It seems that Daniel Cormier knows Jon Jones well.
Jones, the UFC heavyweight champion, has long been a polarizing figure in mixed martial arts, both down to elements of his fighting career and the controversial antics he’s engaged in away from the cage.
That trend has continued to this day, with ongoing fury over Jones’ reluctance to fight Tom Aspinall and unify the heavyweight titles.
The GOAT contender’s dismissal of the Brit has resulted in Aspinall becoming the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history, an unwanted record that has left the highly regarded 32-year-old more than frustrated.
Discussion over the cause of Jones’ stance continues, but some recent remarks may have revealed the true reason — and confirmed the theory of the champion’s most bitter rival.
Jon Jones admits he’d be ‘devastated’ by a UFC loss as Tom Aspinall uncertainty grows
Jones’ latest comments came during an appearance on DeepCut with VicBlends.
Among many topics, Jones teased potential exhibition fights away from the UFC, named his MMA Mount Rushmore, and once again took aim at Colby Covington.
Regarding his fighting future, ‘Bones’ appeared to provide some context for his hesitancy to compete again following his successful title defense against Stipe Miocic in November 2024.
“I’m so connected to winning, it’s probably not even healthy,” Jones said. ” I see fighters that take losses and they smile, they hug their wives, and ‘better luck next time’.
“If I was to ever lose I would be devastated. I’d be angry, upset and depressed. That’s just my winning nature,” Jones added.
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Daniel Cormier said Jon Jones feared the ‘visual’ of getting badly beaten in the UFC
Interestingly, those words would appear to corroborate the theory put forth by Jones’ top foe.
During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier said Jones isn’t committing to fighting Aspinall because he’s concerned about becoming a finish on somebody’s highlight reel after avoiding that fate for 30 fights across 17 years.
“I don’t know that [Jones] has gone through anyone like Aspinall, because Aspinall’s so big and young,” Cormier said. “That might be his only hesitancy.
“If I had to guess, I don’t think for a second Jon Jones is afraid of Tom Aspinall. The one thing Jon Jones has avoided that none of the other of us have is that visual of him getting finished.
“Even the great Islam Makhachev got knocked out before. There’s a visual of him getting knocked out. Jones has been able to avoid that for a very, very long time; over the course of three generations of fighters.
“But there just might be a guy right now that seems to worry him a little bit more than most.”
Should that be the case, perhaps fans have seen the former light heavyweight kingpin enter the cage for the final time, despite Dana White’s reassurance that the Aspinall fight will happen.