On May 23 Daniel "DC" Cormier and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson will face off at UFC 187 for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. It was once held by Jon "Bones" Jones, who was originally slated to take on Johnson in this main event.
Jones was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident and faces hit-and-run charges in an incident that left a pregnant woman with a broken arm. Coupled with his December 2013 positive test for cocaine, the UFC stripped him of the title he's successfully defended eight straight times and suspended him indefinitely. Cormier had no love for Jones, who beat him in January.
"I would love to fight him again, but that's really his decision," Cormier said. "I'm not going to beg him to come back. He can come back if he wants to."
Johnson echoed Cormier's sentiment. "D.C. said it perfect," Johnson added. "I have the exact same feelings as 'DC' has, honestly."
Cormier did say that Jones should get first crack at the title if and when he is ready to return to the Octagon.
"I believe he should," Cormier said. "Any time you hold a division as long as Jon has, when he comes back, he should get a title shot immediately. I think it does depend on the time. If he's gone for a really long time, is he really going to want to fight for the belt right away or is he going to want to fight first. I think you leave it up to him."
Johnson is the hottest fighter in the UFC right now thanks to a string of impressive victories, including back-to-back knockouts. He's the top striker in the light heavyweight decision, and thinks his task of winning the title might have gotten harder with Cormier as an opponent rather than Jones.
"(Cormier) might be shorter than me, but he packs a lot of power," Johnson said. "Jones isn't known for power. He's known for doing crazy kicks and using his ranges. DC is just that guy, so that makes for a more difficult fight."
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