Jon Jones says former rival Daniel Cormier inspires him

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier shared one of the most iconic and fierce rivalries in UFC history. The pair were involved in two contests inside the Octagon which saw Jones win both fights and then having them overturned to draws due to Jones' alleged use of PEDs.

All that seems to be water under the bridge right now as reigning Lightweight Champion Jones feels that he sees his former rival Cormier as an inspiration, because DC is one of the very few guys who held the title at the age of forty and at this stage of his career, the 32-year-old Jones wants to follow in the footsteps of his former nemesis. (h/t MMA Fighting)

Speaking at the UFC 247 media day, Jones showered praise on his former opponent.

“My goal is just to be here for an extremely long time. I want to be here for the whole next decade and I want to be the champion for this next decade. I look at Daniel Cormier as an inspiration. For him to be champion at 40 years old, dominating guys much younger than him"

" He lets me know if I do the right things and really take care of myself, there’s no reason why we can’t keep up with this next generation of fighters, this next decade of fighters. That’s the goal. Thank you for that motivation, Daniel Cormier.”

Jones will defend his light heavyweight title against Dominick Reyes in the main event of UFC 247.