Cormier admits he's not a top 5 PPV draw, thinks Jones fight does over 1 mil buys

UFC 192, despite hosting a Fight of The Year candidate between Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson, drew low pay-per-view numbers. According to a report by Dave Meltzer, the event secured an underwhelming 250,000 PPV buys, making it the third lowest selling PPV of the year.

"DC" defended his light-heavyweight title in a gripping contest with Alexander Gustafsson. Cormier and Gustafsson rocked and socked for five rounds, but it was the former Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix winner who walked away with the split decision.

UFC 192 was also supposed to pit former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks against Tyron Woodley in the co-main event, but "Bigg Rigg" pulled out at the last minute after a devastating weight cut. Rashad Evans vs. Ryan Bader was bumped up as the new co-main, which saw "Darth" earn a unanimous decision win.

In a sport brimming with high-profile personalities such as Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, Cormier admits that he's not a top 5 PPV draw.

"And then (there are) Anderson and Nick Diaz when they come back," Cormier said to MMAJunkie. "So no, I would not be one of the top-five draws. You've got to be realistic with yourself as you approach these situations, and I think I do that, and that's because of the experiences I've had in life."

In order to draw the numbers, the American Kickboxing Academy coach and fighter believes he needs the right opponent. Cormier predicts his rematch with Jon Jones to secure over 1 million buys.

"You really do need the right person to make it happen. The fight (at UFC 187) with (Johnson) had (Middleweight champ) Chris Weidman on there, too, who did almost 1 million against Anderson Silva," said Cormier. "But, against Vitor Belfort, it was hard for us to crack the number that we wanted to. You have to look at it as a whole."

"Way over 1 million. I would love for us -- for Jon and I -- to do 1 million-and-a-half (buys)."

While a date and venue has yet to be announced, it's expected that "Bones" will rematch Cormier to reclaim his light-heavyweight championship. Jones was stripped of the title and suspended indefinetely following a hit-and-run incident in April. The former pound for pound #1 resolved his legal difficulties in September and is anticipated to return to the UFC soon.