The champion was open to facing both the former belt holder, Jon Jones, how much Ryan bader, who reached five consecutive victories in the Octagon at UFC 192, over Rashad evans.
"I don't mind. I want to fight. That's what I do and that's what I like to do. I won't back down for anyone. Ryan bader did a good job and won Rashad evans, and I didn't think he could do it. AND Jon Jones é Jon Jones, the best fighter of all time”, declared the current champion.
However, Cormier imposed a condition if his next opponent is Jones: he does not want to fight in his opponent's hometown. “I wouldn’t face him in New York. He will be adored and applauded there. Why would I allow him to fight in a place where he will feel comfortable? I want him to fight in a place where people hold him accountable for all the things he did,” he said, referring to the controversial traffic accident in which the former champion was involved.
Jones and Cormier already faced each other, in January of this year, with the former winning by the judges' decision. Jones lost the title months later, when the UFC removed him from his position precisely because of the traffic accident. Ultimate has scheduled an event for New York in April 2016, but still needs to resolve bureaucratic problems to get the plan off the ground.
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