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Daniel Cormier has explained why he believes Jon Jones will not be able to capture the UFC heavyweight title in his debut in the weight class.
It's no secret that Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones aren't the best of friends. The two met twice in their careers at 205 pounds, with Jones coming out on top in both instances. However, the result of their UFC 214 showdown was eventually ruled a no-contest after 'Bones' tested positive for a turinabol metabolite.
Fans are waiting to see whether or not Jones, a man widely considered to be one of the greatest of all time, will finally make his highly-anticipated jump up to heavyweight.
'DC' recently shared his thoughts on what he thinks lies ahead for his former foe during a recent episode of 'DC & RC'.
According to Cormier:
“I believe that Jon Jones will fight at heavyweight, and he’ll fight for the belt, but he’ll lose - to Ciryl Gane or Francis Ngannou. I just think that the time away, with the weight difference, and those guys being who they are, that’s the problem. It’s not that Jones has gotten worse, it’s just that these guys are a different level of heavyweight.”
Interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane holds an undefeated record of 10-0. The Frenchman has racked up this record within the last three and a half years. With three submissions and four knockouts, he's also one of the most well rounded fighters in the division.
Meanwhile, reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is best known for his devastating knockout power. Every single one of his last five opponents, including Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, suffered a brutal knockout at the hands of the Cameroonian.
Gane and Ngannou are hurtling towards a unification bout at UFC 270 this month. In all probability the winner of this matchup will face Jones. It will be intriguing to see how the former light heavyweight champion deals with either of the two dangerous heavyweights inside the octagon.
Watch Daniel Cormier's take on Jon Jones's future in the heavyweight division here:
How long has it been since Jon Jones's last fight?
We're coming up on the two-year anniversary of when Jones last competed inside the octagon. In that particular appearance, he defeated Dominick Reyes via unanimous decision at UFC 247 on February 8, 2020.
The result was heavily contested by mixed-martial-arts pundits and fans all across the world, with many believing Reyes should've gotten the nod.
Jones held onto his belt for a short while before surrendering it in pursuit of a shift up to heavyweight.We still have yet to see that move, which does somewhat validate the concerns Daniel Cormier has about how fresh he's going to be.
Either way, the coming months will give us more clarity regarding Jones's next bout - especially once the dust settles on UFC 270.
