UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier relinquished the light heavyweight strap before the event, but Jones says DC was never truly a double champion anyway.
“When it comes to Daniel Cormier, he’s always quiet, unless he’s speaking out to discredit me and my legacy and my achievements,” Jones said at the UFC 232 post-fight press conference. “Every time he opens his mouth, and it works against him, I see the fans’ reaction. They’re like, ‘Dude, leave Jon Jones alone for once. He beat you. You sound so bitter.’ He works his hardest to try to discredit and de-legitimize the fact that I’ve beat him twice, and the only thing I want to de-legitimize as retaliation is his claim of being the light heavyweight champion. He was never the light heavyweight champion. He never beat me. This has been my era since 2011. I want to make that loud and clear. ‘DC’ is no champ-champ. When we talk about an asterisk next to my name, there’s always going to be an asterisk next to the idea of him being a champ-champ.”
Jones and DC have clashed twice before, with Jones winning at UFC 182 and a second Jones win at UFC 214 overturned to a no contest due to a failed drug test.
The new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion says DC can drop back to 205 pounds to shut him up if the former two division UFC champion wants to.
“The only way he can shut me up with what I’m saying right now is beat my ass,” Jones said. “Me going to heavyweight would be making it extremely personal, and for me, I have no problem with ‘DC.’ I have a problem when he comes out and says, ‘See, I told you guys he’s a cheater.’ I have no real problem with ‘DC.’ I’m not going to go heavyweight and try to take everything from him and destroy his legacy and all that.”
Cormier did issue a statement after Jones win at UFC 232, but has yet to accept a third fight with his longtime rival.
