Daniel Cormier reveals biggest regret of his career and it’s to do with Jon Jones: ‘I was fighting well’
UFC legend Daniel Cormier declared his inability to remain ‘locked in’ against Jon Jones as his biggest regret. Cormier and Jones faced off for a second time in July 2017, two-and-a-half years after ‘Bones’ won their first encounter via unanimous decision to retain his light heavyweight title. Cormier was unable to beat Jones on the two occasions they foughtGetty Images - Getty However, ‘DC’ went into the rematch as the champion after Jones was stripped of the title following a hit-and-run incident in which he crashed into a pregnant woman and fled the scene. The bitter rivals were set to face off in July 2016 at UFC 200, only for Jones to be pulled from the fight and handed a one-year suspension by USADA following a doping violation. But Jones finally made it to the cage a year later and stamped his authority with a vicious knockout finish over Cormier in the third round. Nearly a decade later, Cormier has opened up on the fight as he explained how a cheeky mid-fight ploy backfired spectacularly. “Biggest regret? I don’t know, man,” Cormier said in a video shared by Eddie Alvarez Underground Kings on Instagram. “So I lost that fight in Anaheim to [Jon] Jones, and I was fighting really well. “And I kind of started talking to him and I lost track and lost focus. “I end up getting kicked in the head. “So yeah, I should have stayed locked in. That’s probably the thing I regret the most. “I just was feeling so good that night, that I kind of got outside of myself a little bit.” The pair’s rivalry captured the imagination of MMA fans worldwidegetty Although Jones won on the night, he would be stripped of the belt and the result overturned to a no contest after he tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid. It meant Cormier would be restored as the light heavyweight champion, a title he defended only once more before he moved up to heavyweight. Cormier then became a two-weight UFC champion when he won the heavyweight title with a brutal knockout of Stipe Miocic in July 2018. In fact, Cormier did not lose a fight from May 2015 until August 2019 when he was stopped by Miocic in the rematch. Cormier was unable to win the trilogy bout in August 2020 as Miocic prevailed via unanimous decision to defend the heavyweight title. The second loss to Miocic also marked Cormier’s final bout inside the octagon. Cormier refused to let the losses to Jones define him as he made UFC historyGETTY Cormier retired as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time and as the first to successfully defend both the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles. Jones accomplished the same feat last November when he stopped Miocic in the third round to defend the heavyweight title in just his second fight at the weight. However, Jones remains a figure of controversy due to his perceived ducking of interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
UFC legend Daniel Cormier declared his inability to remain ‘locked in’ against Jon Jones as his biggest regret.
Cormier and Jones faced off for a second time in July 2017, two-and-a-half years after ‘Bones’ won their first encounter via unanimous decision to retain his light heavyweight title.
However, ‘DC’ went into the rematch as the champion after Jones was stripped of the title following a hit-and-run incident in which he crashed into a pregnant woman and fled the scene.
The bitter rivals were set to face off in July 2016 at UFC 200, only for Jones to be pulled from the fight and handed a one-year suspension by USADA following a doping violation.
But Jones finally made it to the cage a year later and stamped his authority with a vicious knockout finish over Cormier in the third round.
Nearly a decade later, Cormier has opened up on the fight as he explained how a cheeky mid-fight ploy backfired spectacularly.
“Biggest regret? I don’t know, man,” Cormier said in a video shared by Eddie Alvarez Underground Kings on Instagram.
“So I lost that fight in Anaheim to [Jon] Jones, and I was fighting really well.
“And I kind of started talking to him and I lost track and lost focus.
“I end up getting kicked in the head.
“So yeah, I should have stayed locked in. That’s probably the thing I regret the most.
“I just was feeling so good that night, that I kind of got outside of myself a little bit.”
Although Jones won on the night, he would be stripped of the belt and the result overturned to a no contest after he tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid.
It meant Cormier would be restored as the light heavyweight champion, a title he defended only once more before he moved up to heavyweight.
Cormier then became a two-weight UFC champion when he won the heavyweight title with a brutal knockout of Stipe Miocic in July 2018.
In fact, Cormier did not lose a fight from May 2015 until August 2019 when he was stopped by Miocic in the rematch.
Cormier was unable to win the trilogy bout in August 2020 as Miocic prevailed via unanimous decision to defend the heavyweight title.
The second loss to Miocic also marked Cormier’s final bout inside the octagon.
Cormier retired as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time and as the first to successfully defend both the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles.
Jones accomplished the same feat last November when he stopped Miocic in the third round to defend the heavyweight title in just his second fight at the weight.
However, Jones remains a figure of controversy due to his perceived ducking of interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
