Daniel Cormier
Neither Jon Jones (20-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) or Daniel Cormier (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) are willing to promise they won’t throw down at the weigh-ins for Saturday’s UFC 182.
It all depends on the other guy, they say.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen at the weigh-in on Friday,” light-heavy champ Jones today told FOX’s “America’s Pregame.” “I’m a guy who lives in my heart, so whatever happens, happens. I’ll be ready for combat. I’ll be ready to take it any way it goes.”
“I think you have to (keep your emotions in check),” responded Cormier. “What’s the point of fighting on Friday when we’ve got to wait 24 hours to fight on Saturday? Right now, it’s about staying the course and being professional. It will be good to see him in that state.
“As Jon says, we take it how it goes. It’s a matter of, ‘How are we going to do this?’ I would prefer to wait until Saturday, but if we had to fight on Friday, it would be OK, I guess.”
Maybe that’s just what happens, though, after several months of heated buildup and an infamous scrap that landed both in hot water while also providing some of the best promotional footage in UFC history.
It was the fallout from their brawl in the lobby of Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, where Saturday’s pay-per-view card takes place, that elevated their meeting to far more than just another fight. Although it was rescheduled from September, when an injury forced the UFC to delay the fight, Jones vs. Cormier is expected to do big business at the box office.
Jones seeks his eighth title defense as champ while Cormier, a former Strikeforce champ at heavyweight, vies for the coveted belt. The fight is a conclusion to a rivalry that began backstage at UFC 121 when the two met and Cormier took offense to a verbal jab from Jones.
For their next staredown, the two are unlikely to get the chance to swing at each other. Additional security hired by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which earlier fined them for the brawl, will be in place, though MMAjunkie was unable to confirm exactly what measures will be taken.
In any event, though, the tension should be palpable.
For more on UFC 182, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
