Daniel Cormier gives backhanded compliment to Jon Jones for finding "smart" heavyweight matchups - "It's much less risky"

Daniel Cormier recently shared his thoughts on Jon Jones' potential matchup against Alex Pereira. Jokingly, he gave Jones props for pursuing Pereira instead of competing for the unification of the titles against UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

At UFC 295 in November last year, the UFC heavyweight champion was scheduled to defend his belt against Stipe Miocic. However, Jones had to withdraw from the fight due to a pectoral muscle injury.

'Bones' announced that he intends to postpone his fight with Miocic. He also hinted at a potential fight against the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion following his highly anticipated fight with Miocic.

In a post on X, Jones hailed Pereira's rapid ascension in the UFC and hinted that a bout with 'Poatan' would be historic. He also acknowledged Pereira's ambition of becoming the first UFC fighter to win titles in three divisions.

''It would be absolutely massive. A guy with a chance to be three division champion and a goat versus the actual goat. Same age, different strengths. No one can argue that that would be the biggest fight in MMA history. There’s absolutely no fight that generates a payday like that. Marketing would be insane.''

In a recent episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy, Cormier spoke with Chael Sonnen about Jones' choice to go after a fight with Pereira.

''He’s smart. If I’m an Olympic wrestler or a national champion, and I’m watching the landscape of things, valuing the money vs. the fame, vs. the championships and everything else, I’m doing exactly what Jon’s doing.''

Cormier additionally gave a backhanded compliment to Jones. He indicated Jones is wise in going for Pereira rather than Aspinall since the latter has a broader skill set. 'DC' also pointed out that Pereira's major weapon is his ability to hit hard, which Jones can try to avoid.

Cormier said:

''It’s much less risky than fighting a guy with a full skillset, that’s complete. That’s exactly what Tom Aspinall looks to be.''

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments below (13:18):

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Alex Pereira is excited about the prospect of a super fight with Jon Jones

Recently, Alex Pereira discussed his desire for a possible super fight with Jon Jones.

While speaking to MMA Junkie's Nolan King, Pereira opened up about a hypothetical fight against Jones and his expectations for the outcome. He stated that he had no personal grudge against 'Bones' and that, should it happen, UFC fans would see an extremely thrilling fight.

''If this [fight] ends up happening, I believe it'd be fantastic. I would be looking forward to it...It would be a war. It would be a very entertaining showcase for the fans. With all the experience and skillset that Jon [Jones] has, but also with all the abilities I've been growing during my MMA career...I think it would be a great championship [fight] and everyone would be entertained by that."