The Bald One is Calling for Jones v Cormier III… This Time Though He Wants it at Heavyweight… What Do You Think? 

There are few rivalries in combat sports as genuine or as toxic as Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier’s. The pair have fought twice, with Jones winning by unanimous decision at UFC 182 in 2015. The great light-heavyweight ever would go on to knock Cormier out at UFC 214 in 2017, although that was overruled as a no-contest.

The pair really hate each other. We’ve had a public press-conference brawl, social media abuse and a multitude of insults between the two men. Now the momentum is suddenly growing for a third fight, this time at heavyweight. Jones would like the fight at 205, and you can understand why. It’s safe for him and would make a lot of money.

Heavyweight adds a new dimension to it though and fans would probably be more interested in Jones stepping up to the challenge than DC going back down again. Dana White has now come out and said that if the fight happens then it would have to be in the most glamorous division in combat sports.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports.

Heavyweight

Dana White has spoken for everybody by saying that if this fight goes ahead it should happen at heavyweight. Cormier is comfortable in the top division and doesn’t look like he’s ready to make a brutal weight cut again. White told Brett Okamoto:

“Cormier has this fight coming up against Stipe Miocic (at UFC 241). If he gets past Stipe he probably has two fights left in his career. I would expect one of those would probably be Jon Jones, and hopefully at heavyweight. I think Jon said, ‘I don’t want to move up to heavyweight to fight him, I’ll fight him at 205.’ And Cormier said, ‘I don’t want to beat him at heavyweight I want to beat him at 205.’ Try to get those two to agree on anything (laughs), well they do agree they want to fight at 205. But I want to see it at heavyweight.”

Jan 2, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Jon Jones during the weigh-in for his Light Heavyweight Title Bout against Daniel Cormier (not pictured) at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports.

Not Happening

Jones for his part appears to be too scared to risk moving up to heavyweight where people have the power to knock him unconscious with one shot. As a 205lber, he’s very long and makes it difficult for people to land shots on him. While he might be technically much better than most heavyweights, he loses the length advantage. A clash with Francis Ngannou, for example, would be fascinating.

“He won’t do it,” Jones told Ariel Helwani about Cormier dropping down in weight. “I just think it takes a lot out of him to make that weight cut. I haven’t seen him in person, but I hear he is bigger than ever. To lose all that weight and too come up short a third time, it just takes a lot of courage, I would imagine. I don’t think he has the balls to do it, I think he knows what to say to the people to appear not afraid of me. But I think deep down inside he knows that it’s like after losing to me twice. Going home, crying and I just doubt he is going to do that to himself again.”

Dec 29, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Jon Jones (red gloves) fights Alexander Gustafsson (blue gloves) during UFC 232 at The Forum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports.

Legend

At the end of the day this fight has happened twice already and the result would very possibly go the same way. Should Cormier give Jones another chance at beating him after having his legacy tainted by the steroid user in the past? Only he can decide that. White summed it up:

“Cormier is an all-time great,” he said. “The only guy to ever beat him is Jon Jones, and he beat him twice. Does the third fight have to happen? No, it doesn’t have to happen. But a lot of fans want to see it happen.”

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