Jon Jones ‘dirty case’ for being greatest of all time explained by Daniel Cormier
Former UFC double-division champ Daniel Cormier DQs Jon Jones out of GOAT talks due to long history of 'dirty sh*t.'
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Daniel Cormier snubs UFC rival Jon Jones from GOAT talks (Source: IMAGO/X)
Daniel Cormier is headstrong not to change his stance on Jon Jones’ greatness. Jon Jones is arguably yet the best all-around martial artist alive. Having had two scraps vs. Cormier himself, he was a UFC 205-pound GOAT. Jones is also 2-0 at the UFC heavyweight competition limit with a dominant maiden title defense.
Jon Jones snagged the heavyweight title with a quick submission of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. He then swiped out Stipe Miocic via third-round TKO atop the UFC 309 PPV event headliner in November. That’s all well and good. Cormier, a former two-time UFC champion, cannot ignore Jones’ history with performance-enhancing drugs. Especially since he was smacking middle in that chapter.
You really can’t deny his greatness, right? Look at what he has done, …he guy has really fought through three generations of fighter – So yeah, of course he’s one of the greatest fighters of all time. But when you do dirty sh*t, you don’t get to be called the greatest of all time.
Daniel Cormier during the UFC 312 PPV panel Q&A in Sydney (H/T The MacLife)
It’s a thought that even Team AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) coach Javier Mendez has similarly reverberated. “Bones” defeated Daniel Cormier twice, but the second was overturned to a no-contest after Jones tested positive for a Turinabol metabolite. Jones also tested positive for the estrogen blockers clomiphene and letrozole in 2016. This was after he beat Ovince Saint Preux.
Daniel Cormier gives his take on the Jon Jones GOAT conversation:
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) February 7, 2025
"Of course he’s one of the greatest fighters of all time. But when you do dirty sh*t, you don’t get to be called the greatest of all time.” pic.twitter.com/Ox0eIbygAc
In both of these cases, an independent arbitrator found that Jones did not knowingly cheat. For his defense in GOAT talks, Daniel Cormier also admitted Jones’ head-kick knockout win over him at UFC 214 was the hardest hit ever! He also lauds his fight IQ. But “DC” disqualified Jon Jones’ GOAT status based on his near-DQs, battery run-ins, and PED usage, temper, and alcohol consumption.
Daniel Cormier friendly with longtime UFC rival Jon Jones, but doubts they would ever train together
Israel Adesanya recently had a very ‘organic’ link-up with Robert Whittaker. Adesanya and Whittaker went from enemies to friends after training together at City Kickboxing NZ mats. The former champs fought twice, and Whittaker jokingly admitted he would have run Izzy over with a car if he could have during their rivalry. DC can’t relate to Adesanya and Whittaker’s link-up and newfound relationship.
Cormier is no stranger to feuds, mickeys, pokes (yes those ones too), and so on. The biggest of his rivalries remain with one Jon Jones where the enmity bled through even way outside the octagon. While the two are now on friendly terms, they never quite buried the hatchet, and Cormier can live with that. He certainly doesn’t see themselves training and posing up together afterward.
I think it’s great. I just don’t know if I ever could’ve did it, …It’s tempered, Jones and I. It’s not what it used to be…We can honestly be in the same area with each other now and be cordial — But I don’t need that fuzzy feeling. I don’t hate that Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield squashed their beef and they’re laughing, joking. But if Evander never forgave him for biting his ear off, I wouldn’t have had a problem with it. Sometimes rivalries need to live.
Daniel ‘DC’ Cormier via ‘ Good Guy / Bad Guy’ Podcast (@ESPNMMA) for ESPN2/ ESPNPodcenter
Cormier clarifies that the Adesanya-Whittaker history never got as personal as his with Jon Jones. So, there is no need for animosity. Meanwhile, his own case with “Bones” was different as they were always talking trash against one another. However, while they have eased up, he does not see them on any friendlier terms.
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