UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is willing to give Jon Jones an immediate chance to reclaim the belt he was stripped of earlier this year.
The pair squared off for the title in January, with Jones outclassing the current champion over five rounds. But the man from New York was forced to relinquish his crown after being involved in a hit-and-run incident, before recently being reinstated to the UFC’ s active roster after it emerged he would not be serving jail time.
While he’s yet to fight for the promotion since, Cormier has insisted he’s willing to face Jones in his first outing back inside the Octagon, per UFC Tonight (h/t Damon Martin of Fox Sports):
If Jones beat me in January, and he said, 'Daniel you have to earn your way back to a rematch', I would have fought the two best guys in the division, (Anthony) 'Rumble' Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson, to get back there. If Jones was still the champion, I would have earned that rematch.
The thing is, I'm the champion now and I want to fight him. I am willing to give him a title shot immediately back into the UFC. It's great for the fans, great for the organization because he is pound for pound the best fighter in the world.
Cormier has certainly kept himself busy while Jones has been in hot water. He’s fought both Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson, securing the vacant title with an impressive victory over the former, before a thrilling split decision triumph against the latter.
As such, the former Olympic wrestler is a worthy champion. However, there are some, including Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden, who feel as though Cormier needs to get the better of Jones to fully warrant that mantle:
Indeed, although Cormier has only lost once in his professional MMA career, the manner in which Jones dismantled him at UFC 182 in January was rather emphatic. Despite the current champion having a distinguished wrestling background, the man known as “Bones” became the first fighter to take him down in a MMA bout; three times, no less.
So for a fierce competitor such as Cormier, perhaps it’s no surprise he wants to avenge this loss, and it appears this showdown could be sorted very quickly indeed. "Tomorrow I'm actually going out to Vegas with my manager,” he said on UFC Tonight. "We're going to discuss the future whether it's going to be Jones, what's it going to be, where's it going to be."
From a purely fighting perspective, the fact that Cormier has become champion and beaten two quality opponents while Jones has been suspended sets this one up perfectly. Indeed, UFC commentator Jon Anik feels as though the reigning champion would be in a much better position to beat the undefeated Jones second time around:
Cormier has had five fights now at light heavyweight after shredding down, and while Gustafsson pushed him close last time out, there’s definitely a lot more assurance about him in this weight class compared to his loss to Jones. Being the champion and the confidence that’ll add is also a factor that will count in his favour should a rematch be set.
But Jones would still be the overwhelming favourite. In their previous bout, the 28-year-old had the edge on his opponent in so many different areas, utilising his superior reach, gnarly work in the clinch and smart boxing to establish an unshakable foothold in the fight. For the dynamic to have shifted so quickly in such a short amount of time would be very surprising.
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