Daniel Cormier understands firsthand the intensity of rivalry with Jon Jones, having experienced it before their fights.
Cormier and Jones engaged in a legendary UFC feud, culminating in two title fights. Cormier was defeated in both instances, although the second result was changed to a no contest due to Jones failing a drug test.
Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been consistently trying to goad Jones into a title unification fight. He even brought a rubber duck to UFC Fight Night 255 in London as part of his campaign.
Cormier is now warning Aspinall that facing Jones in the octagon is unlike anything he has encountered before.
“He`s a very mean fighter,” Cormier commented on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Sonnen regarding Jones. “He`s incredibly tough, and a difficult opponent. Tom Aspinall will soon realize this. I appreciate the jokes and the duck, but when you are locked in the cage with Jones, second thoughts are dangerous. If you start doubting yourself in there, he will overwhelm you. You can`t afford to think, `This is harder than I expected,` because he will capitalize on that.”
Aspinall recently gave an optimistic update about his potential fight with Jones after discussions with UFC management. The British fighter has dominated his recent opponents, winning his last five fights by first-round knockout, most recently defending his interim title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
Cormier doubts Aspinall will achieve another quick victory against Jones and is interested to see how Aspinall performs in the later rounds of a fight.
“I don`t think Aspinall anticipates this,” Cormier continued. “The funny thing about being a young, successful fighter like Tom Aspinall is that fans and media can inflate your confidence, making you believe you`re unstoppable. But when the fight gets tough and you start losing rounds, you might question yourself. How will he react to that adversity in a prolonged fight? Because it will be very difficult to finish Jon Jones quickly.”
