Daniel Cormier: Jon Jones has the right people around him to get through this
UFC light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier is never going to be a fan of Jon Jones. But after Jones' recent arrest on potential felony charges in a hit-and-run that left a pregnant woman with a broken arm and wrist, Cormier's thoughts drift away from fighting and toward the lives affected by the situation.
Cormier was embroiled in a heated rivalry with Jones for the majority of 2014. It eventually boiled over in the lobby of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, after a staredown between the two fighters turned into an all-out brawl.
Cormier has been ultra-critical of Jones before and after that day, saying Jones is not being genuine when it comes to his personality and how he carries himself when the cameras aren't rolling. Despite all those misgivings, Cormier still feels the same way about Jones personally. But Jones' recent arrest forced the two-time Olympian to consider how his actions also affect other people in his life.
"I do have strong opinions about him," Cormier said when speaking to FOX Sports. "I guess my initial reaction was, 'I told Salina (Cormier's fiancee) right away, and she said, 'Well, how's the lady?' Because through this whole thing you're like, 'I can't believe Jon Jones did this,' and she goes, 'How is the lady? Because it makes my heart hurt to think this woman got hurt; I hope her baby's OK.'"
"You start to wonder what really happened. The stuff that comes out on the Internet, that's all just people talking. But after a while I was like, 'Are you always constantly going to live in the sports world? The competitive world.' My whole thing is human compassion when it comes to that. Because I don't just think about him, I think about his family, his kids, his fiancee, his mom and dad and everyone else. I've met these people, I've seen these people and they are good people, and in those people I think he has a strong support system to try and get through this hard, hard time."
While his feelings about Jones haven't changed because of this latest incident, Cormier knows the former champion is about to face a court case that could potentially end with him going to jail for up to three years, and now just isn't the right time to start piling on.
The last thing Cormier wants to do is take a low blow because Jones is going through a rough period in his life. He had to detach himself from despising Jones long enough to realize some situations are more important than an MMA rivalry.
"Outside of everything, I think the human element takes over more than anything else," Cormier said.
From a competitive standpoint, Cormier hopes Jones will get his life together and eventually come back because like every loss he ever suffered in wrestling, he'd like the chance to avenge his previous defeat against the former light heavyweight champion.
Cormier will look to secure the UFC title in just a couple of weeks when he faces Anthony Johnson at UFC 187, but in the long term he hopes he gets the chance to compete against Jones again — assuming it's the same Jones who ruled the roost before.
"It was a tough fight; I enjoyed it," Cormier said about facing Jones. "I would hope to test myself against him again and he was the same guy he was before he left."
If there is a positive for Cormier in this whole situation beyond fighting for the belt again just five months after his last shot at the title, it's the fact that he won't step into this fight already seething with anger toward his opponent.
Cormier got so wrapped up in hating Jon Jones ahead of their fight in January that he may have allowed it to affect the way he fought that night. He promises that won't be the case when he faces Johnson on May 23 in Las Vegas.
"It's just easier. I'm more comfortable in this lane and not as emotionally attached to it. I was really, really emotionally attached to that last fight, and it played a part in the way I competed," Cormier said. "This time I'm actually competing against a guy I look forward to competing against. No ill feelings. It feels good.
"It feels good not to have that emotional attachment in this fight."
