Daniel Cormier urges old rival Jon Jones to face Curtis Blaydes in UFC heavyweight debut as ‘it makes all the sense in the world’ before taking shot at dominant champion Stipe Miocic
- Jon Jones is working on adding bulk having vacated his light-heavyweight title
- He is moving up to heavyweight and has his eyes on champion Stipe Miocic
- But old rival Daniel Cormier thinks Jones should take on Curtis Blaydes first
A fight at heavyweight between Jon Jones and Curtis Blaydes ‘makes all the sense in the world’, according to Daniel Cormier.
Jones is moving up a division having vacated his light-heavyweight title and is targeting a massive showdown against Stipe Miocic.
Blaydes was supposed to take on Derrick Lewis last Saturday but tested positive for coronavirus, meaning the match-up was cancelled.
Jon Jones has vacated his light-heavyweight title and is moving up to heavyweight
A fight with Curtis Blaydes (right) would make ‘all the sense in the world’, says Daniel Cormier
Cormier believes it would now work in ‘Bones” favour to meet Blaydes first to get used to life at heavyweight.
Jones needs a heavyweight fight. I say move Blaydes to Jones. … It makes all the sense in the world,’ he said on ESPN’s DC & Helwani show.
‘(If) Jones beats Blaydes, nobody will ever say he doesn’t belong at heavyweight. (If) Blaydes beats Jones, now he has beaten the greatest of all time – in people’s minds – going up to heavyweight. He’ll get his title shot right away.’
Blaydes himself had discussed the possibility of fighting Jones prior to the cancelled fight with Lewis.
Cormier, Jones’s old rival, believes Jones needs a fight before taking on Stipe Miocic
‘No, I’m not (fighting Jones),’ Blaydes told TSN. ‘If I win this fight (with Lewis), I want the title shot. I’m not going to be cannon fodder to build up someone else.
‘I’ve already built up myself and I feel like I’ve earned that. I feel like I don’t have to take that fight if I don’t need it. That’s a title fight. I’m not fighting Jon Jones to prove that I deserve a heavyweight title shot, that’s ridiculous.
‘We’re talking about money. I’m not going to fight Jon Jones for 200k, that’s ridiculous.
Jones is looking to enhance his legacy having dominated light-heavyweight for so long
‘I think that a lot of people forget that we get paid what we get paid regardless of who the opponent is. So I don’t need to fight Jon Jones to make my 200k. I can fight a bum and make 200k. If I fight Jon Jones, I want that money.’
So it seems Blaydes would play hardball in negotiations with the UFC if they were to schedule a fight with Jones.
It also remains to be seen if ‘Bones’ would be interested or if he only has eyes for the championship belt.
Related Post
