This past weekend’s (Sat. July 7, 2018) UFC 226 pay-per-view (PPV) event saw history be made.
Daniel Cormier, who already had the UFC’s 205-pound title in his clutches, defeated Stipe Miocic to be crowned the promotion’s heavyweight champion as well. “DC” is now the second man in UFC history to hold two titles in different weight classes simultaneously.
This is a feat that Cormier’s longtime rival, Jon Jones, one day hopes to accomplish. Jones is currently dealing with United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) issues that have kept him sidelined for the past year. In the wake of Jones’ absence Cormier has made history. To make things even sweeter for the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product, he also took Jones’ superfight with Brock Lesnar.
Jones’ manager, Malki Kawa, joined ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show to talk about his client’s status. In the process, Kawa revealed Jones’ reaction to Cormier’s monumental win at UFC 226 (via Bloody Elbow):
“I guess now we can say welcome to the club. He’s actually a champion,” Kawa said. “He won the heavyweight championship and no one can take that away from him, he is the heavyweight champion of the world.
“So that was one thing. He (Jones) said, ‘Malk, this is the best thing that could’ve happened because now I have the choice to come back and kick his ass at light heavyweight or heavyweight.’ So he was just happy, excited.
“When you beat a guy twice and the second time was more than convincing than the first time, Jon is not the type of guy that says ‘It should’ve been me. He says, ‘Great, now it’s my time to come back and it’s my choice to be heavyweight or light heavyweight.’ And that’s awesome.”
What are your thoughts on Jones’ reaction to Cormier’s UFC 226 win? Let us know in the comments!
