The mixed martial arts (MMA) world is still reeling from the blockbuster (albeit hardly surprising) news that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) decided to strip Jon Jones of his light heavyweight title and suspend him indefinitely from competing inside the Octagon.
This, after "Bones" was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident which left a pregnant woman injured and a marijuana-filled and totaled vehicle (see it) vacated without a driver.
Many in the MMA community have given their two cents (see them here) on UFC's decision -- the first of its kind -- to lay the hammer down on "Bones," who issued this apology in the wake of the aftermath.
Among them is Jon's bitter rival, Daniel Cormier, who gave his take on all of the drama on UFC Tonight (via FOX Sports).
"Not good," Cormier said. "You don't kick a guy when he's down. It was obviously disappointing. All the stuff Jon gets into is disappointing. This is a guy that has the world at his fingertips, he just can't seem to get out of his own way."
You don't kick a guy when he's down, you just take away his shoe deal.
Still, despite their beef, "DC," once again, offered up some encouraging words to the former champion after his latest scandal. "Just get it together. Get it together, man. There are a lot of people that look up to you and a lot of people that actually want to see you succeed," Cormier said.
Jon's loss is Daniel's gain, as the former Olympian was pegged as Jones's replacement against Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 on May 23, 2015; a fight that will now be for the vacant 205-pound title. While Cormier recognizes the tough challenge ahead, he knows "Rumble" has some holes, and he plans on exploiting them come fight night.
"It's a tough fight. ‘Rumble' Johnson's a fantastic fighter. He has tremendous power, and he's got a confidence about himself right now," Cormier noted. "But I want to tell you guys right now, at the end of the day, Anthony ‘Rumble' Johnson is who he is. Anthony's the guy that got submitted by Josh Koscheck. Anthony's the guy that tapped out before Vitor Belfort had a choke in. At the core of him, he is who he is. I just have to go out and find that."
Johnson is not impressed by your comments.
And while many still believe Jones is the undisputed king of the light heavyweights, Cormier makes it very clear that title up for grabs in "Sin City" isn't an interim one. But he isn't kidding himself, as he understand that Jones has yet to be defeated for his title.
Something only Jones has been able to do to himself thus far.
"I'm a realist. Jon was the champion, and he beat himself. Nobody beat him. I didn't get the job done on Jan. 3. Jon Jones beat me," Cormier said. "But, Jon did this to himself. The belt is not his anymore. So, yeah, it is the real championship. There is no interim tag. This is for the UFC light heavyweight championship."
In closing, Cormier says once Jones gets back into the swing of things, he can challenge him for his title.
Confident man.
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