Daniel Cormier

By FCF Staff

Daniel Cormier elected to relinquish the UFC’s light-heavyweight title, in advance of tonight’s bout between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, but Dana White says that move wasn’t necessary.

Cormier recently released a statement, in which he announced he was relinquishing the 205 title, because he doesn’t wan’t his legacy to include being stripped of a belt. Even before Cormier announced his decision, the light-heavyweight title was going to become available tonight, when Jones and Gustafsson start fighting.

When White was asked to comment on the situation, the UFC President said this (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“He’s being a little dramatic right now,” White said. “He’s being a little dramatic because of his hatred for Jon Jones. He would’ve never been stripped. He’s vacating. … I expect Cormier to be all fired up and on a rampage. He hates this guy.”

“At the end of the day he wasn’t being stripped of the title, he was vacating the title. It would never go down in history that he was stripped. ‘I’m going to get stripped and I didn’t do anything wrong.’ I told ‘DC’ a long time ago: ‘If you’re my champion for the rest of my career, I’m good with that.’ He’s one of the greatest athletes I’ve ever worked with, such a good guy.”

Cormier, who has said he  will retire next March when he’s 40, is expected to defend the heavyweight title one more time.