During the official media conference call on Thursday, which featured Brock Lesnar, Mark Hunt and UFC 200 headliners Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion D.C. took some more shots at former champion “Bones” Jones’ struggles in his personal life.
When asked about his upcoming rematch with Jones, who defeated him via decision when the two first met inside the Octagon in January of 2015, Cormier claimed that he isn’t fighting the Jones everyone remembers, but instead the version that we saw in his most recent performance after a lengthy layoff against Ovince Saint Preux.
As D.C. explains, the reason for that is because Jones is finally paying for “all the outlandish living” he has been doing, which included issues with drugs and a major hit-and-run incident that ultimately cost Jones the title no man could take from him inside the cage.
“He’ll be tough – he’ll always be tough; he’s a good fighter – but nothing is free,” Cormier said when comparing the version of Jones he fought at UFC 182 to the one he’ll see on July 9. “The Jon that showed up against Ovince Saint Preux is the guy that is going to be in the Octagon on July 9; that is who he is today. Nothing is free, so all the other stuff – the partying, all the other stuff – you have to pay for that and now we’re seeing him where it’s time to pay the cost. He’s paying for all the outlandish living and burning the candle at two ends.”
Jones, never one to back down in a war of words against one of his biggest career rivals, fired back at Cormier by questioning, “Where do you come up with this craziness?” before continuing, “Why was your candle out when I beat you the first time? Somehow your candle is re-lit? I don’t get it.”
Cormier and Jones will meet again inside the Octagon to determine the true UFC 205-pound king, as they headline the landmark UFC 200 pay-per-view event, which wraps up UFC’s jam-packed International Fight Week in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Join us at MMANews.com on 7/9 for live coverage of the UFC 200 PPV event!
