Spare a thought for Daniel Cormier today.
After it appeared that the rivalry was finished, after he was humiliated on live TV having lost to Jones for the second time, and having accepted that he was bested by the 'better man' on the night, he has today learned that his arch-nemesis, the villain in the story of his life, may have been on steroids every time they met.
The UFC's confirmation that Jon Jones tested positive for a banned substance was both a surprise and not a surprise at all, as this is Jon Jones we are talking about, but as we wait for further developments, Cormier has released a statement to outline how he's feeling after the story broke [via MMAFighting.com].
It's hard to find words to describe how I'm feeling right now. I'm disappointed to hear the news. It's very emotional.
We as athletes are entitled to due process, and I will refrain from saying much more until I know exactly what happened.
In my mind, on July 29, I competed and I lost. I thought Jon Jones was the better man that day. I don't know what to think anymore. I can’t believe we are going through all of this again. We will see what happens next.
Thank you to all my fans who have supported me during this dark time. I love you all very much.
His stance at such a difficult time is admirable, and it's incredible to recall that Cormier has been repeatedly booed by UFC crowds before, during, and after his fights with Jones, but that's how it went down and you could forgive DC for being incredibly smug, even though he resisted the temptation.
He could have easily played the 'I told you so..' card, and maybe he will if confirmation comes through, as back in July ahead of UFC 214, he outlined why he believed Jones was on steroids when they fought back in 2015.
He also said the following in a UFC 214 pre-fight press conference.
"If I do feel he did try to cheat? Yeah, I do."
Three days before his rematch with Jon Jones at UFC 214, @dc_mma said this... pic.twitter.com/0vGrxmX7F2— BT Sport UFC (@btsportufc) August 23, 2017
It must have been incredibly frustrating for Daniel Cormier to be making these allegations and not only have them fall on deaf ears as there was no proof in the form of a failed test, but to also have Jones mock him for making them in the first place.
It remains to be seen what comes of this, but it's looking very bad for Jon Jones. While Cormier will get some satisfaction in all of this coming to light, it likely will not make up for what he has had to go through.
