Full Contact Fighter Database

Home

>

News

>

Article

Media

Thursday, Aug 07, 2014

UFC 178: Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones Weigh-in on Cost of Pre-Fight Brawl, Upcoming Headliner

Jon Jones (left) and Daniel Cormier (right) (photo via UFC.com)

By Kelsey Mowatt

It’s been a couple of days now since Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones threw down at a press conference, and while each man has apologized for the incident, they don’t seem to be too worried that it will hurt pay-per-view sales. Of course, the light-heavyweights aren’t alone in making that assumption.

Since Jones and Cormier’s dust up on Monday, not only have the fighters been all over the MMA news, but the mainstream press was quick to jump on the pre-fight, back-and-forth.

“It wasn’t one of my best moments,” Jones (20-1) relayed on the latest edition of FOX Sport’s “UFC Tonight”. “But I’ve apologized for it. It turned off a lot of people, and turned on a lot of people. I’ve had a lot of interesting feedback from it. Jimmy Kimmel called me, Good Morning America called me. For the people who found it tasteless, I apologize.”

“I agree. This is bad for the sport, but my check book is very, very happy after the fight,” Cormier argued while discussing the incident.

“Yes, they’re bad for the sport, but I’m more excited for the fight than ever before,” said FOX Sports commentator and retired fighter Brian Stann, which is a sentiment that is likely shared by thousands of fans. “But if this becomes the norm, it’s bad for the sport.”

Jon Jones (left) and Daniel Cormier get into it at a UFC 178 presser

If you missed it, and there’s likely very little chance that you haven’t seen it by now, the incident kicked off as the two faced off at a presser in Las Vegas. After Jones pressed his forehead to Cormier’s, the latter quickly pushed the light-heavyweight champ away. Jones proceeded to rush Cormier, and the two appeared to briefly exchange blows after they tumbled off the stage.

“I figured he was trying to intimidate me,” noted Cormier (15-0), who is also part of the FOX Sports commentating team. “He put his head down on my head and nudged me forward and I pushed him off me. If a guy gets in your face, and makes contact, I respond. Was it the right thing to do? No. But if he did it again, I’d do the same exact thing. I believe it is mental warfare. If I allowed him to do that to me, he would have gotten a one-up on me, and I expected him to do the same thing to me.”

While there’s no question that the heated rivalry between Jones and Cormier is one of the reasons the fight is so highly anticipated, it’s an all-star bout thanks to the abilities of each man.

“I’m searching for a guy this the equal of me in the Octagon,” said Cormier, when asked what he’s expecting on September 27th. “I want that dogfight. Hopefully, Jon will be that guy.”

“I’m very confident in the fight. Daniel Cormier is a magnificent competitor, a great challenge,” Jones conceded about the decorated wrestler. “When I get those great challenges, they bring out the best in me.”

UFC 178 will be hosted by the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

posted by FCF Staff @ 1:30 am
Have a comment about this story? Please share with us by filling out the fields below.

Comments are closed.