Anthony Johnson: Daniel Cormier is a tougher opponent than Jon Jones
Despite losing light heavyweight champion Jon Jones as an opponent at UFC 187, top-ranked contender Anthony Johnson believes he actually has a tougher test in front of him in two-time Olympian Daniel Cormier next weekend in Las Vegas.
Prior to his arrest on charges of allegedly fleeing the scene of a car accident in New Mexico, Jones was ranked as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, but Johnson believes Cormier will be hungrier come fight night.
"I get to fight another elite athlete, a guy who, in my opinion, is actually a tougher fight for me than Jon Jones. DC's a grinder, he brings it and this is his second chance, so I know he's going to bring it even more," Johnson said on a media conference call Wednesday. "This is the same for everybody at the end of the day. You have two guys who are hungry to get the belt, and that's what it's about."
At the heart of his initial comment, Johnson says that Cormier nearly tasted gold back in January when he faced Jones at UFC 182, but the loss only fueled him that much more.
He knows that fighters don't earn title shots very often, so Cormier getting another crack at the belt just five months after his initial championship bout will only serve as motivation to not allow this opportunity to pass him by without putting everything into winning.
"I feel he's just more difficult. This is his second opportunity at a title shot, so he's going to bring everything that he can bring to win that title," Johnson said. "People get second chances in life, just like this is my second chance in life when I returned to the UFC and you can see what has happened so far as me. Starting from the bottom and working my way to the top.
"Well, DC was already at the top and he didn't reach the goal he set out to reach against Jon and now he has another chance. It's just going to be a tougher fight, I expect that, I know that."
Just breaking down the matchup, Johnson also sees Cormier as a bigger threat when it comes to his wrestling, as well as his punching power. Cormier has put several top heavyweights to sleep during his career and while Jones may be the more versatile and well-rounded fighter, he doesn't have the kind of one-punch finishing power that his new opponent at UFC 187 possesses.
"You get to see everything. Daniel has power, he has speed, he has good technique and his wrestling is top notch and nobody can deny that," Johnson said.
"For me that's great. For him that's great. To me, he's just going to be a tougher opponent. He might be shorter than me, but dude packs a lot of power. Jon isn't known for packing power. He's known for crazy kicks and using his range or reach or whatever you want to call it. DC is just that guy and I truly believe that. To me that just makes a more difficult fight and that's what I look forward to."
The real winner in this entire change at UFC 187 might be the fans who are looking for a real battle between two of the best light heavyweights on the planet.
Johnson also knows as a fellow wrestler that Cormier is going to give him everything he can handle and so he's preparing to go five hard rounds with both men being tested in a major way before the fight is over.
"We're a little crazy because we are wrestlers," Johnson said. "So it's just one of those fights that I assume is going to be an all-out war."
