Daniel Cormier has decided to vacate the UFC light heavyweight title before the promotion has the chance to strip him of the belt.

When the UFC booked Jon Jones (22-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (18-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) for Saturday’s UFC 232 headliner, UFC President Dana White said Cormier (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) would have his belt taken away as soon as the octagon door shut and the first punch was thrown.

That hasn’t sat well with Cormier, who also holds the UFC heavyweight title, particularly due to his history with Jones. After Jones and Gustafsson successfully made weight for UFC 232 this morning, Cormier decided to pull the trigger and give up the title of his own volition.

“Today I am going to relinquish the UFC light heavyweight title,” Cormier wrote in a statement to ESPN.com. “I am not going to be stripped of the belt that I’ve defended with my all for three and a half years. Being stripped of a title suggests you’ve done something wrong, and I haven’t.

“I’d rather walk away this way, with my head held high as it always has been, than have the history books say I was stripped. I’ve defended this title this year. I was approached with the idea of fighting at heavyweight, so I took it. I fought three times in 2018. No champion has been more active than me. I am the fighter of the year. My story and my legacy will not include me being stripped of a title. They can have it.”

UFC 232 takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Jones vs. Gustafsson headlines the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Cormier first won the 205-pound belt at UFC 187 in May 2015 after Jones was stripped due to his infamous hit-and-run situation. He would hold it until UFC 214 in July 2017, when he lost to Jones by knockout.

Not long after, though, Jones failed a drug test and his win over Cormier was overturned to a no-contest. He was stripped of the belt again, and it was returned to Cormier’s possession.

“DC” last defended the light heavyweight strap with a TKO victory over Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 in January. He’s repeatedly said he intended to return to the weight class and defend again, but the UFC had other plans and opted to make Jones vs. Gustafsson for the undisputed strap.

For more on UFC 232, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.