They rarely saw eye-to-eye during their careers but it appears that the Daniel Comier-Jon Jones relationship has softened somewhat.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Jones has been hit with two misdemeanour charges related to an alleged incident with a drug-testing agent in March, who had alleged that Jones had engaged in threatening behaviour during a sample collection at the UFC heavyweight champion’s residence.
Jones has strongly contested the charges and on Wednesday he pleaded not guilty. The case is now set for a bench trial.
But despite some of their past incidents, as well as some of Jones’ notable outside-of-the-cage issues, Cormier said on his YouTube channel that the allegations against his rival appear to be without merit, on the surface at least.
“I know that we all rush to judge Jones because of his past issues, but the reality is, if a man is at his house and he’s having some drinks in the confines of his own home, so what?” Cormier said, per MMA Junkie.
“It’s his right to do that. And if the drug testers come, and he might be a little bit tipsy or messed up, maybe the interactions aren’t as fun or as easy as they may have been in different other occasions.
“So, kind of always thought it was BS,” added Cormier. “I don’t think much is going to come of it, but because he is who he is, it’s always a story, regardless of what happens to this guy. And honestly, that’s kind of like living in the spotlight, but I think because of everything that he’s done in the past, the light shines a little brighter on him, even in situations where it shouldn’t. So, I don’t really think this is that big of a deal. Some of the things that happened in the past were much more serious.”
“If you are a Jones hater, and you are hoping something comes of this, I don’t think it will,” he continued. “I think this man was bombarded a little bit, and I think that a misdemeanour is only the court’s way of taking some action because something has to be done when you do something wrong.”
“I’m not the judge, I’m not the jury, so it doesn’t really matter,” Cormier said. “I’m just a guy that doesn’t like a guy, that is actually standing up for that guy because I know it’s bullsh*t.”
Jones and Cormier fought twice in their careers, with Jones winning their first meeting nine years ago by unanimous decision. Jones scored a knockout of Cormier in their second fight in July 2017 but the bout was subsequently declared a no-contest after Jones tested positive for a banned substance.
