Daniel Cormier has surprisingly praised Jon Jones' performance as he put aside their decade-long rivalry.
The legendary duo had two fights, both of which Jones won before the second was overturned due to a failed drug test. And even after he retired, Cormier seemed annoyed with his rival whenever they interacted.
However, in a new series of videos about 2024, he had to give Jones his flowers. He notes that the longevity of the two-weight champion's elite career makes him perhaps the greatest fighter of all time.
Daniel Cormier compares Jon Jones to Tom Brady in terms of sporting greats
During a reunion episode of his ESPN show DC and RC, co-host Ryan Clark noted that Jon Jones is still a major player at the top of his sport, 13 years after winning gold for the first time. Daniel Cormier is a noted rival of Jones, but laughed when he wondered how such a run came about.
“I don't care what you think about him, and I might not mess with that guy on that front,” Cormier began. “But how? I think he became champion for the first time in 2011. That's a crazy thought, despite all those guys, three generations of players.
“That's kind of like Andrew Whitworth who played 20 years, he played for the Rams, he's not going to be able to do this and get into the Hall of Fame for the time he's served. It's like Tom Brady has been playing football for 30 years, three generations of players, as a quarterback.
“This isn't a lineman, he's not an undercard guy. This is a Main Event guy who has been Main Eventing for 13 years, it's a crazy thought.”
Daniel Cormier says Jon Jones' winning streak is 'almost impossible'
This year, Jones headlined Madison Square Garden, defeating Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309. It was considered a major achievement considering Miocic's status in MMA, where he is considered perhaps the greatest heavyweight of all time.
Now he moves on to Tom Aspinall, the hungry young interim champion, who emerges as yet another challenger after almost two decades in the sport. Clark asked Cormier how to stay motivated as more and more contenders emerge, to which the former champion noted that it was incredibly difficult.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
“It's almost impossible,” he continued. “Especially to do it for a longer period of time. You'll see a guy like Kamaru Usman or Alexander Volkanovski where they're just going and rolling, right? And it seems like they are unbeatable.
“Remember when we talked about Petr Yan like 'oh my God, he'll never lose' and then someone gets him. It's like you're awake and you're awake and you're the man lying in the beautiful house, but there's a young man who doesn't have what you have.
'And because you do a lot and still try to be the best, he does a little more. Because he wants for what you have, you constantly have a man walking you down, so it's very difficult, but you have to continue to get better.
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