Daniel Cormier is aching for payback against Jon Jones after that stinging loss back in January. But until "Bones" clears up his mess outside the UFC, DC may have to address other matters at hand such as defending his light heavyweight title.
And he did just that at UFC 192 held at the Toyota Center in Houston, hacking out a split decision conquest over challenger Alexander Gustaffson.
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The win allowed Cormier to improve to 17-1, but DC admitted that the fight was one of the more difficult ones he has had in his career. Judges Kerry Hatley (49-46) and Sal D'Amato (48-47) scored the fight in favor of Cormier while Derek Clearly had it (48-47) for Gustaffson.
“Thank you, Alexander Gustafsson,” Cormier said in the cage after the bout via Yahoo Sports. “I will forever be indebted to you and your performance tonight. Thank you. Thank you.”
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Cormier did get knocked down in the third round by the Swede, a result of a knee and a left hook that opened a deep cut beneath his right eye.
Aside from that however, Cormier seemed to have baited Gustaffson into fighting in the way that he wanted. Instead of the usual strikes, Gustaffson somehow fell prey to Cormier’s game plan – that of which was to wrestle him.
"That was very effective," Cormier said via ESPN. "Every time I hit him with it, I felt him stop. He stopped punching. He stopped moving. When you can make a striker try to wrestle you, you know you're doing a good job."
With that match in the record books, it remains to be seen who DC will face next.
How about Jones? "Bones" is still under indefinite suspension, though UFC director of communications Dave Sholler did mention that they will be reviewing the terms of Jones' plea agreement before providing an update on a potential return.
Apparently Jones was watching the Cormier vs. Gustaffson showdown, posting a video on Instagram saying: “I think I miss it. I don’t know."
As far as Cormier goes, here is what he had to say about Jones: “"When he gets cleared to fight, we'll fight."
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