One of the biggest fights in UFC history will take place tonight when Light Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defends his title in a rematch with former champion Jon Jones at the Honda Centre in Anaheim, California.
And with the time for talking nearly over, Cormier has made a bold claim about what victory tonight would mean for his legacy.
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While the champion's opponent has had his issues with failed drugs tests and run-ins with the law, including a hit-and-run incident in New Mexico two years ago, Jones is widely regarded as perhaps the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Cormier, however, believes victory in California tonight will cement him as the greatest ever.
Speaking at the UFC 214 open workouts, Cormier responded to Jones' comments about him 'fucking around in the wrong era'.
Unimpressed by Jones' judgement of him and past boasting of how the former champion defeated him via unanimous decision in their first bout, at UFC 182, Cormier said, via MMA Fighting, "This is my era. I win Saturday night, and I'm the greatest fighter ever. Why is it not my era? Because he beat me one time?
"All his praise that he's giving himself on that victory like he dominated me tells me he did something he didn't know he could do.
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"He won a fight. He didn't wipe the mat with me, but he's walking around here like he just - he's walking around like he beat Lyoto Machida or 'Shogun' Rua."
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Cormier won the vacant Light Heavyweight title after Jones was stripped of it in 2015, submitting Anthony Johnson via rear-naked choke at UFC 187.
Since his title victory, the 38-year-old has enjoyed successful title defences against Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson, as well as a non-title victory over UFC legend Anderson Silva at UFC 200, last July, which was when his rematch with Jones was originally scheduled for, before the former champion was suspended for failing a drugs test before the event.
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Both fighters have just one defeat each to their names in their respective MMA careers, with Cormier's coming in the aforementioned bout with Jones two years ago and Jones' coming via disqualification for illegal elbows during a clash with Matt Hammill on the finale of the Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights series, eight years ago.
After tonight, however, one man will have doubled his loss tally inside the octagon. But who will it be? Jones or Cormier?
Have your say in the comments sections below and on our Facebook page.
(H/T MMA Fighting)
Topics: Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, UFC, MMA
