Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones have been scheduled to fight a total of four times, and they have stepped inside the Octagon only once, at UFC 182 last year. Their UFC 200 main event rematch was recently cancelled due to a USADA violation for “Bones.” There is a strong possibility the highly anticipated rematch between the two best light heavyweights will never occur because Jones is now facing up to a two-year suspension from USADA, the UFC’s third-party anti-doping partner.
And Cormier knows that. It seems like the older the light heavyweight champ gets, the better he performs. But that won’t last forever. If Jones is indeed suspended for two years, “DC” will be 39-years-old when the former titleholder returns to the cage — Cormier understands he needs to stop believing a rematch against Jones is inevitable.
“I’m 37-years-old. I don’t have the luxury of taking time off,” Cormier told the media ahead of UFC 200 (via Fight Network). “My career can’t wait for him. My career has to move forward. I’ve got to continue my legacy in the best way that I can.”
That said, Cormier still really, really wants to fight Jones. The 28-year-old won’t be Cormier’s focus in the foreseeable future, but if Jones returns after his suspension is over, that is who the American Kickboxing Academy-product wants the most.
“It would be devastating (if I never rematch Jones),” he said. “I would love for at some point to try and avenge that loss. But if it is not to be, it is not to be. Not everything works out the way that we want it to work out.”
Cormier now fights former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva on the main card of UFC 200, which takes place live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 9. Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes for the women’s bantamweight belt serves as the evening’s main event.
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