Daniel Cormier refuses to indulge in Jon Jones slander; Says UFC needs to look into the matter seriously before it's too late

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Cormier, isn't a man who kicks someone when they're down. Cormier shares an infamous rivalry with the reigning champion Jon Jones and the pair are still not on amicable terms but that doesn't mean Cormier will take pot shots at Jones when he's going through a rough patch in his private life.

While speaking to ESPN recently, Cormier said that he is not among those who are celebrating the fall from grace of a champion inside the Octagon and believes others shouldn't walk down that path either because it is wrong to celebrate someone else's downfall.

“Seeing him get into trouble again, a lot of people in my circle text me almost celebratory, but that’s not me. I didn’t celebrate the kid getting into trouble again. I don’t think you should celebrate or dance on someone’s grave in their darkest moments. Because you don’t do that to people.”

Jones was recently arrested in Albuquerque on charges of aggravated DWI, negligent use of a firearm, possession of an open container and no proof of insurance while driving. The reigning champ has been let off for now but has to appear in court on April 8.

Though Jones and Cormier have had a storied past where the pair fought each other in a couple of high profile grudge matches which saw Jones come out victorious both times, Cormier said he doesn't let rivalries inside the Octagon spill over to his personal life and that it concerns him knowing Jones' family will be affected by his most recent mishap.

“Are you a human being, or does this competition take over everything? I didn’t find any joy seeing that man in that situation again because it’s just bad. It’s not just him. He’s got daughters. He’s got a fiancée. He’s got so many things at home that are affected by this and affected by his actions and his behavior.”

Although Cormier sympathized with Jones, he believes the fact that Jones keeps running into trouble is a serious issue and should be dealt with carefully by the UFC so as to ensure that Jones doesn't go on a downward spiral from hereon. Cormier also stressed on the fact that Jones' mistakes in the past could be excused but now that he is all of 32, it is inexcusable and he has to gather himself right now or it will be too late to salvage the situation.

“This kid has a problem. Regardless of how I feel, it’s not going to change until somebody takes a drastic action, and I don’t think he’s going to get it in his relationship because — and I don’t want to speak on a man’s personal relationship — but you would think by this point something with that would have happened already with all the issues. The UFC has to take an action. It’s only going to continue to escalate until it’s something that he cannot recover from.”