Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones may be many fans’ pick as MMA’s greatest fighter of all time, but the man who shared the Octagon with him twice has a different opinion.
Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones engaged in one of the most bitter rivalries ever seen in the UFC, with Jones claiming the upper hand in both of their encounters.
But, while Cormier acknowledges Jones’ greatness as a fighter, he stopped short of calling his nemesis the greatest of all time.
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Former two-division UFC champion Cormier hosted a special fan Q&A in Sydney ahead of UFC 312, where he fielded questions on stage alongside special guest fighters Jack Della Maddalena, Alexander Volkanovski, Tai Tuivasa, and Charles Oliveira.
And when one cheeky fan stepped up to the microphone to ask Cormier whether he thought Jones was the GOAT, Cormier smiled as he attempted to answer the question.
“Honestly, you really can’t deny his greatness, right?” Cormier began.
“Look at what he’s done. The guy has now fought… He really has fought through three generations of fighters.
“He fought that early generation of Machida, and then went through my generation. And now he’s fighting a whole another generation of guys. But, yeah, of course, he’s one of the greatest fighters of all time.”
But then came the caveat, as Cormier hinted at Jones’ past indiscretions when he said couldn’t rate him as the sport’s GOAT.
“But, when you do dirty, you don’t get to be called the greatest of all time,” he stated.
While “DC” stopped short of calling Jones the greatest of all time, he did concede that Jones was the hardest-hitting opponent he’d shared the cage with.
“I’ve only been knocked out one time, so (it’s) probably the guy that kicked me in the head,” he admitted.
“But honestly, the hardest puncher was probably Derrick Lewis or one of those heavyweights. Those guys were big. But, in terms of the kick, yeah, it was Jones.”
Cormier later referenced Jones again when sharing the one dream fight he’d love to see in 2025.
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“There’s been some exciting ones, but honestly, it’s 2025, and I want to see Jones and Aspinall,” he said.
“I think that would be good.”
But, while he admitted that was a fight he really wanted to see, “DC” recused himself from offering a prediction for the fight.
“I call fights, so I’m not allowed to pick,” he said.
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