As UFC 309 approaches, the highly anticipated heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic has MMA fans buzzing. Few are better suited to analyze this monumental clash than Daniel Cormier, the former UFC double champion who has faced both fighters in the Octagon.
Cormier’s experience with Jones is unmatched, having spent over 38 minutes in the cage with the reigning champion across two intense bouts. He’s also no stranger to Miocic, as the two shared a historic trilogy from 2018 to 2020, marking the only three-fight series in UFC heavyweight history.
The rivalry between Cormier and Jones remains one of the most heated in MMA. Their 2014 press tour was marred by a physical brawl in the MGM Grand hotel lobby, a moment that set the tone for a bitter and dramatic feud. Their fights — one in 2015 and a controversial rematch in 2017 — became legendary for their intensity and the fallout from Jones’s failed drug test after his knockout victory.
Cormier’s trilogy with Miocic was equally compelling. He shocked the world in July 2018 with a first-round knockout to capture the heavyweight title, but Miocic exacted revenge in the following bouts, winning by knockout in 2019 and a unanimous decision in 2020.
Reflecting on his career, Cormier acknowledged the impact both Jones and Miocic had on his own growth as a fighter. “They say your opponents elevate you,” Cormier told ESPN. “These guys elevated me. I owe a lot of my success to them, and I hope I made them prepare even better to make sure the fights were as great as they were.”
With his unmatched insight into the careers of both Jones and Miocic, Cormier is uniquely positioned to assess the challenges facing both men in this historic matchup. How will Jones perform against a bigger heavyweight while recovering from a torn pectoral tendon? And how will Miocic fare after a 3½-year hiatus from the sport?
Cormier recently sat down with UFC announcer Jon Anik to highlight three key factors that could determine the outcome, while also elaborating on his thoughts in an interview with ESPN’s Dre Waters.
