Daniel Cormier gushes over Jon Jones’ UFC championship longevity

As soon as upon a time, getting Daniel Cormier to say optimistic issues about Jon Jones would have been an extended shot. Now that their heated rivalry has lengthy been put to mattress, Cormier can’t assist however admit he’s impressed with Jones’ longevity as a UFC champion.

Cormier and Jones’ previous has been well-documented. They had been at every others throats once they had been championship opponents at UFC 182 and UFC 214. Cormier has since hung up the gloves and entered the UFC Corridor of Fame, however Jones continues to be going at it, as a champion in a second division.

Talking together with his former “DC & RC” co-host Ryan Clark, Cormier gushed over Jones’ longevity on the prime of the mountain.

“For me, DC, being a UFC fan who began with Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, then moved into the period with you and Jon, we had these champions that you might rely on,” Clark mentioned on a reunion episode of “DC & RC.” “It was the Kamaru Usman, it was the Alexander Volkanovski, it was the Israel Adesanya and we’ve transitioned from these guys. Now we’re with Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira is likely one of the best fighters that’s ever lived. It’s actually cool although that by way of all that, Jon Jones continues to be round and we’re nonetheless ready for the subsequent massive Jon.”

“How? How? How’s that attainable?!” Cormier interjected.

“This dude actually – like, hey man, I don’t care how you are feeling about him. I may not have messed with the dude on that degree, however how?! It’s been – I believe he was a champion in 2011 for the primary time. That’s a loopy thought! That by way of all that, all these dudes, I imply three generations of gamers.

“… It’ll be like Tom Brady taking part in by way of 30 years of soccer. Three completely different generations of gamers at quarterback, as a result of it’s not like being a lineman. It’s not being an undercard man. It’s a major occasion man that has been major eventing for 13 years? That actually is an insane thought.”

Jones first claimed UFC gold by defeating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the sunshine heavyweight title at UFC 128 on March 19, 2011. As we enter 2025, Jones continues to be a UFC champion, however within the heavyweight division.

Clark requested Cormier to elucidate how arduous it’s to perform a championship longevity in MMA.

“It’s nearly not possible, particularly to do it for a very long time,” Cormier mentioned. “That’s why while you watch a man like Usman or Volkanovski, the place they simply form of go, they usually’re rolling, proper? It looks as if they’re unbeatable.

“… The entire time that you just’re up and also you’re the person, and also you’re laying in that massive, stunning home, there’s a younger man that doesn’t have what you have got. As you’re doing loads, as you’re nonetheless attempting to be the perfect, he’s doing like just a little bit extra as a result of he needs for what you have got. It’s like having a man simply strolling you down always. So, it’s very troublesome. You need to proceed to get higher.”