Daniel Cormier believes he'll fight Jon Jones a third time after loss at UFC 214
Speaking out publicly for the first time since losing his light heavyweight championship to Jon Jones in their UFC 214 rematch, Daniel Cormier said Monday he plans to fight on and his future could be back at heavyweight.
Cormier, 38, was a guest on The MMA Hour and said he plans to sit out the rest of 2017 to heal his body and spend time with his family. Among the options presented to him by UFC about his future was a return to heavyweight, where Cormier (19-2) last competed in 2013 and could pursue a second title in as many weight classes.
"I really shrunk myself from heavyweight," Cormier said. "I used to have big old traps and I was a bigger guy than I was when I fought at heavyweight, but I'd entertain anything. The UFC values me and honestly, man, they've already reached out with some ideas about me fighting, and I was like, 'well, I need time,' but there are options at heavyweight and options at 205.
"At this point, I've kinda gotten to a point in my career where the UFC, they really are very open to a lot of my suggestions. This last two-and-a-half years since I fought Jones the first time through now, I've headlined cards, there were cards I was supposed to headline or had marquee fights on, I've sold millions and millions of pay-per-views, and with that comes some respect within the organization."
Cormier identified Jimi Manuwa and Volkan Oezdemir as potential opponents should he decide to return to 205 pounds, which has become a much more difficult weight cut with age. Cormier made headlines but just barely making weight on his final attempt in April to preserve his UFC 210 title defense against Anthony Johnson.
As a heavyweight, Cormier was unbeaten and recorded impressive victories over Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Josh Barnett and Antonio "Big Foot" Silva, the last two en route to winning the Strikeforce Grand Prix tournament in 2012. But Cormier dropped down to 205 pounds to avoid having to face good friend and training partner Cain Velasquez, who was then the UFC heavyweight champion.
Regardless of which division he competes in next, Cormier still envisions a third shot at Jones despite two convincing defeats.
"Not only am I going to fight again, but I do believe that Jon Jones and I will fight again," Cormier said. "So, of course I have a desire to fight, and I believe that him and I will compete again before it's all said and done.
"I don't know exactly what path leads back to a fight with Jones, but I anticipate he'll be the champion and I don't believe anyone else in this division can compete with me. So, after I win enough fights, I believe that we'll fight again. Also, we make money together, and when you make money together, the UFC is usually pretty open to making those matches."
Cormier described the second loss to Jones as "a tough pill to swallow" and isn't bitter about the mean-spirited reaction on social media to his emotional breakdown inside the Octagon after the fight. The support he received from celebrity friends -- everyone from Charles Barkley to Andre Ward -- has helped him through it.
"I would expect [people] to say, 'You know what, man, this guy wears his heart on his sleeve,'" Cormier said. "But the silver lining is -- I mean, it's great that people are supporting me, but the silver lining does not erase the bottom line. The bottom line is that I didn't get the job done, and that's what sticks with me. So those are the things that I have to go back and work on, not really from a fighting standpoint, but just from a 'me kinda living my life' standpoint.
"At the end of the day, I have to accept that I did not get the job done, and I'm going to have to do something very special to get the opportunity to do it again, and I'm going to. I am honestly going to work to find a way to get myself locked back into the Octagon with that man. I have to."
For Cormier, who has never lost in MMA to anyone not named Jones, retirement wasn't an option.
"Why would I stop fighting?" Cormier said. "I feel like I still love the competition more than anything. That's really what's driving me. When I don't have competition, I'm not in something like that, I'm miserable, man. I love to compete. I love to be in the environment."