The drama surrounding Jon Jones' next title defense adds a new wrinkle seemingly every day. This time it's Daniel Cormier doing his part to oblige Jones' request for a showdown in the Octagon.
Speaking on UFC Tonight, Cormier said he'd be willing to delay surgery on his injured knee if it meant getting a UFC title shot.
This comes on the heels of UFC president Dana White saying that Jones had yet to agree to a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson because the champ wants to fight Cormier. The former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner believes Jones wants to face him because he wants nothing to do with Gustafsson.
"He had to reach so deep into his soul to win that last fight, I truly believe he doesn't want to fight Alex again," Cormier told Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports. "Alex took him somewhere he'd never been before and he doesn't want to go there ever again."
The talk among many MMA fans is that Jones is trying to duck Gustafsson, something the champ emphatically denied.
White has attempted to put Jones in check, claiming Gustafsson is the No. 1 contender. Obviously the champ doesn't see it that way, as Jones is rolling with the "I already beat him" defense.
That's despite their UFC 165 clash being one of the closest fights in UFC history. Many fans had Gustafsson winning, and Jones looked like anything but a winner of a fight.
Instead of getting an immediate rematch, as is the custom with so many close title fights these days, Gustafsson had to settle for Jimi Manuwa at UFC Fight Night 37. Jones, meanwhile, successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight title against Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in dominant fashion.
Cormier's response gives Jones more leverage in his negotiations with the UFC, as if he needed more. Jones wants to fight Cormier, and Cormier wants to fight Jones. The only problem is that the UFC fans, the people who pay to watch Jones fight, want to see him rematch with Gustafsson.
