UFC 285 Live Blog: Daniel Cormier Dishes on Jon Jones
Jon Jones’s old rival in the Octagon will be commentating on the UFC 285 headliner between Jones and Ciryl Gane.
Daniel Cormier is not fighting Saturday at UFC 285. But he will be playing an important role.
Jon Jones returns at 285 to fight Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title, his first bout in over three years. Forever his eternal rival, it is fitting that Cormier will be on the broadcast team calling the action while Jones is in the Octagon.
“I’ve spent the most time with Jon in the Octagon,” says Cormier. “Almost 40 minutes over two occasions. I know who he is as a competitor. I appreciate the competitor, even if I don’t appreciate everything else.”
Courtesy UFC
Cormier’s insight and perspective is going to add another dimension to an extremely intriguing fight card.
Jones twice defeated Cormier, though the second victory—which took place in the summer of 2017 and briefly stood as Jones’s signature masterpiece—was overturned after he tested positive for turinabol. That only further ignited their long and lengthy feud, which ran deeply personal. But Jones recently posted on social media that he had moved on and held no reservations about Cormier calling his fight.
Always the professional, Cormier shared that he was never going to allow personal feelings to hinder the way he calls a fight.
“No matter what, I was going to do my job,” says Cormier, who will be on the headset with Jon Anik and Joe Rogan. “The UFC trusts me with these moments. Moments like we saw with Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman, or Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal, or Rose Namajunas or Georges St-Pierre. For me, it’s a blessing to be here. I wouldn’t do anything that would change that.”
Jones is seeking to follow the same path that Cormier paved, evolving from dominant light heavyweight champion to unstoppable heavyweight. Cormier defeated Stipe Miocic to win the heavyweight title in 2018, and now, five years later, Jones is attempting to win that very same championship against Gane.
While it is widely assumed that Jones will win—this reporter feels particularly confident in that, too—Cormier sent out a warning to those dismissing Gane.
“A lot of people are assuming Jones is going to win, but this is not a foregone conclusion,” says Cormier. “I think that’s crazy. They’re as evenly matched as anyone. This is a real, real tough fight for both guys. There is a world in which Jones looks like the Jones of old. But there is also a world where he doesn’t. That’s what makes the fight so much fun.”
The 285 fight card is loaded with compelling and captivating matchups. This includes the main event, as well as the great Valentina Shevchenko defending her flyweight title against Alexa Grasso. Excitement fills the card as heralded wrestler Bo Nickal makes his UFC debut, Shavkat Rakhmonov looks to continue his undefeated ways at welterweight against Geoff Neal, and Mateusz Gamrot returns on short notice for a lightweight bout against Jalin Turner.
“It’s a tremendous fight card,” says Cormier. “There are two title fights, and you add Bo Nickal and Shavkat. It’s just a really good fight card from top to bottom. I’m pumped, as pumped for a card as I’ve ever been. Everything is in order for a really special night.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.