Daniel Cormier says Jon Jones not eligible to fight in UFC, so he suggests he get a Heavyweight Title shot (w/Keller’s Analysis)

By Wade Keller, MMATorch editor

Daniel Cormier

With some recent conversation about Jon Jones having interest in fighting for the UFC Hvt. Championship against Stipe Miocic, on UFC Tonight on FS1 earlier this evening, Daniel Cormier added his name to the mix.

“Obviously he’d do well if he fought for the heavyweight championship, but the guy’s not eligible to compete,” said Cormier. “If they’re going to let a guy go up [a weight division] and fight in a fight, I’d do it. Why not me? I’m the one who’s here competing.”

Cormier, though, went on to indicate he might not be interested in actually holding the title if he won it. He quipped: “The question is: What would I do after I beat Stipe? I’d probably hand the belt over to Cain Velasquez, because I want none of those problems.”

It’s worth noting Velasquez was on this episode of UFC Tonight, thus the comment about just handing it to Velasequez was in part because of his presence on set.

Keller’s Analysis: Cormier is active, and Jon Jones is not, so he has a heck of point in that regard – why fantasize about a Jones heavyweight fight when he can’t fight, period, at this point. Cormier has competed effectively in the UFC Heavyweight Division as recently as 2012-2014 with wins over Josh Barnett, Frank Mir, and Roy Nelson, among others. Jones, meanwhile, has never fought heavyweight, so he has a cause. His only loss in his MMA career is against Jones, and he’s missed out on an opportunity to get that win back. I actually wish Cormier was serious about fighting for the heavyweight title, if he believed he could compete effectively with Miocic, although a five-inch height difference is significant. At age 37, Cormier should get in as many big fights as he can while he can during what is still his (late) prime.

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