Daniel Cormier isn’t celebrating Jon Jones’ latest run-in with the law, despite having a long history of disdain for his chief rival.
Cormier (22-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) and Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) have never been on the same page from a personal standpoint since the first day they met. They’ve fought twice (and have been booked a few times more than that), with “Bones” winning the first fight by unanimous decision in January 2015 at UFC 182 then scoring a knockout in the rematch two-and-a-half years later only to have the result overturned to a no contest because of a failed drug test.
Jones’ resume includes a multitude of a legal and professional infractions. His arrest last week on charges of driving under the influence, negligent use of a firearm, possession of an open container, and no proof of insurance was an opportunity for many to rip the polarizing UFC light heavyweight champion, but Cormier won’t go there.
“For a guy that has these issues, whether it be alcohol, whether it be drugs, that dead time is your worst enemy,” Cormier said on the “DC & Helwani” podcast on ESPN. “Because all those vices start to pull at you, especially when you’re sitting at home with nothing to do, especially if you’re not a person who does that a lot. Seeing him get into trouble again, a lot of people in my circle, they text me almost celebratory. That’s not me. I didn’t celebrate the kid getting in trouble again. I don’t think that you should celebrate or dance on someone’s grave in their darkest moments. You don’t do that to people.
“Ultimately are you a human being, or does this competition overtake everything? I didn’t take any joy in seeing that kid – or, at 32, he’s a man. He was a kid when he was 23. At 32, I did not enjoy seeing that man in that situation again, because it’s just bad.”
Cormier has made his feelings about Jones well known over the years. The pair have hurled too many personal attacks at one another to count, and Cormier never has been shy to give his opinion on Jones’ character.
After news of Jones’ arrest, an interview with both fighters and UFC commentator Joe Rogan prior to a scheduled UFC 200 bout in July 2016 (it didn’t happen due to a Jones failed drug test) resurfaced and went viral.
Even years later, Cormier stands by his position on what Jones must do in order to halt his reoccurring troubles – and that’s make adjustments to his inner circle.
“When it was happening, people started putting us these videos of Jones and I when we did a sit-down with Joe Rogan a while back, and I was talking about how it would be very difficult for him to change if nothing around him changed,” Cormier said. “It won’t change. It won’t change until something around him or the people around him change. …
“I’ve got to be honest: For as much as I don’t enjoy that and bask in it, it’s not going to change, until someone takes a drastic action to show that the behavior is unacceptable. You’ve got to imagine how many times he’s done this. From the drug failures to the getting suspended, it’s all elevated. It’s gone from bad to worse.”
Daniel Cormier takes no joy in Jon Jones arrest, expects same until 'the people around him change'
