Daniel "DC" Cormier suffered the first loss of his UFC career on Saturday against Jon "Bones" Jones, and made no excuses after learning Jones had failed a drug test a month before the fight. In an interview with Fox Cormier credited Jones for a great performance, but chastised him for not being a "beacon of light."
"He won the fight. I didn't believe in any way, shape or form that I won that fight. First thing was just how unfortunate [it was]. This is a guy that has the ability to reach people at a different level," Cormier said of Jones.
"We all praise [former UFC middleweight champion] Anderson Silva for being the greatest fighter of all time and we praise all these other people but not many people can reach outside of the sport and outside of the world of mixed martial arts.
"I believe Jon is one of those people that can do that. It's just very unfortunate that these incidents keep happening after he has these unbelievable performances where it kills his momentum."
He also said that despite personal differences which did not disappear simply because they met in the octagon, he is hoping Jones can overcome his drug issues to live up to his potential for transformational change.
"Just unfortunate," said Cormier. "Very sad. I just wish that he would get it together and be that beacon of light, beacon of hope that so many people need in the world right now."
Jones, when he recovers, is expected to face the winner of Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson at UFC on Fox 14. But who is next for Cormier following this devastating loss?
Here are three choices for Cormier to rebuild back to another title fight.
Alexander Gustafsson/Anthony Johnson
Confused? Don't be. Despite losing to Jones, Cormier did more than hold his own and actually dominated Round 2. He remains a formidable challenge to any fighter in the entire UFC, and shouldn't need to do too much for another shot at the belt.
The same can be said for Gustafsson and Johnson. Both are excellent fighters and neither should be dinged too harshly for losing to the other. Any combination of these four fighters is sure to produce an entertaining fight, and one fans can really feel involves competitors truly challenging themselves. Whoever loses would be a great matchup for Cormier.
Phil Davis
"Mr. Wonderful" shook off a bad loss to Anthony Johnson by taking care of business against Glover Teixeira and putting himself within striking distance of another title shot. A fight with Daniel Cormier would be one of the biggest of Davis' career, and a win would almost certainly vault him into a title fight.
For Cormier, beating Davis wouldn't necessarily mean a return trip to fight Jones, but it would be a very big step toward that goal.
Ovince St. Preux
St. Preux made himself into a bigger name by taking on Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in Brazil on short notice and eviscerating him. Rua is surely past his prime, but the victory was a statement.
St. Preux is someone on the fringe of contention that would be a quality opponent for Cormier to rebuild himself, while a win over Cormier would be career-defining for St. Preux.
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