In a weird way, all these years later, Jon Jones is ‘happy’ Daniel Cormier has a chance to be UFC champion

LAS VEGAS — Over five years have passed since Jon Jones first planted the seeds of his rivalry with Daniel Cormier. It is a bizarre thought to consider; the idea that a young Jones, months away from UFC gold, could so deeply enrage the unknown Olympian in the hallways of a UFC show in Anaheim, and that those few seconds would linger for more than a half-decade between two of the sport’s preeminent alpha males. Neither Jones nor Cormier could have known back in 2010 that they would still be omnipresent figures in each other’s lives all these years later.

But they are. Two convergent narratives that, even when they don’t intersect, barrel close enough to one another that their stories are almost inseparable.

Jones bested Cormier in the cage. Cormier bested Jones on the road. As soon as Jones gave away what was most important — his UFC light heavyweight title — Cormier was there to scoop it up and carry on the mantle. Two sides of the same coin, similar enough to develop a mutual respect, but dissimilar enough to never let the hatred waver.

Yet, somewhere along the way, a funny thing happened. Eleven months spent watching Cormier parade around with the UFC strap in tow has led Jones to a conclusion that is both surprising and a reflection on how much the narrative has changed.

“It doesn’t really bother me,” Jones said Wednesday when asked of Cormier’s reign as UFC light heavyweight champion.

“I’m really aware with everything that’s happened. I took myself out of the competition being a knucklehead and gave DC an opportunity of a lifetime to finally capture that belt. This may sound weird, but in a way I’m happy for him to have gotten a taste of the opportunity. Because outside of the …

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