UFC Fight Schedule: Daniel Cormier Calls Out Ryan Bader, Jon Jones for Next Fight
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier recently defended his title for the first time against Swedish striker Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192 in Houston, Texas last Oct. 3. He was a guest on UFC Tonight last Wednesday and has revealed that he has already set his sight on a rematch with former champion Jon "Bones" Jones.
Another possibility is to fight another winner from UFC1 192, Ryan Bader, who defeated former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans via a unanimous decision. "Bader has by far earned a title shot, but with that being said, if Jones is ready to go, I'm ready to go," Cormier said on "UFC Tonight" as quoted by FOX Sports.
"This is the fight I want to be involved in, this is the fight the fans want to see and this is the biggest fight the UFC could put together. Jon and I did big business in January and I believe we'd do even bigger business whenever we do fight again," the champion added.
Jones and Cormier slugged it out in a five-round title match back in January at UFC 182, wherein "Bones" retained his title via a unanimous decision. FOX Sports reports that it is one of the biggest pay-per-view cards of the year and the last match for the 28-year-old champion then as he was stripped of the belt in April.
"Bones" was suspended by the UFC following a hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which violated the Athlete Code of Conduct Policy. He pleaded guilty to one felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident but has avoided jail time when he was granted a conditional discharge, as reported by MMA Junkie. He was given 18 months of supervised probation and is required to make 72 speaking appearances.
Cormier is eager to prove his skills as many critics believe that he needs to beat Jones in order to be considered by fans and critics as the real light heavyweight champion, per Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report. Jones, on the other hand, released a video teasing his return.
He's back.... @JonnyBones posted this on Instagram and deleted it But you know @MMAHistoryToday got you covered pic.twitter.com/EodJL0xXZp — MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) Oktubre 4, 2015
As for Ryan Bader, Bleacher Report noted that he is deserving of the next title shot as he is the winner of five straight bouts. However, with Cormier wanting a Jones rematch, he could be looking for another opponent to prove himself once more. The report added that a win against Anthony "Rumble" Johnson could land him the winner of the Cormier-Jones rematch.
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