Daniel Cormier Profusely Apologizes To Fans For Pulling Out Of UFC 197
In the disappointing and odd aftermath of UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier’s unfortunate withdrawal from his long-awaited UFC 197 rematch with bitter rival Jon Jones, ‘DC’ wants his fans and employers to know he’s truly and sincerely sorry.
News broke that Cormier was forced out of the anticipated and monumental bout last night, and earlier today (Sat., April 2, 2016), word came that Jones will face top contender Ovince St. Preux for the interim title at the April 23 event from Las Vegas after he said he was willing to “fight anyone.”
The booking is a bit strange to say the least considering that Cormier will likely be healed from the broken foot that forced him out of the fight in four to six weeks, creating a potential avenue for him to fight Jones at July’s suddenly bordering-on-historic UFC 200 card. His injury was also obviously unfortunate given the absolute whirlwind of legal trouble Jones went through last year and this week to actually be able to fight at UFC 197.
While the future of light heavyweight is uncertain to say the least, Cormier took to Instagram this evening to express his true heartfelt feelings to his fans and employers. See what he had to say right here:
The decision to not fight on April 23rd was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. I’ve been scheduled to fight 18 times and I have made that walk every time. I want to apologize to Jon Jones, Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White and all of the UFC fans for not being able to defend my title. This truly saddens me, but as with everything else in life, it goes on. The recovery should not take very long and I can’t wait to compete and defend my title again. For all the fans, thanks for your support, I appreciate each and every one of you. DC
So ‘DC’ is incredibly apologetic for the single withdrawal of his 18-fight MMA career, and even though many fans still don’t consider him the true champion because he never won the belt from Jones and actually lost to him, it’s clear that Cormier is exhibiting the class of a true champion in quickly addressing the issue to his real fans.
And after taking on Jones — even in defeat — before defeating Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson in one year, he also has the world-class resume of a champion as well. But the proverbial monkey will always be on his back until he returns to fight Jones to settle their score once and for all, so here’s hoping that “DC” is healthy and back to training soon.
