As the saying goes, we live in interesting times. Times when mixed martial arts (MMA) champions send small bursts of texts straight to their replacement opponents.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones went with the new times, while replacement challenger Daniel Cormier -- who tonight was anointed the next No. 1 title challenger when Alexander Gustafsson went down with a knee injury (read full details here) -- went the slightly more traditional route.
Indeed, "DC" appeared on "UFC Tonight" earlier this evening to reveal the back-channel smack:
"Let me tell you a little something on Jon Jones. He's a ninja on a number of levels. I don't follow Jon Jones on Twitter, but somehow he was able to send me a direct message ... The direct message said 'I hope you're ready to come to daddy.'"
"DC" was more than happy to oblige us insatiable gawkers, making this one-sided exchange public and sending some traffic back in the direction of "Bones."
Exhibit A:
It wouldn't be the first time the ghost of "Bones" struck social media behind the scenes. And it's probably not the last.
In any event, Cormier would go on to tell his co-hosts and the world about accepting the high-profile main event at UFC 178, which takes place on Sept. 27, 2014, on just nine weeks notice.
"There's always going to be hesitation. When you get a title fight you want to get three months to prepare, but if my coaches came to me and told me you have to beat Jon Jones in five weeks I would do it."
Cormier would also downplay talk of this exchange going public allowing him to get into the champ's head.
Personally, I'm all for fighters acknowledging that they probably aren't going to disturb Jones' apparently rock-solid mental game. The astute fan will recall cries of nearly every opponent of Jones somehow getting in his head, all the way back to Mauricio Rua when he followed Jones' famous "I'm not looking at you" staredown pose with a glance to see what he was looking at.
Jones would go on to demolish "Shogun," along with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson -- who was also "in his head" -- as well as former friend and partner Rashad Evans.
He, too, thought he had Jones' number.
Cormier, at least, seems smart enough to not bother with that silly aspect. At least for the time being.