Daniel Cormier Says ‘Bad Test’ Rules Jon Jones Out of GOAT Debate – “Out of the Equation”

Guess who might be coming back to the UFC soon? It is none other than UFC  27-1-0 record holder Jon Jones! He has had a huge impact on UFC MMA and his grandeur is not hidden from the industry and the fans. The heavyweight fighter is one of the rare names who won the strap in different weight divisions. ‘Bones’ might have been on hiatus for three years, but now he is coming back and has eyes on Alex Pereira. 

Jones, who last fought against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time in the UFC by many. However, the UFC legend Daniel Cormier is not in favor of giving the 36-year-old the GOAT status and he has a strong reason behind it.

Daniel Cormier disagrees with Jon Jones’s GOAT title

Daniel Cormier does consider Jon Jones in high regard, but he feels that the fighter is not worthy of being the best in the promotion. Reflecting on the MMA GOAT debate in conversation with Chael Sonnen at the ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ show, Cormier revealed that he does not, “ like to put Anderson and Jon because I feel like when you get a bad test, you are out of the equation for GOAT.” Though DC agrees that the Hall of Fame title is fine for Jones “But I don’t think they should be considered the GOAT.”

Notably, Jones has a history of failing drug tests and he has been handed multiple bans from the promotion because of the same. In a previous talk on his ESPN show DC & RC, Cormier had said that he could not consider ‘Bones’ the greatest of all time because of the steroid accusations and other allegations to his name. There was once an incident among many of his failed tests where Jones tested positive for benzoylecgonine in 2014. Cormier had declared, “I think especially with the drugs and the steroid failures and those types of things. I think when you have those things, it’s hard to call you the greatest of all time.”

Meanwhile, this is not the first time Jones received criticism. 

The array of criticism for Jon Jones

‘Bones’ had cemented his name in the UFC after his triumph in UFC 285 because of the transition to a new division. While everyone else was applauding him, light heavyweight icon Anthony Smith was not convinced of the victory. He shed light on the title win and slammed Jones. Smith questioned what could have happened if the fight lasted 25 minutes. 

Ben Askren also does not seem to be a fan of Jones, as in a conversation with Cormier last year, he reflected on how Jon Jones has been in the promotion for a long time. “But then I started thinking like he’s missing significant gaps. He has multiple one year or so… uh his win versus you versus win over Ovince Saint Preux that was a 15-month gap he then took roughly the same gap uh between time he fought Ovince Saint Preux and you again after that he takes like an 18 months gap and then obviously most recently he took a 3 year gap right,” Askren concluded. 

Do you think Jon Jones is the GOAT or do you agree with DC? Let us know in the comments.