“Yeah, I am a little bit [skeptical]. To this day no one’s really positive what his actual injury is. I’ve heard some people say that he’s hurt and not actually injured. Supposedly a doctor told him recently that in four weeks he could be completely healed to fight again. So when you’re healing from something in four weeks time it makes me feel maybe you’re not actually injured, maybe you’re fighting hurt… Daniel’s a smart guy. He knows that he’s fighting me, I’ve never lost a fight, pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world, and it just wouldn’t be smart going into the fight even hurt. Most fighters can fight through the pain, but when you’re fighting someone like myself, not to sound full [of myself], I’m talking facts here, pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world, you want to give yourself every advantage possible. So I don’t blame him for waiting.”
-Jon Jones questions Daniel Cormier’s leg injury taking him out of UFC 197 during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Monday (transcribed by FoxSports.com).
Penick’s Analysis: Some minor injuries are a lot easier to fight through than others, and in fairness to Cormier the fact that he could be healed up in four weeks doesn’t at all mean he’d have been able to fight through it effectively. Too many fighters act as if fighting through something significant is the admirable way to go, but if it’s severe enough to actually hamper their performance in a major way, then it’s not smart for them or their career. Cormier made the right call for himself pulling out, and though he obviously wants to fight Jones much closer to 100%, there’s also nothing wrong with that idea.
[Photo (c) Jayne Kamin-Oncea via USA Today Sports]
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