UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier tells Stephie Haynes what tonight’s rematch with Jon Jones means to him.
With just hours left until UFC 214 gets underway, light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is gearing up for the biggest fight of his career. The one blemish on his otherwise pristine record comes at the hands of arch-rival and longtime nemesis Jon Jones, and to say tonight’s rematch with “Bones” is a big deal would be a gross understatement. Claiming redemption for that loss isn’t as important to the champ as one might think.
For “DC,” it just comes down to beating the man many in the community feel is the best fighter ever to step foot in a cage.
Every time Daniel has a fight, I text him a “Good Luck” message and sometimes shoot the breeze with him. Normally, these mini conversations happen a few days out from the day of the fight, but this time, I didn’t get my text fired off until close to midnight (just a few hours ago). I decided to keep to tradition, but instead of our normal back-and-forth, I just asked him one question:
What does this fight mean to you?
He replied back a few minutes later,
“This is the most important fight in my life. Legacy means something to me and when I win this fight, my legacy is cemented. I’ve done everything in this sport. The only thing left to do is beat Jon Jones.”
Nothing about redeeming the loss. Nothing about their personal issues with each other. Just a singular desire to beat the best guy in the division outside himself. For the purists out there that aren’t fond of all the forced trash talk and spectacle, this fight is for you. For those of you that might be concerned about privacy, I did get permission from DC to post his message.
Daniel Cormier squares off with Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 214, live from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Keep your browser locked on BloodyElbow.com for continuous event coverage.