Getty Jon Jones looks on prior to his UFC light heavyweight title bout against Thiago Santos at T-Mobile Arena on July 06, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Although former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has one loss on his record, he’s never truly tasted defeat. His lone loss came by disqualification when he landed illegal elbow strikes to Matt Hamill during “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” finale in 2009.
It was a fight Jones was utterly dominating and he was likely moments away from scoring a TKO victory. If he had chosen to use different strikes besides the 12-6 elbows, there’s a strong possibility he’d still be undefeated.
After the loss, “Bones” continued to tear through the division, going on to become the promotion’s 205-pound champion where he reigned for years.
But now at 34 years old, Bones has left the light heavyweight division and is currently preparing for his heavyweight debut. He plans to fight next year and will likely challenge for the belt in his first match.
Well, according to Jones’ longtime rival, former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier, Bones may taste defeat sooner rather than later.
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Cormier Believes Jones’ ‘First True Loss’ Is Coming Soon
GettyUFC president Dana White stars between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones as they square off for UFC 200 at Madison Square Garden on April 27, 2016 in New York City.
Cormier recently participated in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” alongside his “DC & RC” co-host Ryan Clark. One fan asked “DC” if Jones “has a realistic chance against the heavyweight top 2?” The fan was referring to heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane.
Cormier said that although Bones can beat anyone in the division, he believes Jones’ “time is coming” and that the “first true loss of his career is very near.”
“I think Jon Jones has a chance against anybody,” Cormier wrote. “I think Ciryl Gane is a problem for him. I don’t know who it’s gonna be, but I think his time is coming. I am not confident that he wins his next fight.
“I initially suggested that he fight a Curtis Blaydes, but it’s too risky to not cash in on him in a title fight. The first true loss of his career is very near.”
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More From DC’s Reddit Appearance
Another fan asked Cormier: “DC, how many times could you submit RC in 2 minutes?”
“First off, he’s small,” Cormier responded. “It would be a little bit easy. Ryan actually trained martial arts while he was playing football, so he may have a bit of an understanding. Once fatigue sets in at the 45 second mark, three or four times.”
Cormier, who retired from MMA and currently works as a UFC color commentator, was asked by another fan: “Do you take it personally at all when people call you a ‘company man’ or essentially say that you’re not being authentic? Is it part of the job, or do you think that’s unfair?”
“I’m not being a company man,” Cormier responded. “I’m just answering as I would answer. It’s that simple.
“But even if I was, what’s wrong with security at a billion dollar company? This is my job and I work hard and I work a lot. I’m answering in a way that I know would only benefit the fighters. In all of the situations that come up, I’ve been there. We have to stop wanting the fighters to be in bad relationships with organization. I don’t take it personally, but I don’t understand it. I’m speaking from my experiences.”
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