Dominick Cruz: Jon Jones probably felt like he was “getting choked” watching Cormier defend title

Last weekend, in the main event of UFC 210, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defended his title with a second-round submission of the dangerous Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. As he did so, his biggest rival Jon Jones – a man who never lost the title, but was stripped due to a long list of troubles outside the cage – watched on from cage side.

According to former bantamweight champion and current UFC colour commentator Dominick Cruz, this must have been downright torture for Jones. Cruz, after all, relates to Jones situation, having been stripped of the title for inactivity in 2014, at which point he was forced to watch the division he once ruled move on without him while he recovered from injury.

“For me, the coolest thing about [UFC 210] was seeing Jon Jones out in the stands, and DC winning the title, and seeing the look on Jon’s face,” Cruz told ever engaging MMA analyst Robin Black. “I’m a champion, a former champion, I’ve lost it, I’ve earned it, I’ve done all that, and I know where Jon is to an extent, because he’s out, and he knows he should be and can be competing. To see the look on his face when DC won the title, and talking to him… and he can’t do anything about it? I know how that feels. It’s such a restricting feeling. You literally feel like you’re being choked in your seat, and your whole body is being sucked into the seat.”

“You want to compete,” he said. “You want to compete so bad, and you can’t for whatever reason. [My reason] was mine, [Jon’s] was his, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the same situation to an extent. So I’m excited to see when that [Jones-Cormier rematch] happens, because I’m telling you, this is only making the fight that much better.” 

Watch Cruz’s full discussion with Robin Black at the top of this article!

Who do you think wins the inevitable Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones rematch? Sound off, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/10/2017.