Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will defend his title against No. 2 ranked Volkan Oezdemir on Jan. 20 in the UFC 220 co-main event in Boston. “DC” was knocked out in his last outing by former titleholder Jon Jones at UFC 214 in July, but the result was later changed to a No Contest after Jones tested positive for the steroid Turinal. Jones was stripped of the belt and Cormier was reinstated as the champion.
Top ranked light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson still considers Jones the real 205-pound champ.
“(Cormier) has the belt, so I want to fight DC for sure. I want that belt. But for me, the real champion is Jon Jones, of course, because he’s been destroying everybody in the division. Everything he’s done in the division, nobody has done before. For me, he’s the real champion, but I accept DC as a champion too,” Gustafsson said during an appearance on The MMA Hour.
“(Cormier) is a good guy and a good fighter and the only guy he’s lost to is Jon Jones. He’s the real deal and I think he’s champion material,” added Gustafsson.
Gustafsson has close decision losses to both Cormier and Jones. Jones’ fate for the UFC 214 positive test hasn’t yet been determined, but he potentially faces a four-year suspension. His lone career loss was by disqualification in a fight that he was dominating in 2009. While “The Mauler” considers Jones the real light heavyweight champion, he knows that Cormier has the belt around his waist.
“I want to fight DC. I want to fight DC for the belt. I lost to him, so I want to fight him again and get my rematch and take that belt from him.”
