Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Will Jon Jones ever change his habits of getting in trouble? Daniel Cormier doesn’t think so unless the circle around him changes.
Daniel Cormier didn’t celebrate his longtime rival Jon Jones getting in trouble yet again, but he said things will stay the same for ‘Bones’ unless the people around him change.
Last Thursday, Jones was arrested in the early hours of the morning for an aggravated DWI, firearm and other charges. It’s just one of the many troubles Jones has faced during his UFC career, with other incidents including a hit-and-run back in 2015 and several drug test failures.
Cormier, 41, has been Jones’ main rival in the UFC ever since Jones got the best of him in their first fight at UFC 182 in January 2015. Talking to ESPN after Jones’ recent incident, Cormier said although people around him celebrated Jones getting in trouble, he didn’t.
“When it was happening people started putting up these videos of when Jones and I did a sit down with Joe Rogan a while back,” Cormier said. “I was talking about how it would be very difficult for him to change if nothing around him changed. For a guy that has these issues whether it be alcohol or drugs, that dead time is your worst enemy? because all those vices start to pull at you whenever you’re just sitting at home with nothing to do?.
“Seeing him get into trouble again. a lot of people in my circle they text me almost celebratory. Well that’s not me, I didn’t celebrate the kid getting in trouble again. I don’t think you should celebrate or dance on someone’s grave in their darkest moment.????? You don’t do that. Ultimately are you a human being or does this competition overtake everything?”
With Cormier and Jones’ rivalry dating back so long, it’s hard for Cormier not to still see Jones as a young twenty year old. Now 32, Cormier says it’s not nice to see a man that age still get into the trouble Jones has got himself into.
“I didn’t find any joy in seeing that kid, well I mean he’s now a man he’s 32?? years old. I used to call him a kid when he was 23?. At 32 years old I did not enjoy seeing that man in that situation, because it’s just bad. Again, it won’t change until something or the people around him change??.”