Guys please get this message to @JonnyBones he doesn't follow me. Didn't think I followed him. Hes a ninja #newchamp pic.twitter.com/ljayBbJham
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) July 24, 2014
During this week’s edition of UFC Tonight on FOX Sports 1, top-ranked UFC Light Heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier made his first public comments about his next fight, a title match against Jon Jones at UFC 178 that was just announced today when the news broke that Alexander Gustafsson suffered an injury and had to pull out of the fight.
Cormier claimed that he received a direct message on Twitter from the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion that read, “I hope you’re ready to come to daddy.”
D.C. said the following on UFC Tonight regarding the social media exchange with “Bones” Jones:
“Let me tell you a little something on Jon Jones — he’s a ninja on a number of levels. I don’t follow Jon Jones on Twitter, but somehow he was able to send me a direct message. The direct message said: ‘I hope you’re ready to come to daddy.'”
Regarding the call he received from UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta this morning offering him the opportunity to step in and challenge Jones for the title, Cormier said:
“There’s always going to be hesitation. When you get a title fight you want to get three months to prepare, but if my coaches came to me and told me you have to beat Jon Jones in five weeks I would do it.”
D.C. admitted that he doesn’t have a great shot of playing mental games with the champion, as he referenced Jones’ ability to deal with the mind games that Rashad Evans tried playing with him during the build-up to their previous Octagon battle.
“I don’t think I’m in his head. Jon Jones has dealt with number of issues when it come to guys fighting. Him and Rashad Evans. He dealt with the issues with Rashad. Those two were longtime friends and they fell out and he got through that. I don’t think anything I can say to Jon Jones will affect him.”
As far as the social media sparring is concerned, the former Strikeforce tournament champion followed up on Instagram with this:
“Guys how do you respond to someone on Twitter that doesn’t follow you. I need this message to get to @jonnybones I didn’t think I followed him , he knows something we don’t. He just randomly sent me this lol. #newchamp”
UFC 178: Jones vs. Cormier takes place on September 27th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will air live on pay-per-view. Make sure to visit MMANews.com on 9/27 for extensive live results coverage of the entire event.
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