This past weekend at UFC 173, Daniel Cormier established himself as a contender at Light Heavyweight with a dominant win over veteran Dan Henderson. Cormier was quick to call out Jon Jones, the Light Heavyweight Champion afterwards, stating Jones has ‘no chance’ against him. But fans who want to see that match are going to have to wait.
Jones is slated for a highly anticipated re-match with Alexander Gustafsson on August 30th at UFC 177. Assuming Jon Jones is able to iron out a new contract with the UFC, that match will go down and based on Gustafsson’s performance last outing, there is a chance he comes out of there as champion. A rubber match would almost be instantly warranted, and Cormier would have to wait yet again.
But let’s assume it is Jones that comes out of the match in August with the belt. When would he be ready to fight Cormier? The end of year December show or the February Super Bowl extravaganza are two candidates to hold a Cormier-Jones match.
This does not sit well with most UFC fans. Cormier has been a late arrival in MMA, and though he is talented, he does not have an extensive MMA resume and he has not really been pushed in a fight. Cormier should be willing to fight again before the title fight and not sit back and wait for it.
There are several matches that Cormier could take as he awaits a shot at Jones. The glossy match to talk about is with Rashad Evans, a long time denizen of the top of the rankings. That match is likely to result in a Mauling similar to the one Cormier put on Henderson.
Another less talked about option is Glover Teixiera. Teixeira is coming off a loss to Jones, but he is a top notch brawler who might be better suited to answering the questions there are about Cormier.
Cormier has not been in a match where he has gotten hurt. In the Barao-Dillashaw main event at UFC 173, we saw Dillashaw hurt Barao early. Teixiera, with his furious striking, might be the best bet at hurting Cormer and answering the last question there is about big Dan.
