Former UFC fighter Daniel Cormier and heavyweight champ Jon Jones have had one of the biggest rivalries in UFC history. The two have been at it since Cormier lost twice to Jones, the second time due to a failed drug test.
Although the two have a rocky past, they are currently cordial with each other as Cormier serves as a commentator for UFC. DC may not have any love for the heavyweight champ, but it doesn’t take away the appreciation for Jones’s impact in the heavyweight division.
“One of the greatest moments – he’s beaten a lot of guys. The amount of champions that Jon Jones has beaten over the course of his career is very impressive.” Cormier said during a Q&A session prior to the UFC Fight Night 246 ceremonial weigh-ins.
“We aren’t great, and I don’t think that we ever have to,” Cormier said. “I think people need to stop, like, longing for the perfect happy ending. Guys don’t have to do what Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield did. It can be OK to just be OK with us being as we are. And I’m fine with it, so you guys should be too.”
“He’s beat a lot of guys,” Cormier said. “The amount of champions that Jon Jones has beaten over the course of his career is very impressive. The guy has been champion for a long time. He’s done a great job, and it will suck whenever he’s gone because the game is better when you have fighters like that in it. Unfortunately, there’s been a lot of times where he hasn’t been in it because of the things that he’s done.”
Cormier believes Jones should remain undefeated after a recent rule revision. The fighter sited Jones’ 2009 loss, which led to his disqualification. However, Jones believes the result should be overturned since the new rule doesn’t prohibit the move[12-to-6 elbows] that led to Jones’ earlier disqualification.
“Jon Jones should be undefeated,” Cormier said at a Q&A this past Friday in Edmonton. “He really should be. A 12-6 elbow is crazy, but you know, we only can fight under the rules that they give us. Unfortunately, there was a moron referee that said he should be disqualified. But he’s undefeated.”
Jones defends his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Cormier revealed that Jones went up to him to shake his hand during UFC 306 this past September at Sphere in Las Vegas, which he deemed as unnecessary.
