Daniel Cormier has only two blemishes on his record. One is a loss to Jon Jones at UFC 182. The other was originally a loss but was reversed to a no contest after Jon Jones tested positive for turinabol in a test prior to UFC 214. Jon Jones has repeatedly come forward to counterargue anyone discrediting that victory by repeatedly pointing out how small the traces of the banned substance was and that USADA told him it was like a pinch of salt thrown in an Olympic-size swimming pool. Jones also expressed a desire for Daniel Cormier to admit that he lost both fights to Jon without using the failed test as an excuse. Speaking on the “The Jim Rome Podcast” recently, Daniel Cormier offered his response (via MMAWeekly):
“My deal’s this, I never once said he didn’t win the fight,” Cormier began. “I’ve never said that. Even when people would tell me, ‘No, you didn’t get a fair shake, it’s not cool, he cheated’, I said the guy won the fights,” Cormier said. “Cause I’ve always said, I’m sure he’s not the only guy I’ve ever fought who’s on steroids. I’ve always said that. I’ve been very open about that but when you say a pinch of salt — why was the pinch of salt there?
“Why was it there without any explanation of why it got there? That’s my question. Why didn’t I have a pinch of salt in the swimming pool? That’s where my issue is. You win the fight, go ahead and win the fight but don’t leave anything to question is my response. Don’t have a pinch of salt. Don’t have tainted sex pills. Just don’t have that stuff and then we never have these discussions to discredit the things that you have done.”
Of course, Jon Jones has already been asked about the origins of the traces of turinabol by the media, the California State Athletic Commission, and USADA, but he admits to not possessing the answer. Daniel Cormier, for one, is not buying it:
“He knows,” Cormier said of Jones not knowing how the banned substance got in his body. “All these guys that are getting caught for cheating, they know.
“You don’t have a massive amount of guys in the same sport that are able to continuously and constantly test clean but then a select few that continue to pop positive for steroids. And they’ve never had an excuse, never had a reason as to why they tested positive. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Daniel Cormier continues to wonder why someone with the natural gifts that Jones possesses would even need to allegedly seek an unfair advantage and tarnish his legacy in doing so:
“The guy has all these physical advantages. He’s taller, he’s bigger, he’s got all the advantages. Why are you trying to swing them in your favor even more? It’s just unfortunate the guy has tied so many negatives to an otherwise pretty incredible career.
“Pinch of salt, no pinch of salt. You still had steroids in your system in a fist fight,” Cormier stated. “Not cool.”
What are your thoughts on this rebuttal from Daniel Cormier on Jon Jones’s “pinch of salt” defense?
