Daniel Cormier wants to set the record straight.
The UFC Hall-of-Famer held two championship belts in his heyday, one at heavyweight and the other, a division below at light heavyweight. But, not everybody sees it that way, including Cormier’s most heated rival Jon Jones.
Cormier Catches A Stray From Jones
Jones, considered to be the greatest light heavyweight fighter of all time, accomplished the same feat as Cormier with his capture of the undisputed heavyweight title last year at UFC 285. More than a year later, Jones’ championship belt is disputed by many as he hasn’t fought since then as he’s been out with an injury, leaving top contender Tom Aspinall to win interim gold in his wake.
Gearing up for his return later this year, Jones has not only dismissed Aspinall as a legitimate champion but also his former foe Cormier.
“UFC is a brilliant company, did what they had to do to save the event [UFC 295]. But I do agree with you, it definitely confused a bunch of UK fans, got them entitled thinking their boy really is the champion. It reminds me of when DC was the “champion” during my absence,” Jones wrote on ‘X‘.
UFC is a brilliant company, did what they had to do to save the event. But I do agree with you, it definitely confused a bunch of UK fans, got them entitled thinking their boy really is the champion. It reminds me of when DC was the “champion” during my absence. https://t.co/UXbx7LMboG
— BONY (@JonnyBones) May 9, 2024
The Context Behind The Championship
While Cormier was never able to take the title from the undefeated “Bones” in their first fight at UFC 182, Cormier did end up winning gold in his very next fight against Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson four months later. Inside that timeframe, Jones had been stripped of the light heavyweight title and suspended by the UFC due to his involvement in a hit-and-run incident where a pregnant woman was inside the car he crashed into.
The butterfly effect had DC replacing Jones at UFC 187, fighting ‘Rumble’ for the vacant title in which he won by third-round submission. That being said, Cormier doesn’t think there’s quotation marks needed on his status as a UFC Champion.
“That’s not a real indication of what was going on,” Cormier responded to Jones in his latest video. “With me, it was him getting caught doing things he is not supposed to, and then getting stripped and taken out of the competition. It’s not the same. He was incapable of competing when I was the champion due to illegal substances found inside of his body. That’s just the truth.
“If he decided today I’m gonna go and I’m gonna fight, that would be his decision. Him and I were fighting and he kept getting in trouble. He could not go. I’m back in the gym and I’m ready to fight. It was illegal.”
As the kids say, I’ll be catching strays everybody been coming at me from John Jones to Derek Lewis. I respond in my latest YouTube video live at 5 PM Eastern/2 PM Pacific ( please look past my sinuses just absolutely killing me. Go and see what I have to say in response to both… pic.twitter.com/gi1Su6a8zB
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) May 14, 2024
Jon Jones became the first fighter to be stripped of two titles following his return at UFC 197, where he won the interim title against Ovince St. Preux after Daniel Cormier withdrew from their fight. Days out from their rebooked rematch at UFC 200 in 2016, Jones was flagged by USADA for a positive drug test and then another in 2017 as Jones tested for the anabolic steroid turinabol after his long-awaited rematch with Cormier.
“So, it’s time to stop lumping everything together, but sleight of hand is what Jon is very good at,” Cormier concluded.
Watch Daniel Cormier’s full video below on his YouTube channel: