UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has faced some legendary opponents inside the Octagon but there’s one opponent in particular who has defined his career.
In what might be the most personal and high-level rivalry in UFC history, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier were made to fight one another.
Their fights certainly delivered but the tension between them in the build up to their two encounters was must-watch with Jones and Cormier trading verbal jabs.
After ‘DC’ retired at heavyweight in 2020, his former foe would make his way up to the division after vacating his 205 pound title.
In a recent interview, Jones claimed he would’ve beaten Cormier at heavyweight in even more devastating fashion than he did at light heavyweight but this wasn’t always his opinion.
Jon Jones said he’d be at the ‘greatest chance of losing’ if he fought Daniel Cormier at heavyweight
In a 2019 interview with TNT Sports, Jon Jones spoke with former UFC title challenger Dan Hardy about Daniel Cormier’s upcoming rematch with Stipe Miocic.
Jones was preparing to face Thiago Santos at the time, having recently beaten Anthony Smith, and though he was interested in the idea of moving up to heavyweight in the future, it wasn’t his priority.
The consensus greatest of all time was asked whether, to get another victory over his greatest rival, he’d want to move up a division to try and take the belt from Cormier in another chapter of their remarkable rivalry.
He said that this matchup wasn’t something that he was considering, and it wasn’t because he had already gotten the better of ‘DC’ inside the Octagon.
Jones said that with respect to what Cormier brings to the table, he’d be putting himself at risk by giving an opponent of that caliber a physical advantage over him.
“I’m a realist. Daniel Cormier is a special athlete and everyone can be beat and I think my greatest chance of losing would be to a guy like Daniel Cormier with giving him a power and strength advantage over me.
“It just doesn’t make sense. Right now, I make light heavyweight very easily and it just would make no sense to fight a guy who, I think, is on your level and to give him a size advantage, I’m not doing it.
“I’m sure my fans don’t like to hear me talk like that but that’s just me being a realist and being respectful to Daniel’s abilities.”
Fans have become frustrated with Jon Jones in recent times due to the ongoing Tom Aspinall saga
It’s clear to see from this interview just how competitive Jon Jones is.
Though he clearly respects Daniel Cormier’s ability, despite the fact that he’s already beaten him, Jones doesn’t want to give his former opponent any kind of advantage.
These physical advantages are exactly why so many fight fans want to see the UFC heavyweight champion take on the interim titleholder, Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall hasn’t accomplished anything close to Jones or Cormier at this stage in his career but the young and powerful Brit does offer a very exciting challenge for ‘Bones’.
Clips like this make it easy to see why Jones is wanting such a big payday in order to take a fight like the title unification where some factors are going against him.