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Jon Jones' UFC return last Saturday turned out to be a spectacular one with the quick work of Cyril Gane. With the heavyweight crown on his head, he reclaimed the top pound-for-pound ranking yet again.
Of all the opponents Jones has fought in the promotion, he had the biggest and most bitter rivalry with Daniel Cormier. The two seemingly buried the hatchet ahead of UFC 285. 'DC' even ended up calling Jones' fight.
The UFC commentary booth is known for the animated reactions of the announcers to finishes. However, when Jones submitted Gane in a little over 2 minutes, Cormier had a look of confusion and even doubt on his face.
He was seen asking fellow commentator Joe Rogan, "What did he tap to?" as Jon Anik announced Jon Jones the new heavyweight champion.
The former double champion received backlash on social media for "being bitter" over his former rival achieving glory. Cormier cleared the air on the matter in a tweet where he blamed the camera angle for his reaction.
He later clarified the same in detail in the latest episode of DC & RC on ESPN MMA:
"It didn't seem like all the way in. But when they switched the angle, you could see - we're looking through the cage, right RC? You have those pillars, you have the sponsorships and everything and Jones was on the opposite side of the octagon."
He added:
"So it looked like he was feeding him his hips to try to choke him, but when you see that, you think 'Oh that's an uncomfortable position, but not a position you submit to. So when he submitted, I was just like 'What did he tap to?' But then when they switched the camera and you were able to see Jones did have his lock under the chin."
Catch his comments below (6:50):
Jon Jones UFC return: Rivals react
When an athlete reaches the level of greatness that Jon Jones has, they receive respect even from their most bitter rivals.
Cormier was not the only one he had beef with, although it has gone down in MMA lore as his greatest rivalry. In recent times, he has been involved in heated online exchanges with Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou despite never having fought either of them.
Adesanya posted his reaction to the title win on his YouTube channel as he does for all pay-per-views. 'The Last Stylebender' was left shocked at the subtlety of the submission just as Cormier was, only to realize in a moment and applaud Jones.
Ngannou, who was the previous holder of the belt, also reacted with genuine happiness watching the moment with his friends and family.
Read how other UFC fighters and fans reacted to Jon Jones' UFC return here.
