...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Daniel Cormier's name continues to come up in discussions with UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, and it definitely seems like a fight that could take place in the future. Cormier's AKA teammate Cain Velasquez says Cormier wants to drop to light heavyweight to fight Jones, and Cormier tried to lobby for a spot on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Jonny Bones.
For his part, Jones said he didn't think Cormier was a big enough name to take a slot on TUF against. He commented about Cormier further in an interview with MMAWeekly.com this week, addressing the topic of Cormier's wrestling game.
"Cormier's probably a little bit better than me [at wrestling], but it's not a wrestling match at all," Jones said. "When you talk about knees and submissions and punching and kicking him in the face, and upkicks, it's just not a wrestling match."
Cormier's a former Olympic wrestler, much higher credentials in that aspect than Jones, but that's not a concern for the UFC Champ.
"When it comes to credentials he definitely had a better wrestling career than me," Jones said, "but half the guys I fought have had better wrestling careers."
The comments from Jones haven't fazed Cormier, but he did feel the need to comment after seeing these statements. Taking to Twitter, Cormier had a message for Jones:
"This guy is just dying for me to punch him in the face," Cormier said. "Hold tight [Jonny] boy our time will come."
Penick's Analysis: If you're talking about fighters with the skill set to not only compete with Jones, but potentially defeat him, Cormier's at the top of the list. His wrestling is superior, and he's improved his striking game leaps and bounds from his debut in the sport. Jones still has a significant reach advantage, and his knees, kicks, elbows, etc., are all weapons that Cormier hasn't had to face. It's a highly intriguing matchup, and one that just may come to pass down the line. If it does, Cormier clearly thinks he'll be ready, and we'll find out what he has for Jones at that time.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
