Ben “Funky” Askren has added fuel to the fire by suggesting that Daniel Cormier signed a petition calling for Jon Jones to be stripped of his championship.
During a recent interaction captured on video, Askren directly confronted Cormier about his potential involvement in the controversial petition that has garnered significant attention in the MMA community.
“There is a signature to strip Jon Jones of a petition. Did you sign it? You signed it, didn’t you?” Askren questioned Cormier in the video. “I’m going to go, I’m going to search the database. I didn’t search it. I’m going to find your email on there.”
Cormier’s response was quick and defensive, pointing out the petition’s considerable support: “Dude, there’s 70,000 signatures.” According to Askren’s social media post accompanying the video, the petition is “almost at 100K” signatures.
The accusation comes amid ongoing tension between Cormier and Jones, whose rivalry remains one of the most storied in UFC history. The two faced off twice in light heavyweight title bouts, with Jones winning both encounters – though his victory in their rematch was later overturned to a no contest following a positive drug test.
The Jones-Cormier saga has recently reignited after Jones claimed he would have performed even better against Cormier at heavyweight. “I believe I beat Daniel Cormier at heavyweight worse than I beat him at light heavyweight,” Jones stated in an interview with Geoffrey Woo, suggesting his abilities would have transferred more effectively to the heavier division.
Cormier, now 46 and retired, responded by reminding fans of Jones’ previous reluctance to face him at heavyweight. “Let’s make this true to everybody: Jon Jones, when I was actively fighting, said ‘I would not fight Daniel at heavyweight because it gives him an advantage. That’s where he’s best at,'” Cormier recalled during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take.”
While Askren’s petition accusation adds another chapter to this ongoing saga, Cormier has been candid about the current reality of the situation, acknowledging on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen that at his current age and retired status, he’s no longer in a position to compete against Jones.
The petition in question continues to gain signatures, highlighting the passionate and divided opinions that still surround Jones within the MMA community, even as both he and Cormier have moved into different phases of their careers.
