Jon Jones wants to retire at Madison Square Garden on November 16, and it seems that nothing or no one will change his mind. So, once he does hang up his gloves, he will be going down in history as the MMA GOAT (surely for Dana White at least). But there is still one last match for Jones, as he defends his heavyweight belt against Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 in New York.
So with the legendary career coming to an end, everyone cannot stop but talk about the legendary mixed martial artist. Fans and MMA pundits alike are sharing their thoughts on ‘Bones,’ and one of them was his biggest rival, Daniel Cormier. Cormier recently had some praise to share about the heavyweight champion—words that caught the attention of the 37-year-old as he shared his reaction to it.
In a recent interview with Pound for Pound, Daniel Cormier, Kamaru Usman, and Henry Cejudo were all praise for ‘Bones.’ Usman was bold enough to assert MMA fans will never get to see another fighter like Jon Jones anytime soon. While Daniel Cormier claimed that Jones doesn’t get the credit he deserves, he said, “He’s so much smarter than people give him credit for, and he’s tough. He’s way tougher than people give him credit for.”
This truly caught the attention of the heavyweight champion. After all, Cormier and Jones have had a storied rivalry in the UFC that led to two major fights between them. And with Jones coming out on top in both of them, it’s not easy for Cormier to praise his arch-nemesis. Even Jon Jones knows that, as he shared a clip of the interview on his Instagram story and thanked the men for the praise with a praying hands emoji. “
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The words must’ve truly inspired the heavyweight, who hasn’t seen action since capturing the belt with a first-round submission over Ciryl Gane in March 2023. But the praise was not limited to the few words shared by Usman and Cormier, as Henry Cejudo too shared an anecdote that proves Jones’ humble nature.
Henry Cejudo is all praise for the MMA great
After Daniel Cormier and Kamaru Usman were done talking about Jon Jones, Cejudo chimed in with his experience of meeting the consensus MMA GOAT – “He came to me on six different occasions. Always showed up on time, was always all eyes and ears, ‘Yes coach.’ I’m just like, ‘Damn Jones, we’re f*cked. You you, you can just call me… you know, you’re 100% right, man.”
Cejudo further added that Jones is as competitive as they get and that he understands the game. The former UFC champion also made a major claim stating, “I think that’s what makes Jon Jones better than the rest. He’s a better competitor than he is an actual fighter.”
Now, ‘Bones’ is all geared up to face Miocic for a much-awaited bout (although not as awaited as the dream fight against Tom Aspinall). However, ‘Bones’ is reluctant to face interim champion Tom Aspinall to unify the belts, as he currently ranks third in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. What do you think? Is Jon Jones the MMA GOAT? Let us know in the comments.
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