Over the years, Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones have traded numerous shots, both verbal and physical. But, Cormier is reporting he was far from happy, after hearing that his longtime rival was arrested again.

Cormier comments on Jones’ latest arrest

Jones made headlines last week after news surfaced that the UFC champion was arrested in Albuquerque on Thursday. According to reports, the star was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, negligent use of a firearm and possession of an open container. 

It isn’t the first time Jones has had issues with authorities. In 2012, “Bones” was arrested for driving under the influence, and in 2015, he was arrested due to a hit-and-run incident, which left a pregnant woman with a broken arm. This past September, Jones pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct, in a connection to an alleged incident with a waitress at a strip club.

Well, recently Cormier spoke with Ariel Helwani, and not surprisingly, he was asked to comment on Jones’ situation. Here’s some of what the former champ had to say (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“For a guy that has these issues, whether it be alcohol, whether it be drugs, that dead time is your worst enemy,” Cormier said. “Because all those vices start to pull at you, especially when you’re sitting at home with nothing to do, especially if you’re not a person who does that a lot. Seeing him get into trouble again, a lot of people in my circle, they text me almost celebratory. That’s not me. I didn’t celebrate the kid getting in trouble again. I don’t think that you should celebrate or dance on someone’s grave in their darkest moments. You don’t do that to people.

“Ultimately are you a human being, or does this competition overtake everything? I didn’t take any joy in seeing that kid – or, at 32, he’s a man. He was a kid when he was 23. At 32, I did not enjoy seeing that man in that situation again, because it’s just bad.”

“When it was happening, people started putting us these videos of Jones and I when we did a sit-down with Joe Rogan a while back, and I was talking about how it would be very difficult for him to change if nothing around him changed,” Cormier said. “It won’t change. It won’t change until something around him or the people around him change. …

Cormier’s take shouldn’t be a surprise

If you’ve followed Cormier over the years, then you know his take above shouldn’t be a surprise. While his issues with Jones are longstanding, Cormier is known for being a respectful and classy fighter. Hopefully, Jones gets the help he needs. It remains to be seen, however, whether this latest incident sidelines his MMA career and for how long.

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