It is almost impossible to talk about Jon jones’s legacy without bringing in his rivalry with Daniel Cormier. The former arch-enemies last faced off back in 2017 and now Jon has secured the heavyweight title. Unsurprisingly, ‘DC’ had his fair share to say when ‘Bones’ became the Pound-for-Pound number 1 fighter.
What is Daniel Cormier’s opinion on the new P4P ranking?
While discussing the new Men’s Pound-for-Pound rankings, Cormier had this to say, “I don’t, in my opinion, believe he (Jones) should be number one pound-for-pound. I think Alexander Volkanovski should still stay there. I don’t think he should be the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”
There was already enough controversy surrounding the P4P ranking after the UFC 284 main event. Alexander Volkanovski declared that the Pound-for-Pound number 1 spot would be on the line for the victor. Despite Makhachev managing to defeat the Aussie on his own home turf, the placements didn’t change.
Jon Jones doing Jon Jones things, made that look easy! #ufc285
— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) March 5, 2023
Volk seems rather impressed by Jones’s performance and probably will not mind vacating his seat for the returning legend. The biggest loser in this situation seems to be Islam Makhachev who not only got robbed of the ranking glory but got placed under Volk which makes him look even worse as a fighter.
Since Makhachev trains in the AKA gym, it’s no wonder DC had such strong opinions about recent developments. Some may even bring forward this connection to dismiss the veteran’s points. But we need to remember the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Jones only to have the decision overturned later.
Part of Daniel probably believes that Jones used steroids to gain an unfair advantage in their fight. Anyone familiar with ‘Bones’s characteristics knows about his unhealthy obsession with fame and status. So much so that, Jon started a tweeter war against a grieving Khabib fanbase after his performance against Justin Gaethje.
In case anyone needs a reminder, Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov passed away months before ‘The Eagle’ had his third title defense. After picking up a dominant win, the Lightweight GOAT burst into tears in remembrance of his father. In the post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov requested his name to be placed on top of the P4P rankings.
While the entire MMA world was sympathizing, Jon went on a Twitter war trying to bring down ‘the Eagle of Dagestan’. Naturally, DC will remember these controversies including all injustice that he himself had to face.
Now we bring the conversation to you. Do you think Jon Jones deserves the number 1 spot in the Pound-for-Pound rankings? Let us know below.
