Daniel Cormier Admits Jon Jones Will “Kill Him” at Heavyweight Under Different Circumstances

There is something strangely humbling about time. A few years ago, Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones were involved in one of the most heated rivalries in MMA history—two alphas surrounding each other in a cage, each attempting to prove they were the guy. Fast forward to now, and you would never guess what ‘DC’ just said. It was not another jab. It was not a sneaky dig. It was much more honest, and in a strange way, more profound, than anything he said throughout their trash-talking phase. So, what did he say?

Well, ‘DC’ said Jon Jones would destroy him if they fought now. Not figuratively. Literally. Destroy him. Jones, of course, started it all—because who else would? In a recent interview, he addressed an age-old question: What if he and Cormier had fought at heavyweight? “I believe I beat Daniel Cormier at heavyweight worse than I beat him at light heavyweight,” he said calmly, as if reciting a grocery list. But he didn’t stop there, though.

“My speed has transferred over in a way that his hasn’t… I kick harder. You saw what my kicks did to him in the second fight.” Classic ‘Bones,’ still stirring the pot. Now, the old Daniel Cormier responded with fire. He could have reminded everyone of Jones’ failed PED tests, referred to up statistics, or just gone for the throat. But what about this version of DC?

He’s no longer trying to fight ghosts. Sitting across from Chael Sonnen on Good Guy/Bad Guy, he simply shrugged and revealed the truth. “I’m 46 years old, bro—I don’t fight no more, and I can’t fight,” he remarked, nearly laughing. “He would kill me. He would literally beat the s— out of me.” Just like that. There’s no tough man act. No sugarcoating. Just straight talk.

It did not feel like defeat. It felt like a man who had been through the fire and emerged unscathed was now cool enough to admit the obvious. There’s a strange freedom about that. ‘DC’ isn’t trying to keep up anymore. He’s not in the gym getting ready for war. He lives a different life now, one that does not revolve around showing he is better than Jon Jones. That chapter’s done. And he seems okay with it.

Nonetheless, hearing him confirm what fans have been debating for years is almost poetic. Would Jones have smashed him at heavyweight? Maybe. Probably. DC appears to believe so now. However, it is worth noting that ‘DC’ is talking about the current version of him. But what about prime Daniel Cormier? Could he have defeated ‘Bones’? Well, that is a different scenario altogether in Cormier’s mind.

Daniel Cormier believes prime him would beat Jon Jones

Daniel Cormier’s brutally honest admission about today’s Jon Jones demolishing today’s ‘DC’ may have surprised fans, but humility does not mean submission. Before admitting that the current ‘Bones’ would finish him, Cormier made it quite clear that a peak Daniel Cormier would have defeated Jon Jones. There was no doubt in his voice, no second-guessing—only certainty. That fire, that belief in who he once was, is still burning brightly beneath the surface.

A few days ago, he reminded everyone of something many fans forget: Jon Jones once claimed he didn’t want to face Cormier at heavyweight. Not back then. Not when DC was at his best, suplexing demons and ragdolling giants. Cormier did not flinch while speaking with Molly Qerim. “He’s out of his mind,” he stated of Jones’ latest claim. Then came the receipt. “When I was actively fighting, he said, ‘I would not face Daniel at heavyweight because it gives him an advantage. That’s where he’s best at’.”

This was not a fantasy. It was a historical truth that Jon Jones understood heavyweight ‘DC’ was a nightmare matchup. And he wasn’t wrong at all. Prime Cormier was a force of nature at heavyweight—stronger, meaner, and more controlling. There was no weight loss draining him, no loss of power, or compromise. Simply raw pressure and world-class grappling.

Cormier understands that version of himself may have been the greatest threat to Jon Jones’ legacy. And, although ‘Bones’ has every right to believe in his own progress, Cormier has every right to believe in a truth that Jones himself admitted: heavyweight was his world. What do you think? Who would’ve won? Let us know in the comments.

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