Daniel Cormier came up short in his bid to dethrone current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, this past weekend (Sat., Jan. 3, 2015) at UFC 182, which went down from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Watch full fight video highlights right here.
After the bout, a visibly distraught Luke Rockhold -- a good friend and training partner of Cormier -- talked to MMA Fighting about the loss of his American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) comrade.
In his assessment, "DC" didn't fight to his full potential and even looked like a deer caught in headlights at certain points of the 25-minute main event match.
His words:
"I'm bummed, of course. Daniel, I love him like a brother. He didn't go out there and fight to his potential, no doubt. He had flashes of brilliance in there when he came out in the second and third. But, he waited, stalled and looked almost like a deer in the headlights at certain points. I don't know if the pressure got to him or what it was -- he just didn't fight to his potential. You have to give it up for Jon (Jones), he is a great fighter. He wears on people, he just has a way of slowing people down as the fight progresses. He's the champ, still."
Still, Rockhold says "DC" put up quite a fight when compared to Jones' previous opponents.
"I don't think that fight is over. He beat DC, but I didn't see DC in trouble once during that fight. Jon has hurt every other opponent badly that he has faced. I think there will be another five rounds in the future."
According to Rockhold, Cormier could've utilized his Olympic-level wrestling a bit more, but says fighting the best fighter in the world in Jones is a difficult task for anyone.
But, if and when Cormier works his way back to a rematch, did he show anything special that might generate a different outcome or is Jones just so good that it will be more of the same?
Opinions, please.