UFC News: Jon Jones Has No Interest In Daniel Cormier Heavyweight Fight

Jon Jones has no interest in a heavyweight fight with Daniel Cormier, but did lay out a challenge for him to return to light heavyweight and prove he's a legitimate two-division champion.

Jones had a triumphant return to the octagon when he defeated Alexander Gustafsson via knockout to reclaim the light heavyweight title that he never lost at UFC 232 on Saturday night.

Unlike his first fight with Gustafsson over five years ago, the rematch was less competitive, and many are now calling for Jones and Cormier to face each other for the third time.

Jones did call out Cormier following his win and while the latter is a legitimate heavyweight champion right now, Jones does not believe "DC" can ever be considered the light heavyweight champion because he never beat him, and only won the belt when Jones was serving suspensions.

“He works his hardest to try to discredit and try to de-legitimatize the fact that I beat him twice,” Jones said at the post-fight press conference, as quoted on MMA Fighting. “And the only thing I want to de-legitimatize is his claim of being the light heavyweight champion. He was never the light heavyweight champion. He never beat me."

"This has been my era since 2011. I want to make that loud and clear. DC is no champ champ. When we talk about an asterisk next to my name, there’s always gonna be an asterisk next to the idea of him being a champ champ. The only way he can shut me up — what I’m saying right now — is to beat my a-s. It’s simple.”

While many would be open to seeing Jones vs. Cormier part three, there is an added intrigue in seeing it play out at heavyweight, especially as Cormier can fight without a strenuous weight cut involved in his preparations. He is still unbeaten in the weight class and shocked many when he knocked out Stipe Miocic to win the title earlier this summer at UFC 226.

However, "Bones" only wants to fight his longtime rival at 205 pounds for now.

“Me going to heavyweight would be making it extremely personal,” Jones explained. “For me, I have no problem with DC. I have a problem when he comes out, ‘See, I told you guys he’s a cheater. I told you he’s a cheater.’ I have no real problem DC. I’m not gonna go to heavyweight and try to take everything from him and destroy his legacy and all that stuff. Is it possible I could do that? It is possible."

"But I’m fine having mine and he can have his. DC needs to admit to the people that he was never the light heavyweight champion. Or face me at light heavyweight and shut me up.”

Before UFC 232, Jones also explained why he wouldn't fight Cormier at heavyweight.

“Nah, no," Jones said. "He looks good at heavyweight. He’s designed to be a heavyweight. He’s comfortable there. He naturally goes to heavyweight between every fight. That is his spot, and like I said, he makes a great heavyweight champion. Even before fighting me, he was on a tear at heavyweight. That’s his zone. I have no reason to challenge him at heavyweight, because for me it’s not personal."

For now, it looks like the plan is for Jones to defend his newly-won title against light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith, while Cormier will get a lucrative super fight with Brock Lesnar sometime early next year.