Daniel Cormier says he might keep light heavyweight title if he loses to Derrick Lewis at UFC 230

On November 3, in the main event of UFC 230, UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight Daniel Cormier will attempt to defend that latter title against fearsome heavyweight knockout artist Derrick Lewis. Then, when Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson battle in the main event of UFC 232 on December 29, Cormier will be stripped of his light heavyweight title.

At least, that’s the way the UFC is planning it.

According to Daniel Cormier himself, things could unfold very differently if he is upset by Derrick Lewis in the UFC 230 main event, thereby surrendering the heavyweight title. In that event, he might tell the UFC he’s keeping his light heavyweight belt, which would of course throw a wrench in the promotion’s plans for a Jones vs. Gustafsson light heavyweight title fight at UFC 232.

“If I lose to Derrick, then who is to say I don’t go, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go defend my light heavyweight title. Now you can’t take it,’” Daniel Cormier said at a recent UFC 230 media day (via MMA Fighting). “Maybe that adds a whole other part to the equation. You can’t take both of my belts if I lost that one. Right? So do I really have that much to lose if I have a second one? Look at it like that.”

“I am the light heavyweight champion until those guys fight,” Cormier continued. “So if the light heavyweight champion loses his heavyweight title and goes, ‘Wait I’m willing to defend my belt,’ now we have some conversations to have.”

Do you think Daniel Cormier will wind up keeping the UFC light heavyweight title?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/23/2018.