UFC 226: Daniel Cormier Compares Legacy Of Jon Jones To Lance Armstrong

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier fired back at Jon Jones by comparing his legacy to that of former cycling star Lance Armstrong.

Cormier (20-1-1) will challenge Stipe Miocic (18-2) for the heavyweight title in a champion vs. champion super fight at UFC 226 which takes place July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Should he emerge victorious, Cormier will not only become the fifth UFC fighter to win a title in two different divisions and just the second simultaneous two-weight champion, but he will also cement his legacy as one of the greatest of all time (GOAT).

But when the official UFC Twitter account recently asked fans whether a win over Miocic earns the 39-year-old GOAT status, Jones took offense and replied with his own tweet.

Jones (22-1-1) is regarded by many as the GOAT and is arguably the most talented fighter in UFC history. He is also notably the only fighter to hand Cormier a defeat when he successfully defended his light heavyweight title against him via unanimous decision when they first met in January 2015.

He was later stripped of his title due to a hit-and-run incident before a failed drug test for anti-estrogen agents clomiphene and letrozol saw him having to wait until July last year to challenge Cormier for the belt he never lost.

"Bones" would go on to brutally knock out Cormier in the third round, marking the first time "DC" had been finished. However, it was revealed the following month that Jones had failed another test after testing positive for turinabol, resulting in him getting stripped of the title, his win getting overturned and Cormier being reinstated as champion.

He now awaits a hearing from the United States Anti-Doping Association [USADA], who could hand him a four-year suspension for being a multiple offender.

The second failed drug test led many, including an already adamant Cormier, to suspect Jones had been using performance enhancing drugs his whole career, effectively tainting his legacy as the GOAT. That is one of the reasons why Cormier does not care for what he says.

"He doesn’t have a platform and I refuse to give him a platform," Cormier said, as per MMAMania. "He’s a nobody. He has been suspended again. He’s mired in controversy for drug abuse. Your issues are tied to steroids, performance enhancers. You don’t get a platform when you’re like that. It’s like me glorifying Lance Armstrong."

"[Jones] won the fight but, hey, since USADA has gotten involved with the UFC, he only fought one time. He has had four fights scheduled. So he fought Ovince [Saint Preux] and he fought me but that second one was a no contest. The Ovince fight was the only time he fought and there was no controversy surrounding it. So I’m pretty sure there was some dirty stuff going on, that’s why the test results were all jacked up in December," Cormier added.

Cormier's fight with Miocic will headline a stacked UFC 226 card as he will hope to extend his unbeaten record as a heavyweight. Also in action will be featherweight champion Max Holloway, who defends his belt against the red-hot Brian Ortega in the co-main event while heavyweight knockout artists Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis will also clash.