Latest news with #DanielCormier
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Daniel Cormier sees right through Jon Jones' lack of interest in Tom Aspinall fight
When it comes to not wanting to unify the UFC heavyweight title against Tom Aspinall, Daniel Cormier sees right through Jon Jones. During an appearance on the "Full Send Podcast" that released Thursday, Jones made it clear that he currently isn't interested in fighting, which has Cormier wondering one thing. Advertisement "What took so long? What took so long for you to tell us, 'Hey, if (the desire to fight) comes back, I'll come back.' But right now it's not there. What took so long?" Cormier said on his YouTube channel. "You will get grace in that regard. By not saying something, by waiting to say something, you gave people the idea that you just don't want to fight this guy. Seriously, that you just don't want to fight this guy, who represents another era of fighter. ... "By taking so long, he's now given you the idea, 'Well, he's afraid.'" Specific to Aspinall, who's held the UFC interim heavyweight title since November 2023 and defended the belt last July, Jones insists he's "not in a position to excite (him)" and that beating him would simply represent a win over "the next guy," which Jones did through generations of contenders while he was light heavyweight champion. Cormier takes umbrage with this mentality from Jones. Advertisement "That might've worked before. That's not working this time. That's where Jones loses me," said Cormier, who called for the UFC to strip Jones of the heavyweight title. "I get it that he's seen the great hope of someone that's going to beat him in the past. There's never been someone like this. … Let me tell you why it's never been someone like Aspinall: because of the way the rules have changed. If this was Jon Jones at 28 years old, no worry for him, and Aspinall would not be the biggest threat to him. The reason Aspinall is the biggest threat to him today is because (Jones is) 38 years old. Because he's lived a life of excess, partying, living, doing all those things that back in the day got him into trouble. ... "Aspinall's the biggest threat today because the roles have reversed. At 28 years old, Jon would've seen Tom a million times over and fought him already. But Jon, at 38, recognizes that this dude is a little better. He's not afraid. He just doesn't want to get knocked out. Jon Jones prefers to let his legacy stay as is with the caveat that he didn't fight Tom Aspinall, didn't run the risk of fighting Tom Aspinall and getting beat by Tom Aspinall. That's where the difference lies. That's where the worry comes from. That's why we're seeing a man say 'this guy doesn't really excite me' when in reality, it's exciting. But it's also very scary." Dana White said this week that a decision on a potential Jones vs. Aspinall fight will be made "in the next couple of weeks," but it seems Jones already has made the decision for the UFC. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Daniel Cormier puts Jon Jones on blast, says Tom Aspinall 'very scary'
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Daniel Cormier fires back at Jon Jones for mocking him on social media as he puts pressure on old rival to defend heavyweight title against Tom Aspinall
Daniel Cormier has hit back at old rival Jon Jones after the UFC heavyweight champion took aim at him and his ESPN co-host Chael Sonnen. Jones was not impressed with a conversation the pair had on their show Good Guy/Bad Guy in which they discussed the state of the heavyweight division and the Jones vs Tom Aspinall saga. A potential fight between Jones and Aspinall has been one of the biggest talking points in the UFC since before Jones defended his title against Stipe Miocic in November. Aspinall, the interim heavyweight champion, is the rightful contender to Jones with fans calling for the latter to either defend the title or vacate. The thoughts of Sonnen and Cormier largely aligned with those fans and that prompted Jones to take to social media to remind them he had beaten them both and makes more significantly money than they do. 'Jon Jones whooped both of y'all, but hey–why not team up on a podcast and gossip about his life? Meanwhile, he's out here making your annual salary in a week. Stay busy, boys,' Jones wrote on X. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier reacted to Jones's recent barbs. 'It seems as though Jon Jones doesn't like being talked about by two of the biggest voices in this game, and I'm going to pull the curtain back,' Cormier said of Jones. 'I know what Jon Jones made in Thailand, I was offered to coach this show with Jon Jones. His resume is impeccable, star power, his ability to sell, matches up with anybody in the business. 'But guess what? Daniel Cormier's resume matches up with anybody in the business, I bring eyes like other people in the business,' Cormier continued. 'Jon Jones don't make more money than me in a week! He makes more money than me, when he fights! We're over here eating. 'The biggest paydays you ever had were directly tied to me! I'm talking about you, and I'm getting paid to talk about you, but I don't fight no more 'cause all I can really do is talk. That's what I do. 'You fight! Or at least, you're supposed to fight. You're talking about me, Francis, Chael, and almost ignoring the right thing. You can then stick it to everybody like you've done on so many occasions and tell 'em about it. 'I can tell you guys on good authority, if I was still fighting today, and I was still the heavyweight champion and Tom Aspinall was the No 1 contender, I would've already fought him. One thousand percent. 'I know how dangerous, it would've done nothing but excite me. This dude Jon Jones is still talking? Come on.'
The Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Fresh Ben Askren health update issued as wife denies wild rumours former UFC star has died
BEN ASKREN is recovering in a Wisconsin hospital following his hospitalisation. The former UFC welterweight was hospitalised last week after coming down with a severe case of pneumonia, which was brought on by a staph infection. 4 4 4 Askren was in a critical condition and "unresponsive" in a Vegas hospital, according to his wife Amy. But according to the 40-year-old's good friend, Daniel Cormier, he's now been moved to a different hospital. The former two-division UFC champion said of his podcast host: 'Ben Askren, our good friend from 'Funky and the Champ', is having a hard time. 'That night that we did the last episode of 'Funky and the Champ', Ben was complaining about some issues. "He had some infections. He had a really tough time when he went to that convention in Vegas, he was stuck there for a while. 'I wanna report to you guys that he's now back home in Wisconsin. He's with his family, his beautiful wife, Amy. 'Everybody is just kind of praying that Ben gets better and we can start moving forward with life for Ben. 'It's so sad. I don't know how things like this happen to someone who is so good because Ben Askren is a good guy. 4 'Pray for Amy, guys. Pray for the kids. Ben, we love you, buddy. We are constantly thinking about him every single day. 'I cannot wait for the next 'Funky and the Champ' because we'll talk about that so much more.' forced to deny swirling social media rumours that her husband had passed away. She told TMZ her other half is "definitely still fighting". Askren retired from mixed martial arts in November 2019 after going 1-2 in his three fights in the promotion.
Forbes
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Daniel Cormier: Jon Jones Is ‘Quitting' Without Tom Aspinall Fight
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Daniel Cormier looks on ahead of the UFC 309 event at Madison ... More Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) The way former two-division UFC champ Daniel Cormier sees it, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones will walk away from MMA as a quitter if he does not face interim UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall in a title unification bout. ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 22: Daniel Cormier is seen in the broadcast booth during ... More the UFC 280 event at Etihad Arena on October 22, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) "All this other stuff that's going on around the fight – I mean, you're talking about me, you're talking about Francis (Ngannou), you're talking about Chael (Sonnen), you're talking about all these things and almost ignoring the right thing," Cormier said on his YouTube channel. "The right thing is to go fight this kid. If you beat him, which is a real thing, and a real likely scenario, you can then stick it to everyone like you've done on so many occasions and tell 'em about it. "Nothing feels better to a guy like Jon Jones to be able to beat the guy that you thought was going to get him, and then him going, 'What did I say to you?' It's sweeter than any title or anything else you can give this man, but he's gotta be willing to take that chance to go and fight this dude." "Not everybody gets to retire – Jon Jones will get to retire from fighting, but if he doesn't fight this guy, then that's just him quitting," Cormier, who is now a UFC commentator added. "There's one real fight for him and he's not so old and washed up that he can't take it. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: UFC CEO Dana White holds a press conference after the UFC 313 event at ... More T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) According to UFC CEO Dana White, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has agreed to face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Speaking at the UFC 316 pst-fight press conference, White seemed taken aback when he was asked about Jones's recent social media posts that he was ready and willing to vacate the UFC heavyweight title. "He said he's ready to vacate the belt? (Expletive) crazy," White said. "I've been busy. I haven't been keeping up with the gossip. He's either back today or came back yesterday or whenever. He was in Thailand. He's home. We'll be home tonight. Tuesday, we'll figure this out." "Tom Aspinall's the guy. He's the guy. Listen, if [Jones] wants to retire and doesn't want to fight, nothing you can do,"added White. "I didn't want Khabib [Nurmagomedov] retire. I thought [Daniel] Cormier could have stayed it in longer. It's none of my business. I'll do what I can to make the fight if we can. If he's talking that crazy shit, I didn't realize that." "It's definitely the process with Jon Jones," White said of the ongoing negotiations between the UFC and Jones. "I've been going through this since the day he started this. It's definitely the process. Him and Anderson Silva, every time throughout the history of being in business with those guys when it comes time to get them fights, it's like dealing with artists. It's interesting. "It's Aspinall's fight. We've been talking to this kid forever about it and it's his fight. Listen, you can't make people fight. If Jon doesn't want to fight, you can't make him fight. We can try to make him fight. We can throw things at him that inspire him to want to fight but we'll figure it out." "But yes, Jon agreed to fight Tom, fact," White added in closing. