UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier may end up retiring if he loses again to Jon Jones at UFC 200. (Photo : Getty Images/Steve Marcus)
The much awaited rematch between UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former champion Jon Jones takes place this weekend at UFC 200 with the stakes obviously high. Despite the champion, Cormier knows that the stakes are more than the title this time around.
Cormier knows he needs to come out with a win to even the score with Jones. The two met at UFC 182 in 2015 where “Bones” came out with a unanimous decision victory and win the title. Jones would be stripped of the title for off-ring issues and D.C. would eventually win the title.
Much of that was covered in a previous post here yesterday on Yibada. That post covered how the pressure is more on Cormier than Jones and why their matchup was more than the UFC belt.
At 37, Cormier knows that he will be going up against a dangerous and rising star in Jones. The two have shown their hate towards one another and much of that should show when they start to get it on in the Octagon.
Cormier cannot afford to lose to Jones for the second time in a row. Such will send him spiraling within the UFC ranks and place his career in limbo.
According to ESPN, Cormier is aware that a loss would be devastating on his end. It could send him into retirement and relegate him to being a TV commentator as stressed by Jones.
With the odds stacked against him, Cormier claims that he is fine with the scenario. While he tries to separate his legacy with his athletic career, not all are one in agreeing with him.
A lot of that apparently involves his success as a wrestler and a football player at LSU before eventually venturing into mixed martial arts. He has so far shown his stuff though he is up against someone heavily favored to repeat that 2015 matchup.
Regardless, Cormier is unfazed and knows he can beat Jones. While he admits he did fight badly the first time out, he has little to no room for mistakes against Jones this Sunday. He needs to be ready for all 25 minutes against Jones as mentioned on UFC.com.
How much does Cormier hate Jones? Check out the video below.
