Cormier to Jones: Fight where I say

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier spent several minutes praising his opponent Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday night after surviving a back-and-forth slugfest to retain the belt by split decision in the main event of UFC 192 in Houston.

It was only a matter of time before the subject turned to suspended former champion Jon Jones.

Jones, who was stripped of the belt and suspended indefinitely by the UFC this year after he was charged in a hit-and-run case in Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty last week and will not face jail time.

The UFC, through its legal team in Las Vegas, is evaluating the plea agreement and determining when to reinstate the former champ. At that point he almost certainly will be granted a shot to win back the title.

Cormier says he's ready.

"I'm not going to back down from any guy. Ryan Bader did a tremendous job beating Rashad (Evans on Saturday). I didn't think he could do that," Cormier said of the Reno native who has won five straight fights. "And obviously Jon Jones is Jon Jones. I think he's the greatest fighter of all time. When he gets cleared to fight, then we'll fight.

"But I'm not going to fight him in New York, so you guys can write that."

Cormier was referencing a potential April date at Madison Square Garden. UFC is not sanctioned in the state, but the organization announced a date as part of a planned lawsuit in an ongoing effort to push legalization in the last jurisdiction in the U.S. that still doesn't regulate the sport.

Cormier's opposition to fighting there is that Jones, who is from the state, doesn't deserve home-field advantage.

"I just think at the end of the day, when Jones gets reinstated, New York is the probably only place where he'll be welcomed without just venomous anger," Cormier said. "This is where he's from. So they will actually care for him. They will cheer him. Just as you take me to Lafayette, Louisiana, it doesn't matter what I do. They will cheer me.

"Why should I allow this guy to go and fight where he's comfortable?" Cormier said. "No, he has to go somewhere where he has to look at people in the eyes and hear the anger they have towards him for the actions that he did."

For his part, Jones seems to be back to his old self. He had mostly stayed off social media while awaiting resolution of his court proceedings, but decided to post an Instagram video just after Cormier's victory.

"I think I miss it. I don't know," Jones said in a teasing manner on a video titled, 'You showed some heart tonight, DC.'

Jones quickly deleted the video, as is his custom.

Bader would be the odd man out in that scenario. He probably has earned the title shot if Jones is not reinstated, but understands the reality of the situation.

"I'm here to fight," Bader said. "If Jon Jones comes back, he's fighting Cormier. I'm going to fight.

"Obviously I want a title shot and I want to fight Cormier, but we'll see what happens with the whole Jon Jones thing."

The McQueen High School alum mentioned a possible rematch with Glover Teixeira as an alternative.

* WHITE TO HENDRICKS: MOVE UP — Former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks' latest struggle to make weight cost him an opportunity to compete at UFC 192 on Saturday in Houston.

It MIGHT also cost him the chance to continue fighting at 170 pounds.

Hendricks was hospitalized in Houston on Thursday night from complications during his weight cut. He was forced to withdraw from a scheduled Saturday night fight against Tyron Woodley in a bout to determine the top contender in the division.

UFC president Dana White said the former collegiate wrestling star's habit of significantly gaining weight between fights finally caught up to him.

"He blows up when he's not competing and as you continue to get older it makes it harder to make the weight," White said on Fox Sports 1. "He has to figure out a diet. He just lost a huge opportunity here. So he needs to figure this out. I consider him a (185-pound middleweight) right now. I do not want to see him at 170 again."

* I GOT YOU, NICK — Suspended UFC fighter Nick Diaz got support from an unlikely source on social media late Sunday night.

Pop icon Cher tweeted out a link to an online petition seeking to reduce the Nevada Athletic Commission's five-year suspension that resulted from a somewhat controversial failed marijuana test.

"Lift the NSAC ban from MMA fighter Nick Diaz," the singer and movie star posted with the link.

She has nearly 3 million followers.

Diaz tweeted out a thank you to Cher late Monday.

* ROUSEY TO HOST SPORTSCENTER — UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will host ESPN's 3 p.m. PT episode of SportsCenter on Wednesday.

Rousey will join anchor Lindsay Czarniak and become the first female athlete to guest host the network's flagship program.

"I'm excited to co-host SportsCenter with Lindsay on Wednesday," Rousey said in a statement. "I've always appreciated the support ESPN has shown me and I'm honored to be the first female celebrity co-host."

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him: @adamhilllvrj