“I’m not thinking about it. I’m here. He’s not. Our time will come. I didn’t leave this organization high and dry. He’s playing around on Instagram right now… When Jones gets reinstated, New York is probably the only place that he’ll be welcomed without just, like, venomous anger. This is where he’s from so they will actually care for him, they will cheer him. Just like if you take me to Lafayette, Louisiana, no matter what I do, they will cheer me. Why should I allow this guy to go and fight where he’s comfortable? No, he needs to go somewhere he has to look at people in the eyes and hear the anger they have towards him for the actions that he did… Jon Jones is Jon Jones. I think he’s the greatest fighter of all time and when he gets cleared to fight, then we’ll fight, but I’m not going to fight him in New York so you guys can write that.”
-Daniel Cormier addresses the Jon Jones situation after his win over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192 (via FoxSports.com).
Penick’s Analysis: My guess is this won’t be an issue anyway, because this fight seems perfect for Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas at the moment. That said, the sentiment is justified on Cormier’s end, although it’s still a bit off for him to dictate terms for a rematch of a fight he lost. Of course, the circumstances surrounding the rematch are such that Jones is going to be at the whim of the promoter for a return fight regardless, and he isn’t in position to really protest if New York is off the table. With that said, if the UFC wants them fighting in New York, I’d imagine Cormier might be talked out of this stance.
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