Petition to Strip Jon Jones Reaches 100,000 Signatures; Rival Daniel Cormier Explains His Involvement

UFC veteran Daniel Cormier gets called out for signing a public petition to strip Jon Jones of the UFC heavyweight championship.

Petition to Strip Jon Jones Reaches 100,000 Signatures; Rival Daniel Cormier Explains His Involvement

Daniel Cormier reveals his alleged contribution to the ongoing petition against Jon Jones (via Imago)

The UFC heavyweight division is currently going through a massive slump as Jon Jones continues to rule as the reigning champion. Since becoming the champion, the fighter has defended his title only once and has constantly avoided top-ranked heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall. Now, fans have started to get frustrated and have taken matters into their own hands by speaking out publicly online.

A few days ago, a public petition did the rounds on the internet where around 41K MMA fans voted for Jones to get stripped. Now, that number has risen to a whopping 100K and in a viral post, it was observed that Daniel Cormier participated in that. During his recent podcast with Ben Askren, DC was asked this question and the former Jones rival initially avoided the question completely.

Later, Cormier addressed the topic and strongly denied ever voting or participating in that public petition circulating widely among MMA fans. However, given their past history and recent online dispute, it won’t be surprising if Cormier would have secretly agreed with the petition. During the conversation, Cormier focused on the petition and stressed how anything like this rarely happens within the UFC landscape.

Fans have been asking for the heavyweight unification bout for over a year and Aspinall has since done absolutely everything possible. However, Jones has constantly ignored him, but the UFC has consistently pushed the fight as a major priority for the division. According to the UK native, UFC is not allowing him to fight anybody else despite his willingness to stay active.

He believes this frustrating wait is wasting his prime years and preventing him from earning his livelihood through consistent participation. Apart from Aspinall, other top heavyweights such as Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov have also called for Jones to be stripped. However, despite all this pressure and mass criticism from fans and fighters, it doesn’t seem to bother Jones in any way.

Daniel Cormier reveals Jon Jones’ ego could lead him to fight Tom Aspinall

Currently, Jon Jones is enjoying his time away from the United States, shooting for a Russian reality television show in Thailand. Initially, he was collaborating with UFC veteran Nate Diaz. As a result of a brawl, Diaz was replaced by the event organizers. Nevertheless, Jones was seen biking across the city and drinking coconut water while soaking in the tropical atmosphere around him.

Jon Jones is scared to fight Tom Aspinall
Jon Jones is scared to fight Tom Aspinall (via Imago)

He spent time online with fans, sharing updates from Thailand, showing no urgency regarding his uncertain UFC fighting future anymore. When asked about possibly getting stripped, he responded calmly, saying such matters no longer hold any real importance to him personally. Jones stated he had already informed the UFC about his plans, while Daniel Cormier also offered public commentary on the situation.

I don’t know that he vacates without fighting Tom, because I think the visual, and the lasting thought would be that he ran from him. And I don’t think his ego could handle that he ran from someone. He could walk away and go, ‘I’m the best, I don’t need to do anything else’. But the idea that he ran, is going to be too strong of a pull for him as he goes into the next phase of his career.

While Jones is arguably MMA’s GOAT, his career is stained by PED use and repeated legal issues over the years. Despite this, his pay-per-view numbers remain strong, solidifying him as a consistently valuable asset for the UFC organization. Still, Jones often shows insecurity about his legacy, making it intriguing to see how he ultimately ends his fighting career.

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