Daniel Cormier is still officially a UFC double-champion, despite the announcement of the light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson for UFC 232. And if he ends up losing his heavyweight title to Derrick Lewis at UFC 230, “DC” says he will be back taking care of business at 205 pounds.
“If I lose to Derrick, then who is to say I don’t go, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go defend my light heavyweight title. Now you can’t take it,’” Cormier said during Friday’s UFC 230 media day (via MMA Fighting). “Maybe that adds a whole other part to the equation. You can’t take both of my belts if I lost that one. Right? So do I really have that much to lose if I have a second one? Look at it like that.”
“I am the light heavyweight champion until (Jones and Gustafsson) fight,” he continued. “So if the light heavyweight champion loses his heavyweight title and goes, ‘Wait I’m willing to defend my belt,’ now we have some conversations to have.”
Cormier’s recent statements are contrary to his feelings a few months back, when he admitted that he would have a difficult time dropping back down to light heavyweight. He says he is also “pretty sure” he would be stripped of the 205-pound title because of his plans at heavyweight.
UFC 230 takes place on November 3rd at Madison Square Garden in New York City.