Midnight Mania! Cormier says that a third fight with Jones would not change much

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Jon Jones is back and this will always raise questions about his rivalry with Daniel Cormier. As for Jones, Cormier never won the title because he, Jon Jones, never lost it. There is therefore no reason to give him a third fight. He also claims he is not interested in fighting Cormier as a heavyweight, although he does not mind fighting Brock Lesnar.

Cormier, however, has dibs on Lesnar as long as he has the heavyweight belt, and he seems discouraged to know whether to take the fight relatively easier with Brock or the Legacy to avenge Jones' defeats. Via MMAFighting.com:

"For legacy, winning against Jones would be better," said Cormier during the UFC 230 media scramble (MMANytt video). "But by the end of the day, even if I win the fight, I'm still 2-1. It does not change much, he won the series. I should stay and try to beat him again. If I beat Lesnar, I'm 1-0. But yes, for the inheritance, beat Jones because he is the only guy who beat me in my career. It's the one that counts the most for my heritage. "

Cormier's ideas about how he overcame his defeats against Jones – the only person to beat him in MMA – are a fascinating insight into the psychology of a real competitor in the face of an overwhelming loss.

"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 am I will never have to fight this kid again. 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, there will never be a solution and that's what allowed me to go beyond. "

"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. "

Any speculation about whether or not a third confrontation is in the cards neglects the fact that every man has a dangerous confrontation in front of him. Daniel Cormier will face hitter Derrick Lewis this weekend at UFC 230, while Jon Jones will face Alexander Gustafsson in a five-year rematch. Although Gustafsson represents a particularly difficult confrontation for Jones, Cormier has faced both, and he believes Jones will prevail again.

"I think Jones beats Gustafsson," said Cormier. "I fought them both and with Alexander, apart from that big knee, nothing really hurt or anything. He gave me a knee in the third round, but it's a trick I probably won four minutes and 30 seconds until he landed on the knee. That's why I won the fight. The second round he cut me off, but he won that round based on the fact that he had been eliminated. It was at a time when I was fighting each withdrawal so hard that if I gave up a withdrawal, I lost the inning.

"He's a good fighter and he will challenge Jones because of his length, which I can not really present to Jones. But I think Jones is just better. I know that when I fight him, there are a number of things that I have to worry about and that I do not necessarily feel that against Alexander. "

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