Daniel Cormier looks past the negatives after emotional UFC 200 ride

Nissi Icasiano

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Daniel Cormier looks past the negatives after emotional UFC 200 ride
Cormier gets the job done against the legendary Anderson Silva, but the fans didn't appreciate his approach

MANILA, Philippines – Despite public questioning about the legitimacy of his 205-pound championship, UFC light heavyweight titleholder Daniel Cormier prefers to look at the brighter side. 

Cormier’s UFC 200 fight week was turbulent as his rematch with Jon Jones was cancelled after the latter was informed of a potential anti-doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test and had to withdraw from the bout. 

Jones and Cormier have long had a heated rivalry, starting from a full-fledged brawl during the UFC 178 media conference at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in August 2014. 

Aside from their altercation in public, the two fighters were recorded exchanging threats and profanities during an off-air segment following an ESPN interview. 

Jones easily cruised to a unanimous decision victory against Cormier when the two squared off against each other in January 2015. 

It was a score that needed to be settled inside the UFC famed Octagon for Cormier as his chief adversary became the interim UFC light heavyweight champion when Jones defeated Ovince Saint Preux this past April. 

However, the chance for Cormier to prove his worth as the division’s true kingpin was taken away from him when Jones was scratched off the card. Jones now faces a potential two-year suspension.

UFC officials found a late replacement in former middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who willingly offered his services on less than two days’ notice. 

Cormier outwrestled Silva to claim a unanimous vote from the 3 judges by scores of 30-26 across the panel.

Although he defeated one of the sport’s greatest competitors of all time at UFC 200, fans did not much appreciate his approach against Silva as the T-Mobile Arena drowned him with jeers. 

“People don’t understand the situation that I’ve been in over the course of this last week, so for me to go out there and get a victory over someone like Anderson Silva, that’s enough for me,” Cormier said at the post-fight press conference. 

The 37-year-old native of San Jose, California recalled the stress of the situation when his body stopped losing weight at the exact time he needed to shed pounds for his 3-round non-title bout. 

“A lot of emotion goes into this preparation. When I left that press conference, I had to go directly to the gym to continue doing what I was trying to do to make weight. They weren’t telling me anything. They couldn’t tell me for sure I was going to fight until late Thursday. All the uncertainty was very difficult. But I went out there and I fought. A lot of people out there would not do it,” Cormier shared.

Silva did not put up much of a fight, giving up a single-leg takedown on Cormier’s first attempt in the match-up and spending a lot of time trying to tie up his opponent from the bottom. 

“It would have been catastrophic if I had lost tonight because I would still be the champion, but I would have lost to a guy who’s probably going down to middleweight to challenge for the belt. So I did what I needed to do,” Cormier stated. 

New day for Cormier

With the boisterous week behind him, Cormier now looks at the remaining tasks ahead of him as Jones could be sidelined for 24 months. 

“I’m not going to wait for him (Jones) for two years. I’m 37 [years old],” he quipped.

Cormier says he is willing to defend his title next against the winner of the 3-round tussle between Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Glover Teixeira at UFC 202 on August 20. 

“I think I’ll probably fight the winner of ‘Rumble’ and Glover Teixeira. It just seems like it makes the most sense,” he said.

Cormier got his hands on the gold-plated strap when he submitted Johnson for the vacant title in May 2015 as Jones was stripped of the UFC light heavyweight belt and was placed on indefinite suspension due to a hit-and-run incident in April of the same year.

Meanwhile, Jones successfully defended the belt with a one-sided triumph over Teixeira in April 2014. 

Johnson and Teixeira managed to bounce back from their respective losses as both men are now riding high on a winning streak. 

“Those guys are well-deserving. They’ve won fights in a row, and both of them deserve title shots,” Cormier pointed out. 

Cormier appears that he is ready to move on from his grueling conflict with Jones until they see each other again on opposite sides. 

“I think we need to see what happens with Jon. Let him get through that, and then see what’s going to happen. Because with all that’s going on, the focus can’t be fighting right now. It has to be figuring this out,” he ended. – Rappler.com

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