Former Champ Thinks Daniel Cormier Can ‘Definitely’ Defeat Jon Jones

Rashad Evans may have been disconnected from the UFC light heavyweight title picture for almost two years due to series of frustrating knee injuries, but the former champion and FOX Sports analyst still kept his eyes open on the 205-pound landscape.

‘Suga’ returned to meet formerly surging Ryan Bader at last October’s UFC 192, but the effects of ring rust seemed to hold him down and he dropped a clear-cut decision to ‘Darth.’

Now set to face Glover Teixeira at UFC on FOX 19 after his original opponent ‘Shogun’ Rua was forced out, Evans recently gave his take on the awaited UFC 197 title rematch between 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier and his onetime student and friend, former champion Jon Jones, during an appearance on this week’s The MMA Hour.

Evans noted that while he does believe Cormier can beat Jones where he failed at 2012’s UFC 145, he must do just that in order to bypass retirement:

“I think that DC definitely can [win]. He definitely can. You know, DC, he seems different this time around. He seems different this time mentally speaking. Honestly speaking, this is a fight that DC…he has to win. Like, if DC doesn’t win this fight, there really — he would have to retire if he doesn’t win this fight.”

Evans elaborated on that all-or-nothing view, noting that Cormier just would not have too many options with two losses to the pound-for-pound king. ‘Suga’ believes that would break Cormier’s desire to be the best, because Jones would have effectively solved any and all discussion of just whom the best light heavyweight is:

“It’s like, what does he do then?” Evans said. “Does he try to face Jon again for the third time? Once you take away a man’s desire to be the best — or he knows that he can’t be the best — then in a sense, you just kill that man off. So if he loses this fight, Jon would have killed him off. There’s no reason. The competitive grind would be gone.”

Host Ariel Helwani noted that Cormier could then go back up to heavyweight, a division in which he earned a 13-0 record in on his way to the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix belt. But with his friend and teammate Cain Velasquez still looking to fight for the UFC belt there, things could get a little complicated, ‘Suga’ thinks ‘DC’ would no longer want to put his body through the punishment required to be the best if he loses to Jones twice:

“Maybe, maybe,” he said. “Maybe so. I just don’t think that DC, being so successful with the FOX gig and stuff like that, I don’t think the desire to put his body through it will outweigh the life that he could have if he didn’t do it.”

We’ll have to wait and see if Cormier can indeed prove Evans right by defeating the man whom many believe to be the best fighter in MMA. If he can’t, however, will he be forced to retire as ‘Suga’ suggested?