UFC fighter Daniel Cormier apparently did not appreciate that Jon Jones called him a coward when he appeared on The MMA Hour on Monday (h/t Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com).
Cormier took to Twitter to let his opinions be heard in a rant that included more than just the two tweets below (warning: tweets contain NSFW language):
Jones' comments came after Cormier offered on The MMA Hour to assist Ovince Saint Preux in his preparation for a battle against Jones at UFC 197 on April 23. Saint Preux passed on the invitation, but Jones still seemed to take issue with the offer (h/t Al-Shatti):
[Cormier] is an absolute coward who will never beat me. And I say that not from an arrogant place. I say that from a place where, me getting my belt back, it means everything to me. That belt right now is a big part of my life. It means everything to me. Me losing to OSP should be the last thing that [Cormier] would want, because if I were to somehow lose, that means he doesn't get to avenge his only loss.
Jones appeared to have some fun with Cormier’s anger:
Cormier also referred to Jones’ legal problems Monday: “Coward is running from the scene of a crime without checking on [the] person you hurt.”
He was referring to April 2015, when Jones “was arrested on a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death or personal injuries,” per Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com.
Raimondi noted Jones allegedly ran a red light and hit a car. The woman driving the car was pregnant and broke her arm in the accident, and Jones fled the scene. According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com, Jones became the first fighter in the history of the UFC to have his championship stripped for disciplinary reasons when he lost his light heavyweight title.
Cormier didn’t stop there during his rant (warning: tweets contain NSFW language):
Al-Shatti provided additional context for the back-and-forth between the two fighters, noting Jones defeated Cormier via unanimous decision at UFC 182 in January 2015. However, that was the belt Jones eventually vacated.
Cormier went on to beat Anthony Johnson to win the belt back and then defended it against Alexander Gustafsson.
The impending rematch between the two fighters at UFC 197 was highly anticipated, but Cormier suffered an injury and had to withdraw. Jones suggested the development was welcome news for Cormier, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports: “I believe he's hurt, but I also believe deep down inside that he's grateful to not be fighting me in three weeks.”
While Jones apparently does believe Cormier is injured, he did pose an interesting question to his potential challenger in light of the offer to help Saint Preux:
It would make some sense for Cormier to want Jones to win against Saint Preux so he would have a chance to avenge his defeat at UFC 182.
But Saint Preux won’t be training with Cormier. If Jones takes care of business at UFC 197, it could set up an intriguing rematch between Cormier and Jones with plenty of additional storylines to set the tone.
Monday’s tweets from Cormier and Jones were just the latest chapter in the ongoing feud between two of UFC’s most recognizable fighters. Their next showdown—if and when it comes—will be a drama-filled affair that could determine ultimate bragging rights in their rivalry.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
No comments:
Post a Comment