'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It wouldn't be hyperbole to state that Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones are indeed akin to a pair of snake and mongoose in the world of MMA. When it comes to going up against one another, both MMA icons are malevolent, viperous and willing to die inside that Octagon with the promise to drag their rival along straight to hell.
Cormier presently reigns supreme atop the throne of the UFC -- holding both the UFC Light-Heavyweight Title as well as the UFC Heavyweight Championship -- with the company likely to strip "DC" of his Light-Heavyweight belt when Jon "Bones" Jones faces Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson at UFC 232 this December.
Well, although DC holds the UFC 205-pound title, it's no secret that the 39 year old combatant came up short in his bid to defeat Jones, in the pair of fights they engaged in within the confines of the Octagon. Although it's noteworthy that Jones' second victory over Cormier was overturned to a No Contest (NC) after Jones failed a PED test in relation to said fight which took place at UFC 214.
In connection with this twisted saga featuring DC and Bones, today, we take a look at some of the reasons why Daniel Cormier is better than Jon Jones...
#5 Success despite a significant amount of wear and tear
Daniel Cormier has been training and competing for a long, long time! In fact, since he was a child, DC made the wrestling mats his home -- his comfort zone -- a place where he could get away from the perils of a tough childhood, challenging teenage years, and a youth which started off as an uphill battle.
Against all odds, Cormier charged ahead, and represented the United States of America at the Olympics. Nevertheless, although he gained a considerable amount of experience as part of his lifelong martial arts journey, it came at a cost.
It's intriguing to note that while Jon Jones sustained his fair share of wear and tear as an amateur wrestler, the miles on his body are nothing when compared to that of Cormier. DC has taken a lot more damage over the course of his wrestling and MMA careers, besides also giving up 8 years in age to the much younger and fresher Jones...
#4 A clean fighter
Before their first fight at UFC 182, Jon Jones found himself in what may now seem as a clear warning sign of his future steroid test failures -- back when Jones' testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) levels were noted to be suspiciously low per the standards of an average athlete.
Jones then failed a drug test before his fight against Cormier at UFC 200 back in 2016 -- testing positive for not one but two PEDs -- clomiphene and letrozole. After serving a 1-year suspension that was handed down to him by USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency), Jones returned and eventually fought Daniel Cormier in their rematch at UFC 214 -- proceeding to stop DC by way of a vicious 3rd Round KO.
In the ensuing days, it was revealed that Jones failed yet another drug test, this time around for turinabol -- which is considered to be an anabolic steroid. His UFC 214 win over DC was subsequently overturned to an NC.
The man was given a 15-month retroactive suspension, and can resume professional MMA competition from the 28th of October, 2018. On the contrary, Cormier -- who has been tested by USADA since his days as an amateur wrestler -- has never tested positive for PEDs...
#3 Undersized warrior with the heart to fight
Daniel Cormier stands at no more than 5'11", and that's being generous! DC has always been an undersized competitor -- irrespective of whether he competed in the wrestling or the MMA dominion.
Furthermore, with a reach of about 71 inches, the very thought of Cormier having scaled such great heights of success in the UFC Light-Heavyweight and Heavyweight Divisions is, in and of itself, baffling. On the other hand, Jon Jones stands at 6'4", and boasts a reach of 84.5".
Well, needless to say, Jones has always been the bigger man in his fights -- with the only exception probably being in his razor-thin decision win over Alexander Gustafsson who is listed as 6'5" and has a smaller reach than Jones at 79 inches. Cormier is a true warrior, undersized, yet ferocious, and ready to take on anyone irrespective of how much of a size advantage they may enjoy over him...
#2 No nefarious means
In no way, shape or form do we mean to disrespect Jon Jones. However, the vast majority of combat sports experts as well as fans have for long been of the view that Jon Jones -- as great a fighter as he may be -- is no stranger to utilizing a few rather nefarious means to get himself the coveted "W" inside the Octagon.
Jones, who trains at the Jackson-Wink Academy down in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is one of the most important fighters to have popularized the signature Jackson-Wink oblique kicks and stomps to the opponent's knees. Moreover, "Bones" has landed several eye-pokes on virtually every opponent he has faced in the sphere of pro MMA.
On the other hand, while Cormier may have had his fair share of accidental eye-pokes -- for instance the one he landed in his fight against Stipe Miocic -- it's indeed negligible as compared to what Jones has done to his opponents' eyes over the course of his career...
#1 Not afraid to fight in the division of giants
Let's face it, Daniel Cormier spent a better part of his career in the Heavyweight Division, and primarily dropped down to Light-Heavyweight out of respect for his longtime training partner and team-mate Cain Velasquez who was the Heavyweight kingpin at the time.
DC found tremendous success at both weight-classes, and was unafraid while moving up to face whom many regarded the greatest Heavyweight MMA fighter of all time -- Stipe Miocic. As opposed to that, Jon Jones, despite being significantly longer than most Heavyweights, has time and again refused to move up to the division of giants -- a division in which he'd probably dwarf most of said 'giants'!
Additionally, his fights against Cormier took place at Light-Heavyweight, and not Heavyweight -- thereby giving Jones an innate advantage, since the younger an adult athlete is, the easier it is for him/her to cut weight. Despite the myriad of advantages Jones enjoys over DC, as well as the steroids/PEDs which are said to have helped Bones beat his much older rival; the fact remains that Cormier truly is better than Jones.
