UFC 187 headliner Daniel Cormier blasts Ryan Bader for trying to cut title line: 'You didn't beat anybody'

Daniel Cormier didn't just get the luck of the draw when he was pegged as Jon Jones' replacement to take on Anthony Johnson at this weekend's (Sat., May 23, 2015) UFC 187 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Las Vegas, Nevada, he had to work for it.

As in work the phones.

According to Cormier, once he realized that "Bones" would likely be dropped from the event after his unfortunate hit-and-run accident (details), he felt he'd get the call to step in. But, he wasn't going to leave it to chance, as he tells MMA Fighting that he took it upon himself to call up the UFC head honchos to plead his case.

Especially after catching wind that Ryan Bader was trying to do the same. But he wasn't too worried "Darth" would get the nod over him, because as "DC" proclaimed, Bader hasn't "beaten anybody" to warrant a championship fight.

"I was waiting, because this thing with Jon happened on a Sunday. Two days is a long time to wait. And initially I was like okay, we'll see what happens. Ryan Bader started putting stuff on the internet, and it was like, what the hell's wrong with you? You're trying to cut to the front of the line. It's not like he beat anybody. I tried calling them, and I said, 'Hey, why not give me the chance?' If anyone deserves the shot, it's me."

Bader has his own take, complete with retort:

@ryanbader @ufc shut up bader , I've got a belt to win. Stay in ur lane only reason u get any pub is because I mention u.I begged to fight u

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) May 20, 2015

As far as "not beating anybody," Bader is on a quiet four-fight win streak with victories over Ovince St-Preux and Phil Davis. Whether or not those wins -- as well as his two against Anthony Perosh and Rafael Cavalcante -- are impressive enough to warrant a shot at the title, that's up for debate.

Bader and Cormier were set to square off against one another at UFC Fight Night 68 on June 8, 2015, but after the whole Jones debacle, "Darth" was left out in the cold.

As far as "DC" is concerned, he came up short in his bid to dethrone Jones at UFC 182 earlier this year after the former 205-pound champion blanked him for five rounds (video replay). But that's all in the past, as Cormier will have one more try to claim the title this Memorial Day Weekend.

This time, though, it will be against an entirely "different animal."