Cormier: Beating Jones bigger than title
Daniel Cormier: “…the guy that’s widely considered the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. You beat that guy [Jon Jones] and you become the man.”
At UFC 178, Daniel Cormier will face Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title, but for him, beating Jones may be even more important than becoming the champion:
“Being the UFC champion means everything to me,” Cormier said. “It will be the culmination of my entire athletic career. From high school champion to NCAA All-American to Strikeforce champion, it would be the culmination of everything. Everything coming together and when I’m done and look back, I can actually say I got it done.”
The title will be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but the journey to get there goes through one of the best fighters the sport has ever seen. Jones has been an absolute wrecking machine since coming to the UFC and until he went five rounds with Alexander Gustafsson last year, a failed armbar attempt from Vitor Belfort was just about the only time the champion has even showed a dent in his armor.
That invincible aura that Jones carries around is why Cormier is happy he got this fight right now. Winning the belt is important, but being the person to finally crush Jones inside the Octagon is an even bigger accomplishment when taking a step back and looking at the whole picture of what this fight means
“It’s bigger,” Cormeir said. “Look at Chris Weidman — Chris Weidman is a star now because he beat Anderson Silva. T.J. Dillashaw’s profile has just sky rocketed and he beat Renan Barao, who hasn’t even caught on with the general fans in the U.S. yet. It’s about beating the guy. You can beat the other person or you can beat the champion, but you have to beat the guy.
“The guy that’s defended the belt seven times, the guy that’s widely considered the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. You beat that guy and you become the man.”