Leading up to UFC 239, Jon Jones has made no attempt at complimenting his upcoming opponent, Brazilian jiu-jitsu/capoeira specialist Thiago Santos. In fact, during the weigh-ins, and the subsequent press conference, Jones was all-too-willing to look ahead and answer questions regarding a possible trilogy fight with his greatest rival, current Heavyweight titlist Daniel Cormier.
After Jones' defeat of Alex Gustafsson in December 2018, the Light Heavyweight called out Cormier in challenging him to drop down in weight to reclaim what was formerly his. All posturing aside, everybody knows that Cormier's days as a Light Heavy challenger are well behind him - his walk-around weight somewhere in the upper 200's (in pounds). So, if Jones is going to clash with DC one last time, it'll have to be within the weight delimitations of a Heavyweight bout.
With that said, Jon Jones told the press amassed before him this afternoon, that any trilogy fight with Daniel Cornier would be on his terms, given his spotless record. “I am interested in fighting Daniel Cormier," Jones addressed the media. “I just want to do it under the right terms. One thing about the UFC is we always give the fans what they want to see, and if they want to see it bad enough, Hunter, and Ari, and Dana, they’ll hear about it enough."
And yet, the sticking points don't appear to be centered around creating even if not fair conditions for the fight. In reality, Jones, given his record and reputation feels he's due the richer of the two contracts if ever the split purse goes to bidding. The new "reverent" Jon Jones did offer his longtime rival a modicum of respect for signing off for the day. Then again, he punctuated each sentence by clamoring about what the "presumptive" would do for legacy. The press conference must have been quite enthralling for his competitor Santos. UFC 239 goes live this Saturday, the main card beginning at 10 pm ET.
