Monday Morning Hangover: What’s next for Daniel Cormier after knockout loss to Jon Jones at UFC 214?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as UFC 214 blew the roof of the Honda Center this past weekend (Sat., July 29, 2017) in Anaheim, California.

Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Jimi Manuwa, who was knocked out in just 42 seconds by Volkan Oezdemir in the opening fight of the stacked main card (recap).

And Tonya Evinger, who felt Cris Cyborg’s wrath on the fearsome striker’s path to win her first-ever UFC title (see it). But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 48 hours removed from the show?

Daniel Cormier.

“DC’s” bid to get some revenge on Jon Jones -- the only man to ever defeat him — went terribly wrong in the blink of an eye, as “Bones” knocked out the former Olympian in the third round of their championship rematch.

Perhaps what stings a bit more for Cormier is the fact that he was doing very well against his bitter rival, finding his range, and at one point getting enough confidence to trash talk Jones mid-fight before getting tagged with a perfectly-placed leg kick that eventually lead to his downfall.

Now, “DC” finds himself down 0-2 to the man he despises the most, without the hope of ever getting a trilogy fight against the new Light Heavyweight champion. Furthermore, after trying his best to stumble back to his feet on his own, Cormier gave off the impression of being a bad sport, receiving boos from the crowd as he tired to exit the cage prior to shoving referee John McCarthy away.

But, as his first statement a day later proved, that’s far from the case.

First off, thank you all for the kind words. I have felt the support. Congratulations to Jon Jones and his team. They did a phenomenal job and got the victory. Also, to Big John McCarthy, I would like to apologize for acting up with you. I am thankful for the time you gave me to try and defend myself and stay in the fight. You are the best in the business for a reason. I also wanna thank my team and my coaches. I love you all from the bottom of my heart. Your time and energy is greatly appreciated. You guys did a wonderful job, I was ready. It's a fist fight and things happen. Dana White and the @ufc, thank you for being the premiere organization in all of MMA. Again, congrats to Team Jones and JacksonWink. Love you all. I'll see you soon.

As for what’s next for Cormier, that’s a little tough to predict, as there is no telling when “DC” wants to return to action. If I had my way, I’d book him to take on Jimi Manuwa, who also suffered a knockout loss at UFC 214.

The two men already have a built-in rivalry, and we know “DC” isn’t opposed to engaging in a little pre-fight chatter before the contest. I honestly can’t think of a better return fight for “DC.”

Can you?