Daniel Cormier wants to “take control” of his career, and not fight Jon Jones

With just two days to go until UFC 200, Daniel Cormier found himself without an opponent when former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was pulled from the card for a failed out-of-competition drug test back in June.

Fortunately for Cormier, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva stepped in on short notice to replace Jon Jones at UFC 200.

With Jones appeal of his failed drug test reportedly going well, UFC President Dana White has expressed interest in seeing Jon Jones vs. Anthony Johnson in a title eliminator fight.

That didn’t sit too well with Daniel Cormier, who explained why he doesn’t want to fight Jon Jones during an appearance on ESPN’s ‘Five Rounds’ podcast.

“The stance I’m taking right now in regards to not fighting him allows me to take control of my career and my life again,” Cormier told ESPN’s “Five Rounds” podcast. “I didn’t expect that whenever we fought the first time… I didn’t expect my entire career to be hijacked by Jon Jones, but that’s what it feels like for me.

“I’ve fought three times since I fought Jon. I won the belt, defended the belt, fought Anderson Silva — and everything is still about Jon Jones. I don’t want that to be my career. I don’t want that to be my reality. This gives me an opportunity to get off that ride.”