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 17: Daniel Cormier reacts after seeing a cut on Gregory Rodrigues of ... More Brazil after a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on September 17, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Cormier, who held the UFC heavyweight title between July 2018 and August 2019, said that if he were in the same spot Jones finds himself in today, that he would have already faced Aspinall in a title unification bout. '... I can tell you guys on good authority, if I was still fighting today, and I was still the heavyweight champion, and Tom Aspinall was the No. 1 contender, I would have already fought him, 1,000 percent,' said Cormier. "The mindset that I carried throughout my fight career, knowing how dangerous, it would have done nothing but excite me to see someone standing across the octagon that could potentially beat me, or knock my ass out. That would make me train harder, smarter, and be more prepared than I ever could have been. That's what that would have done to me. What it's doing to Jon Jones is very disturbing and very hard for me to understand. Because, in my mind, this guy is a fighter. I've seen him do it time and time again. It's a very weird situation." Cormier also held the UFC light heavyweight title. He faced Jones twice over his UFC career, losing to him via decision when Jones held the UFC 205-pound belt in 2015. In their rematch, which was during Cormier's title reign, Jones knocked out Cormier. However, the result was later changed to a no contest when Jones failed a drug test. As a result of that drug test failure, the title reverted to Cormier. MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Tom Aspinall of England reacts after his knockout victory against ... More Curtis Blaydes in the interim UFC heavyweight championship bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Aspinall won the interim UFC heavyweight crown in November 2023 with a knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Aspinall took that fight on short notice when the original main event for that card, Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for Jones's heavyweight title was scrapped following an injury to Jones. Despite Aspinall winning the interim crown, UFC CEO Dana White remained steadfast in saying that Jones vs. Miocic was the fight to make. That fight did not take place until November 2024. Jones held on to his belt that night, beating Miocic by TKO in the third round. By that time, Aspinall had already defended his interim crown, scoring a first-round knockout win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July 2024. Aspinall has been waiting for the title unification bout with Jones since Jones's win over Miocic in November. In late April, Miocic became the longest-serving UFC interim champion, topping the 535-day reign of Renan Barao, who defended his interim title twice before being named undisputed champion. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall looks on during the ... More UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Earlier this month, Aspinall seemed frustrated by how long it is taking to get a title unification bout booked, going so far as to declare that Jones has retired. "Jon Jones is retired," Aspinall said. "I want to say God bless him moving forward in what he does with his life and career. We move on. I'm the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I'm ready to take on all comers and get this division moving again. "Those guys have been waiting around too long. The contenders are getting sick of it. Everybody's getting sick of it. Even the fans are getting sick of this stuff. So, Jon's retired and it's time that we move on. "I'm the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I'm ready to take on all comers, get this division moving again. Us guys have been waiting around too long. The guys, contenders are getting sick of it, everybody's getting sick of it, even the fans are getting sick of it. Jon's retired and it's time that we move on.'
The Sun
12-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
‘Still fighting' – Ben Askren's wife issues worrying health update with ex-UFC star battling to stay alive in hospital
BEN ASKREN'S wife has given another update on the former MMA champion's condition as he battles pneumonia. The 40-year-old was "unresponsive" after being hospitalised last week. 2 2 Askren remains in a critical condition after contracting pneumonia following a staph infection. A false rumour began to circulate a few days ago that he had sadly passed away. But his wife Amy has shut down these claims, telling TMZ Sports that he is "definitely still fighting" for his life. Former fighter-turned-commentator Daniel Cormier revealed Askren has been transferred to a hospital in his hometown of Wisconsin. He said: "Everybody is just kind of praying that Ben gets better and we can start moving forward with life for Ben. 'It's so sad. I don't know how things like this happen to someone who is so good because Ben is a good guy. 'Pray for Amy, guys. Pray for the kids. Ben, we love you, buddy. We are constantly thinking about him every single day." Askren's partner Amy, who he married in 2010 and has three kids with, released an emotional statement on Tuesday. It read: "Feeling so incredibly thankful for our friends and community. 'It's times like this that remind you how truly blessed you are. 'I feel God moving through the love and support we have received. "I'm sorry if I haven't had the chance to respond to you, but know I've seen your messages, and each one has meant so much to me. 'Please keep praying for Ben.' Former Bellator welterweight world champion Askren retired from MMA in 2019 after three UFC fights. He fought Jake Paul in a boxing clash in 2021, losing via a first round knockout.
