Daniel Cormier gives former rival Jon Jones advice on how to succeed at heavyweight
Jon Jones is set to make his heavyweight debut at UFC 285 against No.1 contender Ciryl Gane for the vacant championship. Jones' former rival Daniel Cormier, who has the distinction of being a champion at both light heavyweight and heavyweight, recently shared some advice for 'Bones'.
Amongst a panel of former and current heavyweights, 'DC' was singled out because of his intense rivalry with Jones and was asked if he had any advice for the heavyweight debutant. Cormier warned against complacency, saying:
“Heavyweight’s different. I was lucky, alright? I started at heavyweight and then came down. But for Jones, just, don’t be too comfortable in training because that’s what the dangers are. When you go from 205 to heavyweight, the dangers are in the training room because you don’t have to do as much to get the weight off."
The UFC Hall of Famer added:
"So you tend to sometimes take some practices off, take some days off, you’re a little more okay with recovery. Just don’t get comfortable, cause if you get comfortable, that’s where you get beat. So, stay locked in as if you are fighting at 205.”
Catch Daniel Cormier's comments below:
Jon Jones explains his mindset ahead of heavyweight title clash with Ciryl Gane
Despite his lengthy hiatus from the sport, Jon Jones is supremely confident ahead of his heavyweight debut. The former light heavyweight champion spoke about his next opponent in the UFC 285 Embedded Vlog Series and elaborated on his focused mindset heading into the bout.
'Bones' mentioned Ciryl Gane's video game hobby, highlighting how 'Bon Gamin' might not be as serious as him:
"I hear that Ciryl Gane's soccer team, his online team, is ranked top sixty in the world. I'm sitting here focusing on combat. He's out here playing video games. The job is to have no mercy at the end of the day, whether he is ready for this opportunity or not."
Jones added that his hunger exceeds his French opponent's desire to win:
"There's somewhere inside of him that he thinks there's a chance that he's going to take food off my family's table, that he's going to destroy my legacy, and that's something I take very personal and there's no mercy. Probably in France, he's super popular right now. They don't care whether they win or lose. They're just glad to be here. His coach is in suits, you guys haven't even showered today."
Catch Jon Jones' comments on Ciryl Gane below: