Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier weighed in on former rival Jon Jones‘ future in the heavyweight division, and he doesn’t see a championship in Jones’ future.
Jones captured the UFC light heavyweight title at the age of 23 by defeating Maurico “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 in March 2011. He was stripped of the title twice, but essentially reigned atop the 205-pound division for more than nine years.
The 34-year old relinquished his title in August 2020 to take the time needed to put on muscle mass and adapt to a heavier frame with the intentions of becoming the UFC heavyweight champion. Cormier doesn’t think a heavyweight title is in the cards for Jones.
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“I believe Jon Jones will fight at heavyweight. And he’ll fight for the belt, but he’ll lose to Ciryl Gane or Francis Ngannou,” Cormier said on his DC and RC ESPN MMA show.
“I just think with the time away, the weight difference, those guys being who they are – That’s the problem. It’s not that Jones has gotten worse. It’s just that these guys are a different level of heavyweight.”
Ngannou holds the heavyweight championship and Gane is the interim titleholder. The two headline the UFC 270 pay-per-view on Jan. 22 in a title unification bout.
Daniel Cormier doesn’t think Jon Jones will become UFC heavyweight champ: ‘He’ll lose to Ciryl Gane or Francis Ngannou’