As UFC 187 approaches, Jon Jones' shadow still looms large over main event
UFC 187 will crown a new light heavyweight champion next weekend as Anthony Johnson meets Daniel Cormier, but questions about former division king Jon Jones continue to loom large, even with the event 10 days away.
It was going to be difficult, at best, for Cormier and Johnson to compete for the vacant title just weeks after Jones was suspended and stripped of the belt by the UFC following his arrest on alleged hit-and-run charges that left a pregnant woman with a broken arm.
Clearly, Jones has much bigger issues to deal with outside of fighting, but when it came to his in-Octagon performances, there was no doubt that he was the most dominant fighter of this era and maybe of all time as well.
While none of what Jones did wrong falls on the shoulders of Cormier or Johnson, they are still forced to stand in his shadow as they prepare to fight for the title next weekend.
"Jon, in my eyes, is still the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in our weight class," Johnson said on Wednesday when asked about Jones. "Everybody in our weight class wants to be able to say 'I competed against the best and I fought the champ' and that's the part that's disappointing because he's not around right now."
As frustrating as it must be to have a title fight in just a matter of days that doesn't technically concern Jones -- considering he's on the sidelines with an indefinite suspension -- Cormier understands why his name comes up so frequently.
Jones was arguably undefeated during his entire career outside of a lone disqualification loss in 2009, and he ran roughshod through virtually every fighter he faced in the 205-pound division. It's hard to ignore Jones' record-breaking accomplishments, especially when this time a month ago he was still on top of the world.
"It's just that, Jon, he casts such a big shadow on the division. Any time this weight class is discussed, there's going to be some mention of Jon Jones. It's expected," Cormier said.
If there's one annoying part about the questions that come at both contenders concerning Jones, it's the concept that they aren't fighting for the real title at UFC 187.
Johnson and Cormier have already stated they believe the championship on the line next weekend is the real belt and not an interim title that's just waiting on Jones to return and reclaim it.
Jones lost the title because he wasn't able to carry himself as a champion outside the Octagon, and it's not on Johnson or Cormier that it happened.
"It does get a little annoying because people aren't showing the respect Daniel and I deserve. It's almost like they see us as some kind of chumps or something. Once again, we didn't make Jon do what he did. That was his own doing," Johnson said about Jones.
"We are top of the food chain right now. It does kind of get aggravating when people want to say 'paper champ' or things like that. In my eyes and in my heart, whoever wins the title isn't the paper champ. We are the absolute champion of the weight class."
As of now, there's been no clear indication when, or if, Jones will return to fighting. He has potential felony charges that he may face in court with up to three years in jail as punishment for a hit-and-run accident with bodily harm done to one of the drivers.
If Jones does jail time, it could severely impact his future in the sport as well as his overall standing with the UFC. Jones' manager Malki Kawa has stated that even if all of this goes away, there's still no guarantee Jones would want to return to fighting again.
Cormier doesn't buy it, however, because no matter how he feels about Jones on a personal level, he believes the former champion is still the best fighter in the world and there's no way he'd want to end his career on such a sour note.
"I think he'll be back. This is what he does. Jon Jones is a fighter, and I don't think he'd want to walk away from this sport under the circumstances," Cormier said. "For everything that he's done positive in this sport, to walk away under this black cloud, it would be unfortunate, so I do believe he'll come back.
"Me personally, do I care if he comes back? I would love to fight him again but that's really his decision. I'm not going to beg him to come back. He can come back if he wants to."
Cormier and Johnson agree that they would both like to solidify a title reign by eventually facing and beating Jones, but neither have any clue whether it would actually happen or not.
For his part, Cormier isn't sure beating Jones after everything that he's gone through lately would change much anyways. Jones may be out for several months or years depending on how his court case plays out and with that much time off, plus the turmoil in his life, there's no telling what kind of fighter he might be if he returns.
"Would it help to beat Jones? Yes. But under the circumstances, I'm not sure it would do that much to change public perception," Cormier said. "Because I believe people believe what they want to believe and it doesn't matter what you do."
