'He kept getting in trouble,' Daniel Cormier sets the record straight after catching STRAY from Jon Jones dubbing down interim titles

British interim champ Tom Aspinall recently called quits on his unification efforts for the champion’s hardware. Subbing in at UFC 295, he had secured the spot, which was meant to guarantee him title unification. However, Jones only wants a legacy battle rather than unifying the title with Aspinall.

Despite their prolonged rivalry over the years, Daniel Cormier supported his choice to steer his legacy tactfully. Jones, however, didn’t return the favor. A fan account (@nsgsouljah) prompted an interim belt that shouldn’t have been formed to save UFC 295’s heavyweight scrap. Jones says it’s a brilliant decision but throws shade that it is reminiscent of ‘DC’ being a pseudo-champ in his absence.

Daniel Cormier catches a stray and fires back justifiably

Daniel Cormier couldn’t snag the title strap from Jones when they fought. However, four months after UFC 182, Cormier did manage to end up winning the gold from Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson. Jones, 27-1-0, remained “undefeated” in a sense. During the time frame of those few months. ‘Bones’ was made to forcibly vacate the stake to his 205-pound title after a hit-and-run accident with a pregnant woman.

Hence, when ‘DC’ did win it, many hardcore “Jon Jones” fanciers called his title shot opportunity into question. Finding himself on similar territory with Tom Aspinall, Jones once again saw the allure in self-hailing himself as never having lost out on the gold. He doesn’t consider Cormier’s hold over the title as real as he did not win it from the champ. ‘DC’ says otherwise.

That’s not a real indication of what was going on, ...With me, it was him getting caught doing things he is not supposed to, and then getting stripped and taken out of the competition... It’s not the same. He was incapable of competing when I was the champion due to illegal substances found inside of his body... That’s just the truth....Him and I were fighting and he kept getting in trouble. He could not go. I’m back in the gym and I’m ready to fight. It was illegal. Daniel Cormier via his Official YouTube channel (@DC_MMA)

Jon Jones became the first fighter in history to be stripped of two titles following his return to the sport at UFC 197. Days before the rebilled bout for a UFC 200 rematch, USADA flagged Jones for a positive test pool and then another in 2017 for the anabolic steroid Turinabol. Hence, Cormier doesn’t think the question mark on his long-standing status as a two-division titleholder holds merits.