UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has a single blemish on his record, a loss to former title holder Jon Jones. The two faced off in a rematch at UFC 214, with Jones earning a knockout victory over the fighter for the title.
However, the victory was short lived. Jon Jones failed his drug test for the event. Consequently, Jones was stripped of his title and his knockout victory was overturned to a no contest.
Speaking in an interview, as reported by CBS Sports, Daniel Cormier offered his thoughts on Jon Jones and if the former champion deserves a spot among the greatest fighters of all time. First, Cormier revealed that he believes he deserves an honorable mention for GOAT status.
“I’m fighting these dudes at 39 years old and still getting my hand raised. So, yes, put me in the conversation.”
Speaking on Jon Jones, Cormier had less kind words to say.
“None. [Jones] doesn’t have a platform and I refuse to give him a platform,” Cormier said. “He’s a nobody. He has been suspended again. He’s mired in controversy for drug abuse. Your issues are tied to steroids, performance enhancers. You don’t get a platform when you’re like that. It’s like me glorifying Lance Armstrong.”
“[Jones] won the fight but, hey, since USADA has gotten involved with the UFC, he only fought one time. He has had four fights scheduled. So he fought Ovince [Saint Preux in May 2016] and he fought me but that second one was a no contest. The Ovince fight was the only time he fought and there was no controversy surrounding it. So I’m pretty sure there was some dirty stuff going on [in our first fight]. That’s why the test results were all jacked up in December.”
“This whole Jon Jones thing has been marred in controversy and never on my behalf. So I can’t let that dictate how I approach my career in any way, shape or form. I didn’t do those bad things. I didn’t do steroids. I didn’t get taken out of a fight for steroid abuse once and test positive for steroids a second time. I didn’t get, before the first fight, having rinky-dinky tests to start. There are so many reasons why I shouldn’t be tied to him anymore and I’ve gotten back to the point now where it doesn’t affect me.”
