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DANIEL Cormier tackles the UFC 230 Sunday with the retreat behind him – and hopes he will get back to his tough rival with Jon Jones before hanging up the gloves next year.
The UFC heavyweight and lightweight champion will face Derrick Lewis for the heavyweight title, but the next fight will likely be the last.
Cormier has long said he would not fight past 40 and was linked to a fight against Brock Lesnar, but speculation has increased, he could complete the trilogy against Jones.
Jones returns to the ring after a suspension of 15 months after the failure of a drug test after the pair's fight at UFC 214.
The result was considered a draw and Cormier's record was 21-1 and a draw, the loss to UFC 182 and a unanimous points decision to Jones.
But Cormier sees two defeats.
"For the legacy, Jones would be better," Cormier said of a potential clash against Jones or Lesnar.
"But at the end of the day, even if I win the fight, I'm still 2-1. That does not really mean much – he won the series.
"I should stay and try to beat him again. If I beat Lesnar, then I'm 1-0. But for Legacy, yes, beat Jones because he's the only guy who beat me in my career. "
Cormier has long criticized Jones, calling him "cheater" and bad for the sport.
Cormier, who was the captain of the 2008 US Olympic wrestling team, discovered Jones and other fighters convicted of drug abuse.
"I've provided a life I never thought of," said Cormier.
"But I did it in a way that I can be proud of when I leave. It has not always been good. But overall, I tried to do things with a level of professionalism that many guys do not exhibit in today's mixed martial arts. "
As an additional spice, Jones will be back in the UFC with a title shot for the title that was soon to be evacuated by light heavyweight, currently owned by Cormier.
The belt should be removed from the double champion and the crown will return to the winner of the Jones-Alexander Gustafsson bout at UFC 232 on December 29 in Las Vegas.
If the fight between Jones and Cormier does not take place, the current champion will do well, he said, but it took a while to reach the point of acceptance.
"I had to change the mental process for him," said Cormier.
"I really had to give up completely because, when he failed the next test, I thought," I know I'm 40 years old. If everything is what it is, if USADA is what they claim to be, I will never be able to fight this kid anymore. "
"I really had to withdraw from everything that concerned him. In reality, if USADA is what USADA is, you fail for the first time and you get one year. If you fail a second time, two years, it seems realistic. At two years old, there would never be a way to be and that's what allowed me to go beyond it.
"We will never be friends. We will never be cordial. If I say he's a good fighter, it's probably the extent to which we'll say nice things to each other. Even, he did an interview where he said he was happy for me – I do not believe it. That's good though. He does not have to be happy for me. My accomplishment is my accomplishment. On December 29, when he wins the belt, I will not be happy for him, but his achievement does not mean less or more based on my reaction. It's his. It's not Daniel and Jon or Jon and Daniel. It's Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. We are two different people and our reactions to each other's success matter little. "
Cormier defends the heavyweight title for the first time at UFC 230 against Derrick Lewis at Madison Square Garden.
And Cormier said he did not take Lewis lightly after a superb performance under UFC 229 when he dropped Alexander Volkov in the third round.
"It's a guy who can finish a fight in one go," said Cormier.
"But where people see Derrick Lewis knocking out guys and it scares them, it fascinates me. Once the guys are in the Octagon with me, they're never the same again. I like to show them that they can get into a fight so uncomfortable that they will not be able to fight anymore. That's what I like. I like to break guys. "
The pair was quiet enough jokingly.
But for Daniel Cormier and his challenger Derrick Lewis, their biggest beef is above the chicken.
Their chicken challenge dates back to July, when the fighters shared the stage after both were beaten with the same pay-as-you-go card.
Cormier felt good after flattening Stipe Miocic and winning the heavyweight crown. Lewis also won and continued his rise in the fight.
The fighters joked for a moment before Lewis could finally find a reason not to love Cormier: "He disrespected Popeye's chicken in an advertisement a few years ago."
Cormier shirtless had played in a parody video of "All About That Bass" and had danced with chopsticks coming out of a Popeye box.
Lewis imitated Cormier's movements from the video at the press conference and both fighters burst out laughing.
But Lewis (21-5) showed he was not the type to accept the title fights at the last minute: he was fighting against Cormier for the belt on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, only a month after his victory at KC 229.
"I was faster in the octagon before moving to UFC," said Lewis. "It will not be a problem at all. I had to stay longer at the gym.
Lewis also benefited from the notoriety of a response from the PG-13 explaining why he removed his shorts in the cage after defeating Volkov.
His defense of Popeye's has caught the attention of the fried chicken chain and one of the franchises offers free food if Lewis wins.
Cormier fought back in the fast-food battle by putting all his weight into the burger Carl's Jr. Carl's changed his sleeve to become "Daniel Cormier's fan account" and tweeted "The DMs are open.
With a diet of hamburgers and chicken, Cormier weighed 114 kg to reach the peak of his career.
And he will keep an eye on his waistline – the one he hopes to still wear with the title belt after Saturday night.
– with AP
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