Daniel Cormier has never been one to shy away from voicing his opinion. But when Kamaru Usman recently compared Jon Jones to Michael Jordan, it sparked a fiery debate that almost had Cormier walking out mid-conversation! The bold comparison from the former welterweight champion was enough to trigger Cormier, igniting a fierce discussion.

While Jones’ dominance in the sport is undeniable for many, Cormier quickly countered that Jordan’s legacy stands alone, untouchable by anyone, including ‘Bones’. But what happened next was even more surprising—Cormier found himself second-guessing his own take, opening up the conversation to whether or not Jones could truly leave behind a legacy as monumental as ‘Air Jordan’!

Daniel Cormier surprisingly changes his tune over Michael Jordan and Jon Jones comparison   

It all started when on a recent episode of the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast, Kamaru Usman dropped a bombshell. What did he say? The former welterweight champion stated, “To be honest, Jon is — in a sense — the Michael Jordan that we’ve seen in MMA.” For Usman, Jones’ dominance in the sport put him on a level where few could compete. After all, ‘Bones’ has remained undefeated throughout his MMA career except for a DQ loss due to illegal elbows against Matt Hamill in 2009. However, even that has been disputed repeatedly by Jones and UFC CEO Dana White.

But Cormier quickly pumped the brakes on that idea, passionately arguing that Jordan’s legacy was untouchable. The former ‘champ-champ’ stated, “There will be a person that comes along that people will say replaces Jon Jones as the greatest of all time. He has not left such a legacy that it doesn’t feels like it’s ever gonna be toppled. Jordan left a legacy that is so strong, that we have seen LeBron James do what he do, we have seen Kobe (Bryant) do what he do, we’ve seen these great players and [people are] still unwilling to say they’re better (than Jordan).”

But as heated as the conversation got, Cormier soon found himself second-guessing his own words. This led to him seemingly having a change of heart on social media! In a pair of comments on Instagram on the video of his statement shared by ESPN MMA, Cormier stated, “Ok so I don’t know that I even believe my own take lol. or or maybe someone down the line will comparable is what I meant. I mean people do compare Lebron to Mike!”

What really stood out was Cormier’s willingness to consider the future. He noted that one day, there will be an athlete who might surpass Jon Jones as the greatest of all time in MMA. After all, despite their storied rivalry, Cormier still believes that the UFC doesn’t have as many stars capable of drawing in the eyeballs as Jon Jones!

Cormier confesses Jones on a small list of champions that ‘move the needle’ with their fights

The UFC has long been the stage for stars who shine brightest under the spotlight. But according to former champion Daniel Cormier, the list of fighters who can truly “move the needle” these days is shrinking—and fast. Speaking on a recent episode of the ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ show with Chael Sonnen, Cormier didn’t hold back. He argued, “(Alex) Pereira and Jon Jones might be the only two champions right now that are completely moving the needle.”

It’s not just about talent, either. Cormier believes that in order to be a big pay-per-view draw, fighters need more than just a belt—they need longevity. Gone are the days when fighters like Anderson Silva or Georges St-Pierre dominated their divisions for years. In Cormier’s view, “Anderson had what, 11 title defenses? Jones had like 13. Who’s doing that anymore?… A long title reign is very difficult. A long title reign is what’s needed to become a real draw.”

The reason behind the lack of dominant champions might be due to today’s fighters facing stiffer competition than ever before Cormier also added. This brings us back to Jon Jones, arguably one of the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view stars and one of the most dominant champions ever seen in the sport. In fact, when ‘Bones’ made his heavyweight debut at UFC 285, it drew in $12,150,000 for the live gate, putting it firmly in the top 10 list of highest-ever live gates for the promotion.

Now, ‘Bones’ is set to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 main event on November 16. But the question remains, will Jon Jones leave behind a legacy that will take years to surpass, or is there someone else who is poised to take over that spot from him? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!