Daniel Cormier: 'We're closer to Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall fighting than we've ever been'

Daniel Cormier believes we’re edging closer to Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall becoming a reality.

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has taken a different approach in trying to get champ Jones’ attention, which Cormier thinks could eventually pay off.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) threw a vulgar insult Aspinall’s way and took to X to answer some fan questions – which included shots at Aspinall. Cormier says it’s a good sign that Jones continues to address Aspinall.

“Tom Aspinall, while I thought he completely fumbled the post-fight interview with me in Manchester, seems to be frustrated,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Honestly, frustration might be good right now because in frustration, you start to really show your true feelings on the situation. He was very respectful in that interview, and what does respectful get you? It doesn’t really get you all that you want. Now respect’s out the window with this dude, and he’s just telling it how it is.

“Here’s one thing about Jon Jones, and this can be from me because I’m a person that lived it with him: The thing about Jon Jones (is that) he doesn’t like disrespect. He can’t ignore when you take shots at him. and that’s why it was very easy to get under his skin. …We, as fighters, don’t like being disrespected, especially one who has had as much success as Jon Jones has had. At the end of the day, Jon Jones is a champion, and he is a competitor.”

Cormier pointed at Aspinall’s PEDs dig toward Jones as particularly impactful. Having personally gone through a rivalry with Jones, Cormier knows when he’s really starting to get irked.

“Things are picking up at heavyweight. I think we’re closer today to Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall fighting than we’ve ever been,” Cormier said. “Because I’m telling you, I don’t know Jon Jones personally, but I do know him in beef and in beef, disrespect is always what gets you closer to fighting him. Tom Aspinall is being disrespectful now, and I think that is going to work to his advantage in terms of getting this fight.”