Daniel Cormier: win over Jon Jones more important for legacy than win over Brock Lesnar

Provided UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier gets by Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 230 this Saturday night in New York, there would seem to be two primary options for his next fight. One is a long-discussed heavyweight title defense opposite former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. The other is a grudge match with the only man he’s ever lost to, former UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones.

While Daniel Cormier is interested in both of these fights, he considers the Jon Jones matchup the more important of the two for his legacy.

“For the legacy, to win against Jones would be better,” Cormier said at the UFC 230 media scrum this week (video via MMANytt, transcript via MMA Fighting). “But at the end of the day, even if I win the fight, I’m still down 2-1. It doesn’t really change much, he won the series. I’d have to stick around and try to beat him again. If I beat Lesnar, I’m up 1-0. But yes, for legacy, beating Jones because he’s the only guy that beat me in my career. That’s the one that means more for my legacy.”

Whether Daniel Cormier gets the chance to fight Jon Jones again or not, he assures that he and his arch rival will never be friends.

“We’ll never be friends. We’ll never be cordial. Me saying he’s a good fighter and stuff is probably going to be the extent to which we say pleasant things about each other. Even, he did an interview where he said he was happy for me – I don’t believe that. It’s fine though. He does not have to be happy for me. My accomplishment is my accomplishment. On December 29, if he happens to win the belt, I am not going to be happy for him but his accomplishment 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, so our reactions to each others success do not truly matter all that much.”

Who do you want to see Daniel Cormier fight next if he beats Derrick Lewis at UFC 230?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/2/2018.