With a vicious choke, Daniel Cormier forced Anthony Johnson into submission and retirement.
Cormier’s next title challenger? Pick a fighter outside of the cage.
Cormier easily defeated “Rumble” Johnson for the second time in two years, using a rear naked choke to retain the light heavyweight championship in the main event of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 210 on Saturday night.
Photo: AP
With tears in his eyes, Johnson announced his retirement inside the octagon, saying “it’s time for me to do something else.”
Cormier he has options for a major fight later this year.
Cormier jawed with No. 4 ranked contender Jimi Manuwa immediately after the bout and then talked trash with perhaps the class — and considered, the uncrowned champ — of the division, Jon Jones.
“Jimi Manuwa, you don’t want any of this,” Cormier said. “Jon Jones, as a fighter, I respect you, but we don’t see eye to eye.”
Jones looked on from cageside and stretched his arms in approval as the sellout crowd of 17,110 went wild for the former champion.
Three months from completing a year-long doping ban, Jones said he was focused on reclaiming the light heavyweight title he has lost twice due to suspensions.
Cormier wanted nothing to do with Jones’ posturing, saying, “don’t talk to me about a guy who’s ineligible. When you get your [act] together, I’ll be here waiting to fight.”
Cormier was awarded the light heavyweight belt only after Jones was stripped of it in early 2015, when he was suspended by the UFC following his involvement in a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jones had successfully defended his title eight times through 2013, but he has fought just three times in the past four years.
He had joked that he would confront Cormier in the cage, but stayed in his seat and hung out with several members of the Buffalo Bills American football team.
“I’m not going in that cage. I’ll leave that man alone. Let him enjoy his night,” Jones said. “I want to talk to my business partners, talk to the UFC and see what they want to do.”
After Cormier’s interview was over, he started pointing at Jones, who was seated in the front row.
Cormier began yelling at Jones, which was inaudible over the roar of the crowd.
Jones looked up and smiled.
Then Cormier said something and smiled, too, before walking back the other way.
Cormier’s lone loss in a 19-fight Mixed Martial Arts career came against Jones in 2015.
Cormier edged Johnson at UFC 187 in 2015 by submission, and he won with a rear naked choke in the second round at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
The 33-year-old Johnson said he was moving on an unspecified non-MMA venture.
“I’m tired of getting punched,” he said.
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