UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier are bitter rivals, but they do share an element of respect.
Jones recently appeared on Steve-O’s podcast and the reigning champion admits that he does have respect for his longtime adversary.
“I respect DC,” Jones said (via Damon Martin of MMA Fighting). “I think he’s an outstanding man. I think he represents himself very well. I think he represents African-Americans very well. He represents the UFC very well. Being a father, being an athlete, he’s very well-spoken, he’s a great commentator.”
DC, who faces his other major rival in UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic next weekend at UFC 252, also admits he has respect for his longtime enemy.
“The reality is when you’re in the Octagon — this guy I was in the Octagon with over 40 minutes — if you can’t respect a person in that capacity when you’re done with them, then who can you respect?” Cormier told MMA Fighting. “I do respect Jones in terms of what he does as an athlete, what he’s been able to do and all those things. The reality is like you said, it doesn’t have to be a friendship and it won’t be.”
Cormier and Jones met twice under the UFC banner. Jones won the first contest at UFC 182. A subsequent Jones victory over DC at UFC 214 was overturned to a no-contest due to a failed drug test by Jones.
