In the interview that he did with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani on this week’s edition of the MMA Hour, Daniel Cormier details how the lead up to his rematch with Jon Jones at UFC 200 is different to the previous time that they fought.
Jon Jones who won the interim UFC Light Heavyweight Championship when he beat Ovince St.Preux in a dominant, yet unremarkable, victory at UFC 196, is looking to unify the belts against Cormier, a man he already beat before.
But this time, Cormier claims, he’s fighting a different individual.
“There's no worry on my behalf. It's no longer, `Could I be UFC champion?' I've already done that. I just have to defend that now. I'm a different guy. I don't let this rivalry drive me anymore. I'm letting competition drive me and when competition drives me, I don't think anyone can compete with me. And that's why I feel so confident going into this fight”, he said.
The duo has had one of the most bitter rivalries in MMA history, and are often seen exchanging barbs on social media, a point Cormier was quick to elucidate about as well.
“I will tell you with 100 percent confidence, Jon Jones is not deep in my head," he said. "The fact he actually thinks that, it makes me smile every day.”
