Jon Jones Thinks Daniel Cormier Isn’t ‘Used To Fighting These Big Fights’

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has experienced a media blitz after his impromptu brawl with Daniel Cormier at Monday’s (August 4, 2014) UFC 178 Media Day from Las Vegas.

Trashing “DC” on FOX Sports Live after giving what many felt was an insincere apology on ESPN’s Sportscenter, “Bones” has been working diligently to promote his Sept. 27 bout with Cormier. Last night, the polarizing and dominant champion appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to discuss the brawl, noting that Cormier may have let his emotions get the best of him:

“My opponent, I don’t think he’s used to fighting these big fights, and he was just really anxious and nervous, and I saw that it was going to be a really intense staredown by the way he was looking across the stage at me. So I’m like, ‘What do you want to do, I’m not going to back up.’

READ MORE:  André Lima tattoos bite mark on his bicep, scores 50k bonus from Dana White: 'This is awesome!'

So we go head to head, and he like, karate chops me in the neck, and I can’t let that happen. Being the champion, I gotta kinda stand my ground. And so next thing I know, people are getting pushed, and it’s like a Royal Rumble.”

The latest in a long (and soon to be longer) series of verbal jabs from Jones, his latest title bout is set to be his most heated, even more so than his originally scheduled rematch with Alexander Gustafsson.

That fight was arguably the most anticipated bout in all of MMA, but ”Bones” and “DC” most likely made the pay-per-view (PPV) numbers for UFC 178 skyrocket by fighting on national television.

READ MORE:  Jiri Prochazka vows to beat Alex Pereira in title clash rematch after UFC 300 return: 'That fight was mine'

As a former Olympic wrestler, it’s hard to believe that Cormier would be nervous in too many situations. Was it nerves, or simply his hatred for Jones that led to his scuffle-inducing shove on Monday?