UFC News & Notes: Daniel Cormier Says Anthony Johnson Made His Championship Experience 'Different'
Daniel Cormier is now the new light heavyweight champion in the UFC, but the fighter never expected that his championship experience would be "different."
Johnson was supposed to go up against Jon "Bones" Jones at the UFC 187 event. However, the 27-year-old fighter was suspended indefinitely by the UFC after he was arrested for felony charges. Jones allegedly fled the scene of a hit-and-run accident on April 27, which injured a pregnant woman. The UFC also stripped him of his light heavyweight title.
No. 3 contender Cormier was the best option to replace Jones and he was successful in getting the title after he forced Anthony "Rumble" Johnson to submission in the third round of their match.
That should have been the highlight of the fight. However, the 36-year-old MMA fighter revealed that the events after the match were what made his experience that day unlike any other.
Cormier was talking about Johnson placing the belt on his waist to declare him as the new champion.
"He made my experience different," Cormier told The MMA Hour. "By putting on the belt, he made my experience of being crowned a champion different than anyone else in the UFC's history. Nobody has done that. So thank you Anthony Johnson for making my experience different. I appreciate it and I appreciate you."
Johnson was gracious even after defeat as he only lauded Cormier's strategy and left out any trash talk in the post-fight conference, astounding Cormier even more.
"I can't lie, he wrestled the hell out of me tonight," said "Rumble" after his fight. "Daniel did an awesome job. He definitely made me carry his weight and he's heavy as hell. It wasn't an adrenaline dump. This motherf***er is heavy. I'm just glad to be in this moment right now. I can't take anything away from Daniel. I'm happy for him, I'm proud of him, and I wish him nothing but success."
When Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour asked Cormier of Johnson's gesture, the fighter revealed his surprise.
"I don't know exactly what to make of it," he said. "He's a nice guy and I think maybe he showed exactly how nice he is behaving in the way he did. A lot of times, losing a fight is tough. In your darkest hours, I guess your true colors show. And Anthony Johnson is made of gold if you ask me for the way that he handled that."
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