Cormier faces Jones at UFC 214 (Photo: Reproduction/Youtube UFC)
Next Saturday (29), in Anaheim, at UFC 214, Daniel Cormier will have the long-awaited chance to “cleanse” the only stain on his MMA record. He will put the light heavyweight belt (up to 93kg) on the line in the rematch against his arch-rival Jon Jones, who defeated him in January 2015 and, consequently, took away his unbeaten record.
However, Cormier believes that it is not just the position of current champion that will be at stake, but also the status of the best fighter of all time. For him, the fact that he had already won Anderson Silva, added to the eventual triumph over 'Bones', will place him at the highest level in MMA history.
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“The number 1 and 2 light heavyweights of all time are Jon and I. I will be number one after next Saturday. Today he is number one, because he beat me. But I will not only be the greatest light heavyweight of all time, but the greatest fighter of all time. I don't want to win the argument. I want to BE the discussion. I will have won Anderson Silva e Jon Jones. Why won't I be the greatest of all time? That's what I'm fighting for. This fight is for my legacy. I've done everything I could in this sport. I was regional, Strikeforce and UFC champion. I did everything I could imagine, I made a lot of money and I have a job for the future. The only thing I didn't do was win Jon Jones. Point. When I do this, it will be like beating a video game after beating the hardest character. If I win this fight, I will have won everything. I will have won the arguments, the rivalry… everything! And I will win on Saturday”, declared DC, in an interview on the 'Combate' channel website.
A declared opponent of Jones, Cormier makes no bones about hiding his obsession with overcoming his rival. According to him, the rivalry between the two is already marked as one of the greatest in the sport, but not only because of the disagreements between them, but also because of the high level that both present inside the Octagon.
“I think our rivalry will be remembered as one of the greatest in MMA history because of the level at which we compete. We are not just two champions who talk. We are both very skilled in the octagon. I think our rivalry is one of the greatest of all time, and we are the two best pound for pound in the world. You will see the highest level of MMA next Saturday. I am grateful for that, and I think that when my walk is over, the memories will be stronger than me and the time I was here. People will be grateful for what I did for the sport after I stop. They will realize that I did things the right way, and I am proud of that”, he concluded.
Cormier won the light heavyweight belt in May 2015, when he submitted Anthony Johnson at UFC 187. At that time, “Rumble” would face Jon Jones for the title, but the then champion lost his position after being involved in an accident while driving under the influence of drugs and drink, being replaced by DC. He has since defended his title against Alexander Gustafson, at UFC 192, and again against Johnson, at UFC 210, in addition to winning Anderson Silva in a fight that wasn't worth the title, at UFC 200.
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