Daniel Cormier Says Jon Jones Could’ve Been Champion Without Using PEDs
UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier is a longtime rival of Jones, but was still impressed by what he saw at UFC 232.
“Anytime you can go through a guy like Alexander Gustafsson in the fashion that he did is very impressive,” Cormier said on The MMA Hour. “I have never shied away from the fact that the guy’s a phenomenal mixed martial artist, and I thought he fought well. I thought he fought well, he fought exactly as he intended to and was able to completely shut down Alex.”
Jones and Cormier have fought twice before, with Jones winning at UFC 182 and a second win for Jones at UFC 214 overturned to a no contest due to a failed drug test in line with the event.
The newly crowned UFC Light Heavyweight Champion has had a history of failed drug tests, but DC says Jones could’ve won the gold without the use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs).
“If you’re asking me if I feel Jon Jones would’ve worn a UFC title without any of these things (PEDs), I do, 100 percent, believe he would’ve won a UFC title,” Cormier said. “I think that he’s a very talented guy. He comes from the sport of wrestling, so he has that baseline for dictating where fights take place. With that being said, those things are done for a reason, right? You don’t have all these issues with the testing unless you have either doubts or something in your preparation over the course of your athletic career didn’t truly add up. That’s the only way you would get these types of things tied to your career. But do I feel the guy would’ve been successful without it? Yes, I do. I think he definitely would’ve been a UFC champion, and even without all this stuff that’s tied to the fights, I think he could’ve won those fights to me anyways. I think he’s a very talented guy. And I still believe I could beat the guy, even though I’ve lost a couple times, but again, I think that’s what makes me different, is that regardless of — every time I walked on that mat against Cael Sanderson, losing every time, I still felt that every time I went out there: ‘This is the one I’m going to win.’ I never didn’t give myself a chance, and that’s how I feel with Jones.”
There is a possibility DC and Jones could meet for a third time in the Octagon, as Jones called out DC for a third fight after his UFC 232 victory.
