UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has put up an impressive mixed martial arts career, considering a late start just a decade ago. The only two losses on his record are against his biggest rival Jon Jones, which for many is a deterrent for him to be deemed as the greatest fighter in the game today.

“DC”, however, chooses to no longer be in the shadows of Jones, especially with what he has accomplished outside the UFC light heavyweight division.

“For what I’ve done, winning the heavyweight title, everything was so tied to him (Jones) initially that me getting the heavyweight title was something so completely separate, especially being that I was undefeated in the weight class prior,” Cormier told UFC.com. “Going up into a weight that was always thought to be my weight class, winning the UFC title, it helped me.

“I think for Jones to truly get back everything that he’s lost, it would be good for him and I to fight again. For me, I’ve established my career outside of him. He’s done things outside of me, too, but for him, it would be good if he got to fight me again.”

Cormier is currently ranked number one in the pound-for-pound list of the UFC’s official rankings, and it is an accolade that he relishes very much.

“It feels great,” Cormier said. “Even when they keep releasing the pound-for-pound rankings and I’m ranked above (Jones) and he goes, ‘That’s BS,’ absolutely not. You are a great fighter, but you’re a great fighter at the weight class you’ve always stayed at.

“I’ve done it in multiple weight classes and pound-for-pound says it’s a fighting style that translates across weight classes, and I’ve been the champion in two of them. So I think I am the definition of pound-for-pound.”

Cormier previously set a hard deadline for his retirement, which he wants to happen by his 40th birthday on March 20th. His coach Javier Mendez, however, expects him to postpone these plans until a fight against Brock Lesnar transpires.