Perhaps Jon Jones' recent shot at converted heavyweight Daniel Cormier rankled his feathers, because DC has made a very bold statement regarding "Bones," in relation to his next opponent Rashad Evans.
Cormier, who has a well-known disdain for Jones, said he believes fighting Evans at UFC 170 on February 22nd will be more difficult than the fight against "Bones" he believes could be coming. First, he noted that Evans is more familiar with him since they have previously trained together.
"I just think that, because I've trained with Rashad before. You know, he's felt me before," Cormier said. "He's got a different set of skills than Jones, obviously. I think Rashad's actually a little more difficult to take down, for me than it would be [to take down] a guy with longer limbs.
"I don't mind wrestling a guy with long limbs. I think it works to my advantage because I can get to their legs. Rashad doesn't kick as much. Kicking actually feeds your opponent the leg. Jon kicks more so that's easier to grab take downs. Rashad, you know, is just a more dynamic type of fighter. In terms of one-punch knockout power, he has more than Jones does."
The power is subjective, but Cormier's claims about Evans' takedown defense are misguided statistically. According to UFC.com, Jones has successfully defended 96 percent of takedowns attempted against him, while Evans has avoided 66 percent.
Cormier is a converted heavyweight, who left the weight class to avoid fighting his close friend Cain Velasquez, who is currently dealing with a shoulder injury. Now, he's set his sights on Jones' light heavyweight crown, and said the move down in weight has helped his fighting.
"I feel better. My cardio feels better," Cormier said. "I feel like I can go harder, longer than I was before. It didn't take me as long to get in shape in the training camp, because I'm lighter. Normally, it would take me a little bit more time to get going."
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