Cormier: Jones rematch will be different with better drug testing
Daniel Cormier is confident he can beat Jon Jones in a rematch thanks to factors both inside and outside the Octagon.
When "DC" and Jones first fought in January 2015, it was Jones who was the unbeatable light heavyweight champion and he topped Cormier by unanimous decision. Legal troubles resulted in Jones being stripped of the title and it now resides around Cormier's waist.
A July 29 date is on the table for Cormier's and Jones' next confrontation, and Cormier expects a very different Jones to enter the cage whenever they fight because of the USADA drug program that's been put in place since their first encounter.
"I do (believe it will be different) because I know he didn't out-train me but somehow he was able to maintain my pace and not only withstand it but actually extended it over five rounds as I could only do three," Cormier told Damon Martin of FOX Sports. "He didn't outwork me. I know for a fact he did not outwork me. We'll see.
"I think (with USADA) it will be a completely different fight."
Jones has already caught the attention of the USADA once. He and Cormier were supposed to headline UFC 200 in July, but three days before the event it was reported that Jones would be removed due to a failed drug test.
In Cormier's opinion, it wasn't an accident that Jones was flagged before their fight. He believes a less than spectacular win over Ovince Saint Preux may have scared Jones into realizing he needed to use PEDs and it wasn't the first time he'd gone that route.
"Last time - I'm a truth teller - the first fight when me and Jon fought there were stories about him hiding from USADA or some (expletive) like that," Cormier said. "Then when he finally did get his test, he tested positive for cocaine and his body levels were all just completely out of whack as if he had just finished doing some illegal stuff.
"Then after he got himself into that trouble, he came back and he fought Ovince Saint Preux. He was big and he was strong and he looked fantastic and it was his first fight under USADA and he fought like (expletive). So then at UFC 200, he probably said 'I can't really do this the way I want to do it without my help.' So he said 'I'm just going to try it again' and he tested positive again."
Jones' failed test led to a one-year suspension that will end in July. The former UFC champion has maintained his positive test was due to the use of a tainted sex supplement.