Daniel Cormier thinks Jon Jones’ GOAT status might be at risk
By Amy Kaplan
Despite everything that Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones have gone through together Cormier still believes that Jones could have been the greatest fighter of all time.
One constant throughout the course of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ career has been his longtime rival — Daniel Cormier. The former champion has taken the high road despite the two’s storied and somewhat dirty past and refuses to pass judgement on the fallen fighter even though he is currently being investigated for an anti-doping violation.
The show of compassion from Cormier is due in part to the fact that while Jones has proven guilty in the past, this is a new circumstance and there is a lot of investigation still needing to be done.
"“I think people owe that to Jon, his team, and everybody else, USADA, to give them time to get all this stuff done,” Cormier said on the Fight Society podcast (h/t FloCombat). “Get that ‘B’ sample in, make sure everything is tested thoroughly, and then we can all start to move forward.”"
As many already know, Jones was flagged by USADA following a failed drug test stemming from him UFC 214 bout with Cormier. Jones defeated Cormier via a third round KO which earned him back the light heavyweight crown he lost after a series of unfortunate events including a failed drug test (cocaine), a hit-n-run accident and another failed drug test linked to what Jones claims was a tainted sexual enhancement pill.
"“I think enough is enough now if I’ve got to be honest with you,” Cormier said. “I think it’s very difficult to consider someone the greatest of all time when there [are] these types of allegations tied to them. I think this is the best way I could say it right now without going too far in one direction, just because I don’t know. I’ve said it before that he’s the greatest of all time. I’ve been in there with him twice, and I know that he’s a tremendous fighter. I believe he would have had a ton of success without doing anything wrong.”"
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Cormier became champion after defeating Anthony “Rumble” Johnson at UFC 187. He was originally slated to face Jones but he was suspended just weeks before the bout following a hit-n-run accident that left a pregnant woman injured.
Cormier defended the light heavyweight title twice while Jones served two suspensions, this will be his second failed USADA test. He could face up to four years suspension if found at fault.
The UFC has yet to strip Jones of his title or remove him from the pound-for-pound rankings. He is currently ranked third in the UFC just under Demetrious Johnson and Conor McGregor. Cormier sits in the number seven slot.