Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones: 'DC' Continues Praises for Jones, Sides with Him in Drag Racing Case
Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is seemingly continuing to get to the good side of former champion Jon Jones.
"DC" was scheduled to face "Bones" in a 205-pound title rematch at UFC 197 on April 23rd, but was forced out of the fight after suffering a leg injury during training. Number six-ranked light heavyweight fighter Ovince Saint Preux, was then picked to serve as Cormier's late replacement.
Jones and Saint Preux will now be fighting for the interim light heavyweight title.
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Bad blood runs deep between Cormier and Jones, which dates as far back as late 2014, when they were involved in a media day brawl.
They were able to douse the flames of their rivalry when they faced each other at UFC 182 in January 2015. Jones ended up dominating Cormier, winning by unanimous decision.
But it all seemed to change last week, when Cormier had words of praise for his long-time rival, instead. In an interview with FOX Sports, Cormier went as far as conceding to the idea that Jones is one of the best of all-time.
"He's the greatest fighter to ever put on a pair of gloves," Cormier said. "This one is tough for Ovince to get done. This will be a very, very difficult task for him."
Jones, on the other hand, is not exactly having a smooth-sailing camp in preparation for his April 23rd fight. In late March, he was pulled over by an Albuquerque police officer, and was given five citations, mainly for drag racing.
The 28-year old fighter was then arrested last March 29th for probation violation; however, the arresting officer Jason Brown is also facing numerous complaints for racial profiling.
Cormier also spoke about the issue, where he sided with Jones, noting that what really happened is bound to appear in court.
"In that instance, I do believe that there was a little more to it than just maybe him drag racing," Cormier said in an MMA Fighting report. "And you know I don't generally like to agree with anything that Jones does, but in that situation I do believe there was way more to that than what's led to be."
