Daniel Cormier, Anthony Johnson reflect on not being able to beat the man to be the man

Daniel Cormier was moved to tears in January after he was routed by Jon Jones in their fight for the light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 182.

Cormier so desperately wanted to win a championship to fill a void that was missing in his career, yet he came up short again. His archrival surprisingly dominated him and retained the championship going away.

It was painful to look at Cormier at the post-fight news conference. To his credit, he showed up and answered every last question, though it was clear to see he was in agony.

He'll get another, completely unexpected crack at the belt May 23 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, facing Anthony Johnson as the replacement for Jones, who was stripped of his title after being arrested Monday for leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury in Albuquerque, N.M.

Because Jones was stripped, the Cormier-Johnson main event at UFC 187 will be for the full title, not an interim or place-holder belt.

And as desperately as Cormier wants to wrap the belt around his waist and call himself champion, it's not going to be the same as if he'd beaten Jones to win it.

Jones was the reigning champion and, arguably, the greatest fighter in the brief history of mixed martial arts.

"You know, it will be different," Cormier said of the significance of winning the belt from someone other than Jones. "If I said it didn't, that would be a lie. It would be different, but not because the title means any less. It's just who you're taking the title off of. If Chris Weidman would have won his [middleweight title] belt off of Vitor Belfort instead of Anderson Silva, it would be different. It's just the way of the world.

"These long-reigning champions, it means more to beat them. It just does. But in terms of the belt itself, it will feel no different to me."

Johnson feels much the same way. He earned the title shot by going on an incredible run after re-dedicating himself to the sport and to his conditioning.

He was mostly known for missing weight when he was a welterweight, a time when he was choked out by former Cormier teammate Josh Koscheck.

Eventually, the UFC got tired of the weight issues and cut him. Johnson then turned his career around, and when he returned to the UFC, he was a completely different man.

He's won nine in a row since being cut, including three in succession since returning to the UFC. He dominated Phil Davis and won a wide unanimous decision, then knocked out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Alexander Gustafsson in the first round to earn his shot at Jones.

"It's very disappointing, but it is what it is and I have to move on and do what my goal is, which is to win a title," Johnson said. "I've always said it didn't matter who it was against, I was going to do my best to win the title no matter what. Daniel is a great opponent, without a doubt, and whoever of us wins will be a great champion, I believe.

"But I definitely wanted to fight Jon. That fight was a huge opportunity for both of us. It was his chance to show he's the greatest light heavyweight of all time. If he would have beaten me, he seriously would have cleaned out the division. And for me, it was my chance to show the guy is human."

Cormier had been preparing for a June bout in New Orleans against Ryan Bader. When he heard the news of the incident in Albuquerque, he knew there was a chance Jones wouldn't be able to fight.

But he didn't immediately see it as an opportunity for himself. And he said he's saddened for Jones and the victim in the accident. He developed a bitter rivalry with Jones that almost bordered on hatred. That said, he couldn't help feel compassion for him.

"If Jon never comes back to the UFC, that would be very sad because he's a tremendous athlete and a tremendous champion, but most of all, it would mean he doesn't have the ability to earn a living for his family," Cormier said. "This is a man with children and a family. He has phenomenal parents, who are really great, beautiful people, and this has to be hurting them a tremendous amount.

"Of course, it's of his doing. It sucks. You wished there were people around who would tell him, 'Dude, you have the world at your fingertips. You cannot do these things that jeopardize everything in your future and your children's future.' I sure do hope this is not the end for him. I hope he gets the help that he needs and comes back the same guy he was, and then him and I could have the biggest pay-per-view of all time."